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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-15263

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 14 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive which public authorities are responsible for carrying out safety inspections of dams and reservoirs; what the scope is of such inspections, and where the relevant reports can be obtained.

Reservoir safety is a matter for the reservoir undertaker. The Reservoirs Act 1975 places a duty on undertakers requiring all large raised reservoirs (those capable of storing more than 25,000 cubic metres of water above natural ground level) to be:

overseen at all times by a qualified civil engineer drawn from the Supervising Engineers panel (one of four panels of qualified civil engineers established under the 1975 Act), and

inspected and reported on at least every ten years by a qualified civil engineer drawn from one of the other three approved panels, with any recommendations made as a result of such inspection - as to measures to be taken in the interests of safety - requiring to be implemented.

Local authorities, as enforcement authorities under the 1975 act, have duties under the act to maintain a public register of all large raised reservoirs in their area, to enforce the measures stipulated in the act, and to submit biennial reports to the Scottish Executive on any steps taken to secure that reservoir undertakers observe and comply with the requirements of the act.

Question reference: S2W-15364

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 12 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether court business will be significantly reduced by an increase in the number of fiscal fines offered to persistent offenders.

There are no plans to offer fiscal fines to persistent offenders who are on a course of criminal conduct. It is intended, however, to extend the use of fiscal fines and to introduce other alternatives to prosecution that will be appropriately used on the basis of clear guidelines prepared by the Lord Advocate. This will allow our courts to operate more speedily and effectively. Smarter Justice, Safer Communities – Summary Justice Reform Next Steps, published on 22 March 2005, outlines how these penalties will be used. It can be accessed from the Summary Justice Reform website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/JD/CP/00019008/Homepage.aspx.

Copies are also available in the Parliament’s reference centre (Bib. number 35821).

Question reference: S2W-15365

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 12 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that increasing the number of fixed penalty notices issued does not prioritise efficiency over justice.

We consider that fixed penalty notices, correctly and appropriately used, are an important part of a modern criminal justice system. They offer a quick, proportionate and effective response to a number of instances of minor offending making clear to the offender, and the local community, that such behaviour will not be tolerated. As announced in Smarter Justice, Safer Communities on 22 March 2005, we remain committed in principle to a further extension of the use of fixed penalty notices, with appropriate guidelines and safeguards in place. We will monitor the operation of the antisocial behaviour fixed penalty pilot scheme before reaching any decision to extend their use further.

The Smarter Justice document can be accessed from the Summary Justice Reform website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/JD/CP/00019008/Homepage.aspx.

Copies are also available in the Parliament’s reference centre (Bib. number 35821).

Question reference: S2W-15514

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 11 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how much per capita funding has been allocated by each local authority to primary schools in each of the last five years.

The information requested is given in table 2.2 (Total gross revenue expenditure per pupil in primary schools 1998-99 to 2003-04) of Expenditure on School Education in Scotland 2005, a Scottish Executive publication of 18 January 2005. A copy of this is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 35374). The information is also available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00389-00.asp.

Question reference: S2W-15534

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 11 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any rules governing the length of time between separate proposals to close a school being made and, if not, whether there are any plans to introduce legislation to that effect.

The Education (Publication and Consultation Etc) (Scotland) Regulations 1981 set out the requirements on local authorities for consultation with parents and other interests on proposals to close schools. Authorities will take a range of local circumstances into account in deciding when to consult on such proposals. We have no plans to amend the Regulations to govern the timing of the issue of proposals for consultation.

Question reference: S2W-15362

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Elish Angiolini on 31 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how persistent offenders who have previously been offered fiscal fines are identified.

Question reference: S2W-15363

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Elish Angiolini on 31 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive in what circumstances a persistent offender would appear in court rather than receive an offer of a fiscal fine.

If there is sufficient evidenceof a crime being committed by an accused person, the prosecutor must consider whataction is in the public interest. Assessment of the public interest involves carefulconsideration of a number of factors including the seriousness of the offence, the interests of the victimand other witnesses, factors relating to the accused (such as age and previous record),as well as local community interests or general public opinion. The public interest is more likely to require prosecutionwhere the accused has a significant history of recent offending particularly wherethis includes convictions for similar crimes.

