Mr David Davidson

25 Apr 2002 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what the cost will be to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body of the increased level of employers' National Insurance contributions in 2003-04.

Answer · David Steel: The cost to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body of the increased level of employers' National Insurance contributions in 2003-04 is estimated to be around £230,000. This comprises the increase in employers' National Insurance contributions for Parliamen…

25 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with airport operators regarding reducing aircraft landing fees to encourage inward tourism.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive and its agencies meet airport operators on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of matters including the relationship of air transport with tourism.

25 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with airline operators regarding the cost of flights to the Western Isles for tourists.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive and its agencies meet airline operators on a regular basis to discuss a range of aviation matters including the encouragement of new services, the cost of flights and the relationship of air transport with tourism.

16 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will postpone signing the e-tourism contract until the tourism sector is assured that access to the site will be managed to ensure that no sector or business will be disadvantaged and criteria to which businesses must adhere in order to advertise on the site are published.

Answer · Mike Watson: There is no reason for VisitScotland to postpone signing the e-tourism contract. It will be a key condition of the new company's business plan that all tourism businesses have equal access to the website. The criteria for advertising on the site will also be …

10 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to remove the discretionary local authority grant system for area tourist boards and either replace it with a statutory grant scheme or fund the boards directly itself.

Answer · Mike Watson: I will be announcing shortly how I intend to take forward the review of the area tourist boards network and the issues that will be considered.

10 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail, in real terms, the core funding provided for each of the last five years for each area tourist board.

Answer · Mike Watson: The Scottish Executive does not core fund area tourist boards. Details of VisitScotland grants to each area tourist board (excluding special funding for the JVP and foot-and-mouth disease) is provided in the following table:<P>VisitScotland Grants to Area Tou…

10 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding for special projects by area tourist boards has not been drawn down because of the inability of local authorities and VisitScotland to provide matched funding.

Answer · Mike Watson: The information requested is not held centrally.

10 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to continue to provide core funding for area tourist boards through local authorities.

Answer · Mike Watson: I will be announcing shortly how I intend to take forward the review of the area tourist boards network and the issues that will be considered.

10 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultation meetings it has had with regard to the future structure and funding of area tourist boards, broken down by area tourist board.

Answer · Mike Watson: None. But I have met with representatives of most of the boards to discuss matters of general interest.

10 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many chiropodists there are in each NHS board area, both registered and non-state registered.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number and whole-time equivalent of chiropodists in each NHS board area is shown in the following table. Information on the number of chiropodists who are state registered and non-state registered is not held centrally.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPA…

10 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many non-state registered chiropodists there are in Scotland and what percentage of all chiropodists are non-state registered.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

10 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what recognition it will give to examinations already passed and to practice experience obtained by non-state registered chiropodists if they are required to become state registered in order to continue to practise.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Health Professions Council (HPC), will put in place transitional arrangements for those who have been practising as chiropodists but who have never been registered with the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine (CPSM). The transitional pathway…

10 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial support it will give to non-state registered chiropodists to become state registered.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Financial support is not available from the Scottish Executive.

10 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the provision of conversion courses to enable non-state registered chiropodists to become state registered.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Health Professions Council will put in place special transitional arrangements for those who have been practising as chiropodists but who have never been registered with the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine. The transitional pathway to re…

10 Apr 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why it requires experienced chiropodists who are not state registered to become state registered.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Health Professions Council (HPC) is a new, UK wide, regulatory body which formally came into being on 1 April 2002 replacing the Council for Professions Supplementary to Medicine (CPSM). The HPC is an independent body whose purpose is to promote and safeg…

27 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what part VisitScotland will play in promoting the Million Visitor Campaign across the whole of Scotland.

Answer · Mike Watson: Information will be provided to businesses via the dedicated industry web site, scotexchange.net. Area tourist boards and the Scottish Tourism Forum will also promote the initiative to their members.

