Parliamentary questions
Jim Mather
709 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
8 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the availability of affordable housing after changes in the rules that allow self-invested pensions to invest in residential property come into force.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The UK Government’s Regulatory Impact Assessment <i>Simplifying the Taxation of Pensions</i> was published in April 2004 and can be found at <ahref="http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ria/simplifying-pensions.pdf">http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ria/simplifying-pensions.pdf</a>. …
6 Jun 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what ICT requests to tender from it, its departments and agencies are currently outstanding or planned for the next year.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive does not hold a central register of all forthcoming projects that will besubject to competitive tendering processes, and therefore could only provide a comprehensivelist at disproportionate cost. </p><p>However, some of the Scottish Exe…
31 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve its ability to monitor the movement and location of Scottish graduates.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer you to the answer to question S2W-16978 on 8 June 2005 for information on data sources currently available. All answers to written PQs are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish…
31 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the movement and location of Scottish graduates.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive holds data collected from surveys conducted around six months after students graduate from higher education courses at Scottish higher education institutions and further education colleges. The survey of graduates from higher education …
31 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the total number of graduates who graduated in Scotland in each year since 1999 had their senior school education in the Highlands and Islands.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer you to the answer given to S2W-16976 on 8 June 2005 for information on the data available. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:</p> <p><a href="http://…
31 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many graduates who graduated in Scotland in each year since 1999 had their senior school education in the Highlands and Islands.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive does not hold data which would enable it to track individual school pupils through further and higher education. The following table gives estimates of the numbers of graduates from higher education courses at Scottish higher education …
31 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of Scottish graduates who graduated in each year since 1999 are still resident and working in the United Kingdom.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer you to the answer to question S2W-16973 for further information on the data held by the Scottish Executive on destinations of graduates. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for …
31 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of Scottish graduates who graduated in each year since 1999 are still resident and working in Scotland.
Answer · Jim Wallace: I refer you to the answer to question S2W-16973 on 8 June 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search"…
31 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of Scottish graduates who graduated in each year since 1999 are still resident in Scotland.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The information held by the Scottish Executive is from a survey of graduates from higher education institutions conducted around six months after their graduation. At present, the Executive does not hold data which could be used to track graduates from Scotti…
30 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the Deputy First Minister's discussion with the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, it will support a European Union budget that maintains regional funding for the Highlands and Islands.
Answer · Jim Wallace: To the extent that an increasedUnited Kingdom contribution to the Commission budget could result ina reduction in the Scottish Assigned Budget, the Scottish Executive supports a budgetdiscipline approach to the negotiations on the future of EU budget post-200…
20 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been informed by the Home Office or any other UK department of the date on which individuals will be able to start applying for visas under the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme and, if so, on what date it was informed of this and when it will inform students who may…
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme will be launched before the end of June 2005, and further details on how to apply will be available on the Home Office’s website, <ahref="http://www.workingintheuk.gov.uk/">www.workingintheuk.gov.uk</a> nearer the …
20 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the Deputy First Ministers discussion with the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, what level of funding it expects to be available to the west of Scotland for co-operation across maritime borders.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Commission’s proposals under the new Cooperation Objective have two key strands: transnational and cross-border cooperation. Under the transnational strand, Scotland currently participates in four programmes – the Atlantic Area, the North West Europe, the…
20 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the Deputy First Minister's discussion with the European Commissioner for Regional Policy, it still supports a policy of repatriating European structural funds after 2006.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive believes that future structural funds should be focused primarily on the poorer member states. We are continuing to liaise closely with the UK Government to ensure that Scottish interests are taken into account as the negotiations on th…
19 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the revenues from non-domestic rates have been in (a) cash and (b) real terms in each year since 1993, broken down by rateable values of (a) less than £3,000, (b) £3,000 or above but under £4,000, (c) £4,000 or above but under £5,000, (d) £5,000 or above but under £6,000, (e) £6,000 …
Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requested is not held centrally.</p>