Under section 302 of the CriminalProcedure (Scotland) Act 1995, Procurators Fiscal are authorised to issue conditionaloffers of a fixed penalty (a “fiscal fine”) as an alternative to prosecution inrelation to any offence in respect of which an alleged offender could competentlybe tried before a district court. Confidential guidance has been issued to procuratorsfiscal regarding their use of fiscal fines as an alternative to prosecution, whichincludes directions as to the circumstances in which procurators fiscal must notissue a fiscal fine. These include cases involving overtones of sexual behaviouror racial motivation or aggravation and cases involving the possession of ClassA drugs.

Question reference: S2W-15337

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 29 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to reduce the level of discards of monkfish and other species and abandoned nets in the deepwater fishery as identified by the recently published report of the "DEEPNET" project.

The fisheries identified and considered by the DEEPNET project extend beyond the Scottish fishing zone, into other EU waters as well as Norwegian, Faroese and International waters. In order to reduce the amounts of abandoned fishing gear and high discard rates in these fisheries, the Scottish Executive engages actively in EU, NEAFC and bilateral negotiations, protecting Scottish interests and promoting good practice across a range of technical issues, including limits on gear soaking time and the effective marking of gear.

Further, the Scottish Executive encourages and endorses voluntary co-operation on these matters between the different sectors of the various national fishing fleets concerned, such as that which produced the voluntary code of conduct agreed between Norwegian and Scottish industry representatives and signed at Banchory in 2002.

Question reference: S2W-15361

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 24 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the training available to lay justices has improved.

We acknowledge the steps which have been taken in recent years, led by the District Courts Association, to improve the quality and consistency of lay justices’ training by publishing materials which allow competence based training to be undertaken.

We believe there is scope for further improvement. On 22 March this year I launched Smarter Justice, Safer Communities, which contains the Executive’s proposals in relation to summary justice reform. It makes it clear that we intend to invest in order to ensure that all lay justices across the country are provided with a consistent and high standard of training. This document can be accessed at from the Summary Justice Reform website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/JD/CP/00019008/Homepage.aspx.

Copies are also available in the Parliament’s reference centre (Bib. number 35821).

Question reference: S2W-15157

Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the number of (a) shops, (b) banks, (c) post offices and (d) other facilities there have been in rural communities in each local authority area in each of the last five years.

The following table shows the number of shops, banks, post offices and other businesses in rural areas in Scotland, and the employment of these businesses. The data is for 1999-2003 and is split by local authority.

Rural areas are defined as settlements with a population of less than 3,000.

Number of Businesses Located in Rural Areas and Employment, by Local Authority Area and Business Type, 1999-2003

