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Enterprise and Lifelong Learning’s targets 1 to 3 refer to increasing business expenditure on research and development, improving the productivity of Scottish industry, and improving Scotland’s entrepreneurial performance respectively. Progress towards meeting these targets will be reported through the annual budget documents, along with all others set out in Building a Better Scotland: Enterprise, Opportunity and Fairness (Bib. number 33956).

In addition to this, Targets 1 and 2 are progress measures for A Smart, Successful Scotland (SSS) and are reported on in the reports Measuring Progress Towards a Smart, Successful Scotland (Bib. number 34212).

Enterprise and Lifelong Learning’s targets 1 to 3 refer to increasing business expenditure on research and development (R&D), improving the productivity of Scottish industry, and improving Scotland’s entrepreneurial performance respectively. Progress will be measured in each target as follows:

Target 1 – Increase business investment in research and development compared to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) competitors.

An increase in business investment is defined as an increase in total R&D expenditure by businesses in Scotland as a proportion of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as published annually by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in “R&D Statistics”. Any increase will be measured relative to the average figure for all OECD countries, as published by the OECD Economic Analysis and Statistics (EAS) Division of the Directorate for Science Technology and Industry (DSTI). An increase relative to the OECD average will be where the Scottish figure increases as a proportion of the OECD figure.

Target 2 - Improve productivity levels in Scottish Industry compared to OECD countries.

Productivity levels in Scottish Industry are defined using GDP per worker for international comparisons, and Gross Value Added (GVA) per worker for Scotland. Both measure the value of goods and services produced in an economy. OECD competitors are those countries included in the ONS Productivity database which relates to the G7 countries and includes USA, Japan, France, Germany, Italy and Canada.

Scotland’s performance against this target will be measured using bi-annual data from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)’s regional competitivenessindicators. This data compares each region of the UK against the aggregate UK performance, which is indexed at 100. International comparisons will be made using GDP per worker indices from ONS’s international comparisons of productivity series. These are also available on a bi-annual basis, with new data being released each September. Therefore, Scotland’s performance will be evaluated annually. As the UK is set at 100, an index above 100 indicates better relative productivity for Scotland compared against the UK.

Target 3 – Increase entrepreneurial activity over time.

This target is measured using annual data on VAT registrations per 10,000 of the resident Scottish adult population. The number of enterprises registering for VAT each year is an indicator of the number of business start-ups. It excludes most of the very smallest one-person businesses. The number of VAT registrations is measured per 10,000 persons aged 16 and over, which are taken from the annual mid-year population estimates. This allows the calculation of the number of VAT registrations per head of the adult population. An increase will be deemed to have taken place if the number of VAT registrations per head is higher in subsequent years relative to the baseline.

The Ministry of Defence haveyet to announce their final decision on the future of the Scottish regiments, includingthe Black Watch.

Students studying with Open University are defined as distance learners in relation to student support. Eligible full-time, part-time and distance learning students who incur additional expenditure whilst undertaking their course because of their disability can apply for additional support in the form of a Disabled Students Allowance (DSA). The DSA comprises a yearly basic allowance of £1,525 and a non-medical personal help allowance of £11,550. These allowances are paid on a pro-rata basis to those studying part-time or by distance learning. A further allowance of up to £4,565 for the purchase of major items of equipment is available for the duration of the course. Help with the cost of travel may also be provided where the student incurs additional costs as a result of theirdisability.

The non-medical personal help allowance and help with the cost of travel (for both the student and their helper if required) are available to distance learning students for attendance at tutorials and summer schools which form a compulsory part of the course.

Following the review of Funding of Learners, the Disabled Students Stakeholder group was established to consider and address issues relating to the support available for disability related additional needs in further and higher education. The Open University disability adviser has recently joined the group.

No.

As part of our commitment to address climate change, the Scottish Executive has set targets for the production of more electricity from renewable sources. It is expected that wind energy will play a significant part in achieving those targets. There are around 15 windfarms operating across Scotland, and that number might be expected to double in the next five years as developers respond to the Executive’s policy commitment.

The Executive considers that, at the existing level of development, the impact of windfarms on tourism in Scotland is relatively minor. Indeed, there is evidence that renewable energy development is seen by at least some visitors as evidence that Scotland is an environmentally friendly country which takes itsclimate change obligations seriously. However, we do understand the importance oftourism to the rural economy and, through VisitScotland, we are fully committedto the promotion of rural tourism. That is why, with an increasing number of proposed windfarm developments and planning applications in the pipeline, we encourage developers of new windfarms to consult widely on their proposals with local communities, including community councils and other local interest as specified under Section 36 of the 1989 Electricity Act.

This is a matter for the Scottish Renewables Forum, which is a membership organisation independent of the Scottish Executive. The information requested is not held centrally.

Forty-three thousand, three hundered and eighty-eight individuals have completed the current Skillseekers programme since its inception.

The Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Councils provide recurrent funding based mainly on factors such as student population and activity. It is up to the institutions themselves to decide on how funding is used. Neither funding council specifies how much funding should be spent on advice to students nor do they require institutions to report on this. In relation to the administration of discretionary funds, again the amount of funding allocated by colleges and universities to this area of their business is for each institution to decide.

This information is not held in the form requested.

Colleges are funded based on a target of weighted student units of measurement (WSUMs). The following table shows the WSUMs completed at colleges from 1999-2000 to 2002-03 (the latest year available).

The core recurrent funding which the Scottish Further Education Funding Council agrees to provide to each college is not split between full-time and part-time. It is up to colleges themselves to decide on the detailed use of funds. The table shows the WSUMs generated by full-time activity and those generated by part-time activity. These proportions have then been applied to the total core recurrent funding received by colleges to give as close an indication as possible of the funding which would have been attributed to full-time and part-time students respectively.

Colleges can receive funding in addition to core recurrent funding (e.g. for estates maintenance, student bursaries, and specific initiatives). However, it is colleges’ core recurrent funding which is associated directly with taught student activity.

	*No. of Student Enrolments at Scottish Further Education Colleges		Weighted Student Units of Measurement (WSUMs)				Recurrent Funding
Year	Full-Time	Part-Time	Full-Time	Part-Time	Full-Time (%)	Part-Time (%)	Full-Time	Part-Time
1998-99	67,301	354,255	1,220,972	747,750	62	38	£140,985,562	£86,342,650
1999-2000	68,122	366,313	1,236,277	736,513	63	37	£155,133,765	£92,421,035
2000-01	72,855	414,486	1,238,845	776,803	61	39	£157,633,059	£98,841,941
2001-02	72,809	442,068	1,304,840	813,246	62	38	£161,347,856	£100,560,647
2002-03	73,178	416,444	1,342,550	786,142	63	37	£169,291,610	£99,130,126

Note: *The above data represent enrolments on individual courses at further education colleges. Students may enrol on more than one course in an academic year.