David Mundell

5 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the economic impact of the Climate Change Levy on the business sector.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Climate Change Levy is a reserved matter. However the UK Government's assessment is that its impact on business will be broadly neutral.

5 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what investigations it has made as to whether any European Union funding is available to alleviate any aspect of the impact of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

Answer · Ross Finnie: We have had constructive discussions with the European Commission on a wide range of issues. Examples of the positive results achieved thus far include:<DIR><DIR><P>(a) the Commission has agreed to consider an EU contribution towards the costs of compensation…

5 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the use of mobile incinerators to dispose of animals slaughtered during the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Due to the sheer scale of the number of carcases to be disposed of and the limited number of mobile incinerators that are likely to be available, the use of these is not a practical option.

5 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for the introduction of the proposed winding down scheme for teachers.

Answer · Jack McConnell: This will be a matter for the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, following consideration of the preliminary work currently being carried out by the Scottish Executive and Scottish Public Pensions Agency.

5 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what work has been carried out by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers with the Scottish Public Pensions Agency to develop details of the proposed winding down scheme for teachers.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers will consider the arrangements for the introduction of the proposed winding down scheme when it considers its draft workplan at its first meeting on 24 April.

5 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to establish a body with equivalent responsibilities to the Countryside Agency in England.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Executive has no plans at present to establish such a body.

4 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13560 by Angus MacKay on 28 March 2001, whether it will send an official observer to the Promoting Electronic Governance Conference and, if so, whether it will make a report from the conference available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Answer · Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive sent an official observer to the Promoting Electronic Government (PEG) Conference held in Birmingham from 21 to 22 March 2001.The Executive has no plans to make available a report from the conference in the Parliament's Information Cent…

4 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14144 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 27 March 2001, how it will make the results of its discussions with regard to the Carbon Trust available to businesses and when these will be available.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Carbon Trust was launched on 20 March and only came into being at UK level on 1 April 2001. It has a Chairman, but has not yet appointed a Chief Executive and is currently operating with only a skeleton staff. All discussions to date have been about inter…

3 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14119 by Mr Peter Peacock on 26 March 2001, how many of the 22 projects being funded from the Modernising Government Fund and led by local authorities are being led by Dumfries and Galloway Council and how much funding any such projects will receive.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Dumfries and Galloway Council will lead one of the Modernising Government Fund projects. The council made a bid for £72,000 from the fund to pilot, test and evaluate the use of kiosks in delivering information services to places that are not served by a high …

3 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much income it estimates the proposed single water authority would lose annually if the existing discrepancy in the charge levels between the current North of Scotland Water Authority area and the remaining two water authority areas were removed by bringing charge levels in the north …

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive has no estimate for this scenario. The proposals to create a single water authority have as one of their objectives facilitating the optimum efficiency savings for the benefit of all consumers.

3 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost will be of merging the three existing regional water authorities to form a single water authority for Scotland.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The proposed merger of the three existing water authorities is dependent on the successful passage of the Water Services Bill through Parliament, during which information of this nature will be presented. If the merger is accepted, there will be some transiti…

3 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it estimates the proposed single water authority would spend annually on the servicing of debts (a) in cash terms, (b) as a percentage of its income and (c) as a percentage of its operating budget in the event that all outstanding debts of the three existing regional water author…

Answer · Ross Finnie: It is not appropriate to make an estimate at this stage as neither the investment programme nor the proposed charge increases for the years beyond 2001-02 have been agreed.

3 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much each of the three regional water authorities spends annually on the servicing of debts (a) in cash terms, (b) as a percentage of income and (c) as a percentage of their operating budgets.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The figures requested may be calculated from those given in each of the water authorities' published accounts, copies of which are held by the Parliament's Reference Centre.

3 Apr 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will write off the debts of the three existing regional water authorities in the event that they are replaced by a single water authority for Scotland.

Answer · Ross Finnie: No.

30 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will adopt the draft list of common services proposed by the European Commission in its communication to the European Council and the European Parliament, eEurope, Impact and Priorities.