Local Authority	Business Type		1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Aberdeen City	Shop	Businesses	15	15	20	20	20
	Shop	Employment	*	*	50	70	60
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Other	Businesses	235	240	245	265	270
	Other	Employment	*	*	2,590	2,260	2,850
	Total	Businesses	250	260	265	285	290
	Total	Employment	2,820	2,280	2,650	2,330	2,910
Aberdeenshire	Shop	Businesses	425	440	405	505	520
	Shop	Employment	1,620	1,590	1,370	2,280	2,270
	Bank	Businesses	10	10	10	15	20
	Bank	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Post Office	Businesses	5	10	10	10	10
	Post Office	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Other	Businesses	4,370	4,510	4,635	6,815	7,015
	Other	Employment	16,610	17,880	18,500	27,620	27,840
	Total	Businesses	4,810	4,970	5,060	7,345	7,565
	Total	Employment	18,320	19,580	19,990	30,050	30,250
Angus	Shop	Businesses	85	95	85	85	90
	Shop	Employment	380	430	370	370	400
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Other	Businesses	1,470	1,480	1,480	1,465	1,440
	Other	Employment	6,550	6,620	6,350	6,440	6,400
	Total	Businesses	1,560	1,575	1,565	1,550	1,525
	Total	Employment	6,920	7,050	6,720	6,810	6,800
Argyll and Bute	Shop	Businesses	265	265	250	265	280
	Shop	Employment	1,030	1,030	930	1,050	1,060
	Bank	Businesses	5	5	5	5	5
	Bank	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Post Office	Businesses	25	25	25	25	25
	Post Office	Employment	50	50	50	60	50
	Other	Businesses	2,335	2,340	2,360	2,355	2,320
	Other	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Total	Businesses	2,630	2,635	2,640	2,655	2,630
	Total	Employment	9,580	9,420	9,810	9,750	9,920
Clackmannanshire	Shop	Businesses	15	15	15	15	20
	Shop	Employment	*	*	*	*	50
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Other	Businesses	145	150	150	155	165
	Other	Employment	*	*	*	*	1,100
	Total	Businesses	155	165	165	170	185
	Total	Employment	1,680	2,340	1,050	1,100	1,160
Dumfries and Galloway	Shop	Businesses	365	365	345	350	350
	Shop	Employment	1,320	1,310	1,350	1,400	1,440
	Bank	Businesses	10	10	10	10	15
	Bank	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Post Office	Businesses	15	15	10	15	10
	Post Office	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Other	Businesses	4,280	4,250	4,290	4,325	4,370
	Other	Employment	17,670	17,420	16,930	17,370	17,500
	Total	Businesses	4,665	4,640	4,655	4,700	4,745
	Total	Employment	19,090	18,820	18,370	18,870	19,070
Dundee City	Shop	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Shop	Employment	*	0	*	0	0
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Other	Businesses	20	15	20	20	20
	Other	Employment	*	*	*	480	440
	Total	Businesses	20	15	25	25	20
	Total	Employment	250	*	450	480	440
East Ayrshire	Shop	Businesses	140	135	125	130	130
	Shop	Employment	860	930	800	480	890
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	5
	Post Office	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Other	Businesses	1,220	1,210	1,210	1,240	1,225
	Other	Employment	*	6,490	*	*	*
	Total	Businesses	1,365	1,350	1,340	1,370	1,355
	Total	Employment	7,750	*	6,910	7,450	7,850
East Dunbartonshire	Shop	Businesses	25	30	25	30	35
	Shop	Employment	110	150	120	200	210
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Other	Businesses	255	260	265	270	275
	Other	Employment	1,700	1,620	1,450	1,770	1,710
	Total	Businesses	280	290	295	300	305
	Total	Employment	1,810	1,760	1,570	1,970	1,930
East Lothian	Shop	Businesses	95	100	90	95	85
	Shop	Employment	330	340	310	320	330
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Post Office	Businesses	5	0	0	5	0
	Post Office	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Other	Businesses	955	975	980	995	1,005
	Other	Employment	5,810	5,570	5,510	5,680	5,820
	Total	Businesses	1,055	1,080	1,075	1,095	1,095
	Total	Employment	6,150	5,920	5,830	6,010	6,180
East Renfrewshire	Shop	Businesses	15	10	10	10	15
	Shop	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Other	Businesses	230	240	230	230	235
	Other	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Total	Businesses	240	250	240	245	250
	Total	Employment	1,090	1,060	1,380	1,630	1,600
Edinburgh, City of	Shop	Businesses	40	40	45	55	60
	Shop	Employment	470	310	380	600	400
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Other	Businesses	450	445	450	450	465
	Other	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Total	Businesses	495	490	500	505	525
