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Following consultation with stakeholders, we have developed a scheme under the national envelope provisions which will be called the Scottish Beef Calf scheme. I will be bringing forward regulations relating to the scheme, shortly. Farmers and crofters have been kept informed of our intentions.

This will involve a flat rate payment for calves born in Scotland to beef-bred animals, with a higher rate payable for the first 10 animals. It is intended to support the supply of quality Scottish beef and safeguard the environment.

The first payments will be made after one year’s worth of claims have been received. I expect the first payments to be made in February to March 2006.

Broadcasting is a reserved matter. We attach considerable importance to the role that regional broadcasting and programming play in nurturing local culture and identity. We have made our views clear in discussions with the broadcasters, Ofcom and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

The number of applications for rural home ownership grants (RHOGs) which have been made and progressed in each local authority area in each of the last seven years, showing year-on-year percentage changes is as follows.

Number of RHOG Applications made and Progressed by Unitary Authority (1997-98 to 2003-04) (Number and Percentage change)

	1997-98		1998-99		1999-2000		2000-01		2001-02		2002-03		2003-04
	No	%	No	%	No	%	No	%	No	%	No	%	No	%
Aberdeen-shire	0	-	1	100	1	0	0	-100	0	0	1	100	1	0
Angus	0	-	1	100	0	-100	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Argyll and Bute	1	-	1	0	4	300	4	0	8	100	1	-88	10	900
Highland	19	-	19	0	16	-16	22	38	15	-32	27	80	36	33
Moray	0	-	0	0	1	100	0	-100	0	0	0	0	0	0
Orkney Islands	12	-	7	-42	14	100	17	21	25	47	26	4	28	8
Perth and Kinross	3	-	5	67	1	-80	2	100	1	-50	3	200	1	-67
Shetland Islands	1	-	5	400	6	20	2	-67	5	150	3	-40	1	-67
Stirling	1	-	0	-100	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Scottish Borders	5	-	3	-40	4	33	2	-50	1	-50	2	100	3	50
Western Isles	3	-	2	-33	3	50	2	-33	0	-100	1	100	3	200

Although broadcasting is a reserved matter, we engage regularly with Ofcom to discuss different aspects of broadcasting in Scotland, including the review of public service broadcasting.

The information provided in the following table details the total number of planning applications received by planning authorities in the financial years since 1999. The actual number of planning permission appeals determined by the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit (SEIRU) is only around 1-2% ofapplications received. Of these, the number of appeals accepted (successful) isaround one-third with the number of appeals rejected (unsuccessful) around two thirds in each of the last five financial years.

Year	Planning Applications Received	Planning Permission Appeals Accepted	% of Total Planning Applications Received	Planning Permission Appeals Rejected	% of Total Planning Applications Received
1999-2000	42,651	197	0.46	366	0.86
2000-2001	40,925	214	0.52	399	0.97
2001-02	44,269	214	0.48	350	0.79
2002-03	47,228	228	0.48	423	0.90
2003-04	51,330	242	0.47	451	0.88

 

Through the Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) we are working in partnership with academia and industry to help promote and accelerate the development of a range of renewable energy technologies. FREDS plans to consider Scotland’s research and development potential specifically, and its capability to help contribute to the development of our renewable energy opportunities.

We contributed £2.125 million towards the capital costs of establishing the European Marine Energy Centre in Orkney, which is promoting and enabling the research and development of marine technologies. We are also investing, through Scottish Enterprise, £150 million over 10 years in the Energy Intermediary Technology Institute in Aberdeen, which will focus on research and development for emerging and innovative technologies. Furthermore, with the support of the Executive, the Carbon Trust funds the research and development of innovative low carbon technologies.

We are confident that NHS Grampian is taking active steps to improve its orthodontics service. The board has not asked for help in this but the Executive stands ready should such help be sought.

At present the board is recruiting two permanent consultants and will provide interim services using locum consultants. Additional treatment sessions are being run to ensure that urgent cases are seen almost immediately and to provide continuity of treatment where this has already started.

NHS Grampian is about to engage an independent company to assess 140 patients in February.

Current centrally-held data on orthodontic staff is correct to 30 September 2003.

Information on NHS orthodontic practitioners within hospital and community health service (HCHS) and general dental practice in NHSScotland as at 30 September 2004 will be published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statistics, at www.isdscotland.org/workforce on 10 February 2005.

Tables based on figures provided by planning authorities showing a breakdown of this information have been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 35167).

These tables indicate the total number of applications received, approved and refused by planning authorities for all housing developments. Data on the number of houses per application is not held centrally and therefore is not included in the tables.

Broadcasting is a reserved matter. We submitted a response to phase one of Ofcom’s review of public service broadcasting (PSB) in July 2004. This submission is publicly available on the PSB Phase 1 consultation responses page on Ofcom’s website at www.ofcom.org.uk.