- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 July 2007
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 12 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the NHSScotland Resource Allocation Committee submitted its recommendations for improvements to the Arbuthnott Formula in June 2007 and when the Executive plans to make the committee’s recommendations public and announce its response to them.
Answer
Following a slightdelay to their timetable, the NHSScotland Resource AllocationCommittee (NRAC) have advised that they intend to submit their report to me in August2007.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2007
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 11 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers to be the key areas of growth for the tourism sector in the next 10 years.
Answer
The key areas forgrowth in the tourism sector are greater productivity and increased investment forexpansion. As with most business models, a number of different drivers are requiredto influence that growth. These include: better capacity utilisation; greater cross-selling;market positioning; effective marketing by the public and private sectors, and capitalinvestment.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2007
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 9 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider reviewing which tourism services are funded by local authorities and which are centrally funded through VisitScotland.
Answer
We are determinedto do all we can to increase the effectiveness of Scotland’s tourism effort. To do that, we will consider all aspects of Scotland’stourism industry, including funding for tourism services.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2007
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 28 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what its approach is to supporting the development of more affordable housing in (a) rural areas and (b) Orkney.
Answer
The Scottish Governmentis currently assessing a broad range of housing issues across the country and recognisesthe acute shortage of affordable homes whether in urban, rural or island communities.Our approach includes improving the supply and affordability of housing throughtargeted investment and by removing barriers to provision. We are also pursuinga new Housing Supply Task Force, and implementing the manifestoproposal for a new Scottish Housing Support Fund.
In 2007-08, the AffordableHousing Investment Programme is £142 million in rural areas and £6 million in Orkney.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2007
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 28 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that the tourism sector develops in a sustainable way.
Answer
Scotland’s tourism strategy – the Tourism Frameworkfor Change – sets out an action plan for growing Scotland’s tourism revenues in a sustainable way, and this government is committedto working with the industry to ensure that this is delivered. A Sustainable TourismPartnership has been established, with membership from the industry and all thepublic sector organisations which work alongside Scottish tourism, including the Scottish Executive. This partnership will work together to ensure that Scottishtourism grows in a way which is sustainable – economically, socially and environmentally.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2007
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 28 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to ensure that an enhanced demand responsive transport grant scheme receives as much funding as was previously available under the Rural Community Transport Initiative and the Demand Responsive Transport and Rural Public Passenger Transport grant schemes.
Answer
Our intention,subject to the outcome of the 2007 Strategic Spending Review, is that theinitial budget for the Enhanced Demand Responsive Transport Initiative will beat least the combined present budgets of the three current funding streams, increasedto allow for inflation.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2007
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 28 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific measures it is taking to support the development of more affordable housing in (a) rural areas and (b) Orkney.
Answer
I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-1172 on 28 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at
www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2007
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 28 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the potential for spreading the benefits of tourism more widely within Scotland.
Answer
There is real potentialfor tourism benefits to be spread across Scotland, and indeed this has already started happening. Many visitors come to Scotland for a city break, so VisitScotland promotes all of Scotland’s cities rather than just the traditional tourist destinations.Similarly, when visitors are considering a city break, VisitScotland’s marketingencourages them to consider leaving the city for part of their trip, to experienceother parts of the local area. Many visitors are attracted by Scotland’s wild landscape,and want a truly authentic Scottish experience far from the tourist hotspots, sothere is real potential for these more remote areas to benefit from the tourismeconomy, and again VisitScotland marketing supports this. There is, however, withoutdoubt more that could be done to encourage visitors to visit other parts of Scotlandand the government will encourage VisitScotland to support this approach.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2007
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 28 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reform the structure of the tourism network.
Answer
VisitScotland isalready a high performing organisation which has demonstrated that it can makea very effective contribution to the growth of Scottish tourism. Nevertheless,I am determined to ensure that the structures we have in place to supportScottish tourism are the right ones, and I am therefore working with theindustry, and the public sector organisations which work alongside it, toidentify whether these structures need to be adjusted. Any proposals for reformwill be announced in due course.
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Monday, 18 June 2007
-
Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 28 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to take forward the previous administration’s plans for an enhanced demand responsive transport grant scheme.
Answer
Yes. The newEnhanced Demand Responsive Transport Initiative will encompass the currentfunding streams for the Rural Community Transport Initiative, the Rural PublicPassenger Transport Grant Scheme and the current Demand Responsive TransportInitiative.