	Total	Employment	7,600	7,080	6,930	7,870	7,900
Falkirk	Shop	Businesses	55	60	55	65	60
	Shop	Employment	190	180	170	190	190
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Other	Businesses	450	440	455	455	465
	Other	Employment	3,030	3,030	3,190	2,790	2,860
	Total	Businesses	505	500	515	520	530
	Total	Employment	3,210	3,200	3,360	2,980	3,050
Fife	Shop	Businesses	270	270	235	250	245
	Shop	Employment	2,150	2,220	1,070	2,220	2,150
	Bank	Businesses	5	5	5	5	5
	Bank	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Other	Businesses	2,250	2,295	2,350	2,345	2,400
	Other	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Total	Businesses	2,525	2,570	2,590	2,600	2,650
	Total	Employment	14,390	14,890	13,760	15,070	15,790
Glasgow City	Shop	Businesses	10	10	10	10	10
	Shop	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Other	Businesses	50	50	50	55	60
	Other	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Total	Businesses	60	60	60	65	70
	Total	Employment	740	920	900	1,030	1,020
Highland	Shop	Businesses	610	630	635	655	665
	Shop	Employment	3,080	3,140	3,030	3,220	3,300
	Bank	Businesses	20	20	20	20	30
	Bank	Employment	150	150	150	130	170
	Post Office	Businesses	75	75	75	70	75
	Post Office	Employment	220	220	210	210	240
	Other	Businesses	5,925	5,990	6,040	6,085	6,050
	Other	Employment	22,550	22,770	22,410	22,730	22,930
	Total	Businesses	6,630	6,715	6,765	6,830	6,815
	Total	Employment	26,000	26,270	25,790	26,300	26,630
Inverclyde	Shop	Businesses	10	20	20	30	25
	Shop	Employment	*	80	70	70	60
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	*	*	0
	Other	Businesses	165	175	170	175	180
	Other	Employment	*	910	*	*	1,120
	Total	Businesses	175	195	190	205	205
	Total	Employment	860	990	1,150	1,200	1,190
Midlothian	Shop	Businesses	45	45	45	50	55
	Shop	Employment	160	160	150	160	170
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Other	Businesses	465	485	490	520	550
	Other	Employment	2,600	3,040	3,030	3,020	2,940
	Total	Businesses	510	530	535	565	605
	Total	Employment	2,760	3,200	3,180	3,180	3,110
Moray	Shop	Businesses	120	130	125	145	150
	Shop	Employment	440	450	430	510	530
	Bank	Businesses	5	5	5	5	10
	Bank	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Post Office	Businesses	5	5	5	5	5
	Post Office	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Other	Businesses	1,025	1,035	1,105	1,440	1,475
	Other	Employment	4,490	4,400	4,290	5,760	5,850
	Total	Businesses	1,150	1,175	1,240	1,595	1,640
	Total	Employment	4,970	4,890	4,770	6,320	6,440
North Ayrshire	Shop	Businesses	95	95	90	100	100
	Shop	Employment	320	340	320	330	370
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Other	Businesses	915	925	925	930	920
	Other	Employment	5,980	5,900	5,840	5,750	5,680
	Total	Businesses	1,010	1,020	1,020	1,025	1,020
	Total	Employment	6,300	6,240	6,160	6,080	6,050
North Lanarkshire	Shop	Businesses	95	90	80	75	80
	Shop	Employment	420	400	440	460	370
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	*	*	0	*	*
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	5	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	*	*	0
	Other	Businesses	675	680	700	720	710
	Other	Employment	*	*	*	6,000	*
	Total	Businesses	770	770	785	800	790
	Total	Employment	6,520	6,690	7,080	6,550	6,240
Orkney Islands	Shop	Businesses	65	65	65	65	70
	Shop	Employment	250	210	240	230	260
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Post Office	Businesses	20	20	20	20	20
	Post Office	Employment	40	40	40	40	30
	Other	Businesses	1,285	1,265	1,265	1,260	1,215
	Other	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Total	Businesses	1,375	1,350	1,350	1,345	1,305
	Total	Employment	3,970	3,900	4,010	4,050	3,950
Perth and Kinross	Shop	Businesses	335	335	330	335	315
	Shop	Employment	1,470	1,510	1,450	1,470	1,350
	Bank	Businesses	10	10	10	10	10
	Bank	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Post Office	Businesses	5	5	5	5	5
	Post Office	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Other	Businesses	3,075	3,130	3,100	3,120	3,125
	Other	Employment	11,640	11,950	12,300	12,540	12,580
	Total	Businesses	3,425	3,480	3,440	3,465	3,455
	Total	Employment	13,200	13,550	13,810	14,060	13,980
Renfrewshire	Shop	Businesses	35	35	30	30	30
	Shop	Employment	720	720	290	690	280
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Other	Businesses	360	370	385	365	360
	Other	Employment	4,700	5,460	5,580	4,070	3,640