Answer · Angus MacKay: It would not be appropriate for the Scottish Executive to formally adopt the proposed full draft list, as many of the services included relate to reserved matters. But we are considering how we might use the approach taken in the list to take forward the Exec…

30 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it uses to benchmark its performance in creating a knowledge economy.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: There is no accepted definition of the knowledge economy and this raises difficult conceptual and measurement issues.<P>Scottish Executive officials are liaising with the Office of National Statistics, Scottish Enterprise and other bodies on the development o…

30 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will produce statistics on the use of the Internet by businesses since 1999, on a monthly and quarterly basis.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: As part of their annual benchmarking exercise, Scottish Enterprise produces an ICT connectivity indicator that shows the proportion of companies using a website, e-mail and/or Electronic Data Interchange. Figures are currently available for 1998, 1999 and 200…

30 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will produce statistics on the use of the Internet by households since 1999, on a monthly and quarterly basis.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive gathers and publishes statistics on the use of the Internet by households as a part of the Scottish Household Survey. The most recent figures available for mid-2000 show 21.7% of households having access to the web from home. However gi…

28 Mar 2001 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in implementing the proposals for the eradication of foot-and-mouth disease announced by the Minister for Rural Development on 15 March 2001.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer to the statement I made this morning providing an update on the outbreak of foot and mouth disease.

27 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the announcement on 26 March 2001 by the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the creation of 5,000 IT jobs for unemployed people, what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government to ensure that at least one of the five areas being chosen for the project to run is in…

Answer · Wendy Alexander: My officials are in close and regular contact with colleagues in DfEE and the UK New Deal Task Force Secretariat regarding development of the Ambition: IT initiative.<P>The Career Ambition strand of the initiative is a three-year pilot programme aiming to tra…

27 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the basis was for its decision to locate the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and the Scottish Social Services Council in Dundee.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The decision to locate the Headquarters of the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and the Scottish Social Services Council in Dundee was made on the basis of the range and cost of suitable accommodation of the required size which was available, tr…

27 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it received from Dumfries and Galloway Council during the consultation process to decide where the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and the Scottish Social Services Council would be located.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Dumfries and Galloway Council submitted information on buildings within Crichton Business Park in response to the invitation to submit properties for consideration as offices for the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and the Scottish Social Servi…

27 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will keep MSPs advised of developments in the foot-and-mouth disease situation during the Easter recess.

Answer · Ross Finnie: We have decided to lodge a regularly updated information note with the Parliament's Reference Centre. The first of these was submitted on Friday 30 March. The intention is to provide twice weekly updates. This will continue over Easter.

27 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what veterinary resources are available to carry out the pre-emptive, foot-and-mouth disease-related cull of animals in Dumfries and Galloway.

Answer · Ross Finnie: As of 1 April 2001, 17 full-time veterinary staff and 53 temporary veterinary inspectors were operational on foot and mouth duties in Dumfries and Galloway.

27 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the foot-and-mouth disease-related culls in Dumfries and Galloway and Cumbria are being co-ordinated.

Answer · Ross Finnie: There is regular contact between those controlling and co-ordinating the Cumbria operation and those involved in Dumfries and Galloway.

27 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what date it has been given by the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for the completion of the pre-emptive, foot-and-mouth disease-related cull of animals on farms in England which are adjacent to or within 3km of farms in Scotland.

Answer · Ross Finnie: This cull has now been completed.

27 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what permissions, licences or waivers it has granted for the use of Birkshaw Farm, Lockerbie, as a site for the burial of dead animals.

Answer · Ross Finnie: Under the terms of the Animal Health Act (1981) the SE cleared the use of the site. Site suitability has been cleared by the SVS after advice from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA). SEPA has assessed the suitability of the site and is satisfie…

27 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that there will be no environmental pollution arising from the use of a burial site at Birkshaw Farm, Lockerbie, for animals culled as part of its measures to eradicate foot-and-mouth disease.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The site was selected with advice from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in order to minimise the risk of environmental pollution from the burial of culled animals. We are working closely with SEPA to undertake a risk assessment that will info…

26 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times its website and those of its agencies have been (a) accessed by unauthorised sources and (b) altered by such sources.

Answer · Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive website was accessed by an unauthorised source on 8 September 1999 and the homepage was defaced. There have been no incidents since then. The website of the National Archives of Scotland was accessed by an unauthorised source on 21 Marc…

26 Mar 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost has been of any studies into the security of the NHSnet in 1999-2000 and 2000-01 to date, in both cash terms and expressed as a percentage of the NHS information and communication technology budget.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-14506.