27 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects all sectors of the tourism industry to be able to participate in the Million Visitor Campaign in view of the expectation for match funding and whether it will provide support to enable the tourism industry to have access to the campaign.

Answer · Mike Watson: VisitScotland will provide advice to tourism businesses enabling them to become involved in the campaign and inviting them to enhance their profile further through the provision of special deals for promotion on both BTA and VisitScotland websites.

27 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support the Million Visitor Campaign and what resources it intends to apply to any such support.

Answer · Mike Watson: VisitScotland has committed £100,000 to the Million Visitor Campaign, which will supplement their current marketing campaigns in both the United States and in continental Europe.

27 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what Scotland's share will be of the new funding of up to #20 million allocated by Her Majesty's Government to the Million Visitor Campaign.

Answer · Mike Watson: The campaign budget will not be split by country brand. This is a Britain campaign, with Scotland featuring as an integral brand in the Britain portfolio.

22 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many chemistry degrees were awarded in each of the last five years, broken down by grade of degree.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: In the last five years, the number of graduates from higher education chemistry courses in Scottish higher education institutions, broken down by class of degree was as shown in the following table: <TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=378><TR><TD …

22 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many physics degrees were awarded in each of the last five years, broken down by grade of degree.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: In the last five years, the number of graduates from higher education physics courses in Scottish institutions, broken down by class of degree, was as shown in the following table: <TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=378><TR><TD WIDTH="20%" VALIGN…

22 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many acceptances there were for degrees in chemistry for each higher education institution in each of the last five years.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Figures on acceptances to specific subjects are not available from UCAS at an institutional level.<P>Total acceptances to chemistry degree courses at Scottish higher education institutions for the last five years are shown in the following table:<TABLE BORDER…

22 Feb 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many acceptances there were for degrees in physics for each higher education institution in each of the last five years.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Figures on acceptances to specific subjects are not available from UCAS at an institutional level.<P>Total acceptances to physics degree courses at scottish higher education Institutions for the last five years are shown in the following table:<TABLE BORDER C…

16 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received in support of an investigation into the winter roads maintenance performance of Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen Councils and BEAR Scotland Ltd and what plans it has for such an investigation.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has asked the Performance Audit Group (PAG) to carry out a comprehensive audit of BEAR's winter maintenance activities in the North East of Scotland over the festive period following the period of severe winter weather which affected th…

16 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to facilitate the reopening of Laurencekirk station.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The proposal to reopen Laurencekirk Station is a local transport matter, and as such is the responsibility of the relevant local transport authorities in partnership with the rail industry to take forward.<P>Railway infrastructure projects may qualify for fin…

14 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide level 3 figures for the administration budgets for all its departments in each of the last two years and the draft figures for each of the next two years.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The table sets out the level 3 figures, based on original published plans, for the Scottish Executive's administration budget, which covers the whole costs of running the Executive, disaggregated where appropriate between departments. Only the administration …

14 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give details of the administration budgets of all non-departmental public bodies for each of the last two years and any such draft budgets available for each of the next two years, including outturn figures where these are available.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Annual Reports and Accounts of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) contain detailed financial information including references to administration budgets, and are the main vehicles by which NDPBs regularly inform Parliament and the public about their activi…

13 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make arrangements for payments to farmers in Aberdeenshire under the Integrated Administration and Control System to be made as a matter of urgency.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The department gives priority to the payment of subsidies. Figures for specific areas are not readily available. But for Scotland as a whole, payments under the Arable Area Payments Scheme (AAPS) started on 16 November 2001, the first possible date under the …

11 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from the tourism industry since the appointment of the new First Minister and what consultation it intends to undertake with the industry.

Answer · Mike Watson: I have met will the Chairman and Chief Executive of VisitScotland and intend to meet with industry organisations, including the Scottish Tourism Forum, as soon as possible. VisitScotland is currently consulting the industry about the review of the national to…

11 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail any applications which VisitScotland has made to it for further funding for marketing.

Answer · Mike Watson: Any such applications would be made on a confidential basis.