	Total	Businesses	400	410	415	400	390
	Total	Employment	5,420	6,190	5,870	4,760	3,920
The Scottish Borders	Shop	Businesses	245	245	235	240	260
	Shop	Employment	930	930	870	910	950
	Bank	Businesses	5	5	5	5	5
	Bank	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Post Office	Businesses	5	5	5	5	5
	Post Office	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Other	Businesses	2,935	2,960	2,910	2,925	3,025
	Other	Employment	12,460	12,530	12,120	11,500	12,020
	Total	Businesses	3,190	3,215	3,155	3,175	3,295
	Total	Employment	13,440	13,520	13,040	12,450	13,040
Shetland Islands	Shop	Businesses	55	65	65	60	60
	Shop	Employment	260	270	280	270	260
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	20	20	20	15	15
	Post Office	Employment	50	40	50	*	*
	Other	Businesses	965	970	980	975	925
	Other	Employment	3,330	3,360	3,600	*	*
	Total	Businesses	1,040	1,055	1,065	1,055	1,000
	Total	Employment	3,640	3,680	3,930	4,080	3,840
South Ayrshire	Shop	Businesses	80	80	80	75	85
	Shop	Employment	820	270	290	280	320
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	5
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	*
	Other	Businesses	1,005	1,015	1,015	1,005	995
	Other	Employment	6,560	6,420	6,320	5,170	*
	Total	Businesses	1,090	1,095	1,095	1,085	1,085
	Total	Employment	7,380	6,700	6,610	5,460	5,780
South Lanarkshire	Shop	Businesses	200	185	185	185	165
	Shop	Employment	990	820	800	840	770
	Bank	Businesses	5	5	5	5	5
	Bank	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Post Office	Businesses	5	5	5	5	5
	Post Office	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Other	Businesses	1,800	1,785	1,805	1,845	1,815
	Other	Employment	10,340	10,040	10,320	11,140	11,260
	Total	Businesses	2,005	1,980	2,000	2,040	1,990
	Total	Employment	11,390	10,930	11,200	12,050	12,090
Stirling	Shop	Businesses	185	190	190	200	200
	Shop	Employment	790	760	800	850	830
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	5
	Bank	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Post Office	Businesses	10	15	15	15	15
	Post Office	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Other	Businesses	1,500	1,505	1,535	1,535	1,560
	Other	Employment	6,640	6,540	7,120	6,730	6,640
	Total	Businesses	1,700	1,710	1,740	1,750	1,780
	Total	Employment	7,490	7,370	7,980	7,660	7,550
West Dunbartonshire	Shop	Businesses	5	5	5	5	5
	Shop	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Other	Businesses	85	90	90	90	95
	Other	Employment	*	*	*	*	*
	Total	Businesses	95	95	95	95	100
	Total	Employment	380	350	360	340	400
West Lothian	Shop	Businesses	80	80	75	70	75
	Shop	Employment	360	420	350	270	280
	Bank	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Bank	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Businesses	0	0	0	0	0
	Post Office	Employment	0	0	0	0	0
	Other	Businesses	730	730	740	720	735
	Other	Employment	11,770	12,280	14,300	9,900	9,190
	Total	Businesses	810	815	810	790	810
	Total	Employment	12,130	12,710	14,650	10,170	9,460
Western Isles	Shop	Businesses	65	65	70	75	75
	Shop	Employment	230	230	200	260	270
	Bank	Businesses	5	5	0	5	5
	Bank	Employment	*	*	0	*	*
	Post Office	Businesses	25	25	20	20	25
	Post Office	Employment	50	50	40	50	50
	Other	Businesses	760	745	720	695	675
	Other	Employment	*	*	2,430	*	*
	Total	Businesses	850	840	810	795	780
	Total	Employment	3,080	2,780	2,670	2,730	2,900
Scotland total(rural areas)	Shop	Businesses	4,150	4,220	4,050	4,275	4,345
	Shop	Employment	19,990	19,490	17,620	20,700	20,440
	Bank	Businesses	80	80	75	90	115
	Bank	Employment	540	530	510	520	620
	Post Office	Businesses	225	230	220	225	225
	Post Office	Employment	680	670	710	790	700
	Other	Businesses	42,385	42,760	43,165	45,850	46,135
	Other	Employment	209,110	211,270	213,090	218,800	220,630
	Total	Businesses	46,835	47,280	47,510	50,435	50,815
	Total	Employment	230,320	231,955	231,920	240,810	242,390

Notes:

1. *Denotes disclosive data. The Office for National Statistics regulations do not permit us to publish employment details for a group of less than 20 businesses. Additional data also has to be suppressed so employment details cannot be calculated by deduction.

2. Counts of the number of businesses are rounded to the nearest five and employment figures are rounded to the nearest 10. This means counts of one or two businesses will appear as zero.

3. Totals may not equal the sum of the constituent parts due to rounding.