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Responsibility for the overall provision of NHS dental services in the area rests with NHS Fife. NHS boards are encouraged to apply to Scottish ministers for approval for salaried dentist posts where they consider that there is a gap in NHS general dental service provision, which cannot be filled by other means. We continue to support NHS Fife by approving salaried dentist posts where required.

Our consultation Modernising NHS Dental Services in Scotland took a fundamental look at the way NHS dental services are provided, including remuneration. Our forthcoming response to the consultation will include further measures to support NHS dental services in Scotland.

The preparation work for thisscheme has been more complex than previously envisaged. Roads engineers are currentlyresolving a number of remaining design issues. I expect draft orders to be publishednext spring, which will allow affected parties and members of the public to commenton the proposals.

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).

Table 4.2 of the Comparative Study of Business Tax Revenue shows that totaltax revenue raised from business in Scotland relative to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is lower or comparable to most of our competitors with the exception of the United States, Ireland and Austria. This is reproduced in the following table:

Table 4.2 – Business and Transport Tax Revenue Relative to GDP, 2000

Country	Revenues as a percentage of GDP
Corporate Income Taxation	Employers’ Social Security	Business Property Taxation	Business Transport Taxes	Total
Austria	2.1	7.2	0.2	0.2	9.8
Belgium	3.7	8.5	0.1	0.9	13.2
Finland	5.5	8.8	0.3	0.5	15.1
France	3.2	11.3	0.6	1.0	16.1
Germany	1.8	7.3	0.3	1.0	10.4
Ireland	3.8	2.7	0.6	0.9	8.0
Netherlands	4.2	4.7	0.6	0.9	10.4
Scotland	3.5	3.6	2.1	1.1	10.4
Sweden	4.1	11.9	0.5	0.7	17.2
UK	3.7	3.5	1.8	1.4	10.4
USA	2.5	3.5	1.5	0.2	7.7

Source: OECD (2002); GERS (2003).

As can be seen, revenue from business property taxation represents 2.1 per cent of GDP in Scotland, as opposed to 1.8 per cent for the UK as a whole. However, as the report stresses, comparing individual taxes in isolation is misleading. Furthermore, comparison of total tax revenue raised from business follows the methodology and definition used by the Confederation of British Industry in their paper, UK Manufacturing: Strategy into Action, published September 2003. Such a comparison reveals that the overall tax revenue raised from business in Scotland is 10.4 per cent of GDP, the same level as in the UK. This level is comparable to Germany, and the Netherlands, and less than countries such as France, Finland, Belgium and Sweden. As is stated through-out the report, comparing individual tax revenues in isolation can be misleading and the 17 per cent figure quoted in your question, which is a percentage of two percentages,has limited meaning.

I refer the member to the question S2W-11981 answered on 18 November 2004, and would again stress the limitations of such comparisons.

The Scottish Executive is committed to creating the conditions to maximise sustainable economic growth in the medium and long term. The Executive’s strategy to deliver this is laid out in the recently refreshed editions of The Framework for Economic Development in Scotland (Bib. number 33705) and 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.