19 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many businesses there have been in each year since 1993 with a rateable value for non-domestic rate purposes of (a) less than £3,000, (b) £3,000 or above but under £4,000, (c) £4,000 or above but under £5,000, (d) £5,000 or above but under £6,000, (e) £6,000 or above but under £7,000 …
Answer · Tom McCabe: Data on the number of non-domestic subjects, broken down by rateable value is only held centrally for the years 2000, 2002 and 2005. The following table gives the number of subjects in Scotland, in each rateable value band, for each of these three years.</p> …
17 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the European Commission's Green Paper on Financial Services Policy (2005-2010); whether it will make a submission to the commission; whether it plans to consult interested parties and/or key stakeholders, and whether any submission will be made available beforehand…
Answer · Jim Wallace: This issue was discussed at the first meeting of the Financial Services Advisory Board (FiSAB) on, 31 May. We agreed that any position on the EU Green Paper on Financial Services Policy for the next five years would be drawn up in consultation with the indust…
16 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its view is on the report adopted on May 2005 by the European Parliament's Temporary Committee on Policy Challenges and Budgetary Means of the Enlarged Union 2007-2013 and whether it considers that the Committee's call for 0.41% of the European Union's gross national income to be spe…
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Executive continues to work closely with the UK Government to ensure that the current negotiations on the future of the Structural Funds and the EU Budget more generally deliver the best possible outcome for the whole of Scotland.</p>
16 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has read and considered the report adopted on 10 May 2005 by the European Parliament's Temporary Committee on Policy Challenges and Budgetary Means of the Enlarged Union 2007-2013.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Yes.</p>
13 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking in support of migrant workers working in Scotland on contracts of less than one year being able to open accounts with Scottish banks.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive is aware that a small number of migrant workers have experienced difficulty when trying to open a bank account in Scotland due to a lack of identification. The issue was discussed with industry organisations at a meeting of the Small Bu…
11 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-16268 by Mr Tom McCabe on 11 May 2005, what the specific date is on which the Fresh Talent Working in Scotland Scheme will be launched and, if it is not aware of the specific date, when it expects to be and why this information was not provided in th…
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme will be launched in June 2005. A specific date in June will be announced soon.</p>
10 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the (a) UK Government and (b) European Commission regarding the use of state aid for shipbuilding in (a) Scotland and (b) other European countries and what the outcome was of such discussions.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Scottish Executive ministers and officials are in regular contact with UK counterparts on matters affecting shipbuilding, including state aid. Scottish ministers maintain an on-going dialogue with the relevant UK Ministers to discuss all issues affecting the …
10 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much European Commission state aid was received and distributed in Scotland in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jim Wallace: State aid is granted by member states, not the European Commission. The Commissions role is to ensure that national funding provided by member states complies with state aid rules.</p>
10 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all unsuccessful applications for, or notifications of, European Commission state aid showing the amount of aid received and the reason for the application or notification in each case, in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Since 1999, there have been no unsuccessful state aid notifications to the European Commission.</p>
10 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all successful applications for, or notifications of, European Commission state aid showing the amount of aid received and the reason for the application or notification in each case, in each year since 1999.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Since 1999, the following Scottish state aid notifications have been approved by the European Commission. The Commission does not provide the funding. Its role is to ensure that state aid awarded by member states complies with EU state aid rules. We do not ma…
10 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all orders for publicly-funded "grey boats" placed outside the United Kingdom by organisations in Scotland in each year since 1999.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-16423 on 18 May 2005. Defence is a reserved matter and as such the Executive does not hold this information.</p> <p>All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website…
10 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all orders for publicly-funded "grey boats" placed outside Scotland by organisations in Scotland in each year since 1999.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-16423 on 18 May 2005. Defence is a reserved matter and as such the Executive does not hold this information.</p> <p>All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website…
10 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all orders for publicly-funded "grey boats" placed in Scotland by organisations in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the United Kingdom in each year since 1999.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-16423 on 18 May 2005. Defence is a reserved matter and as such the Executive does not hold this information.</p> <p>All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website…
10 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all publicly-funded "grey boats" commissioned by organisations in Scotland in each year since 1999.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W 16423 on 18 May 2005. Defence is a reserved matter and as such the Executive does not hold this information. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the s…
10 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it defines "grey boats" and what categories of boats it classifies in this way.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The term “grey boats” (or “grey vessels”), as the Executive understands it, refers to boats or ships which have a naval/military function. Defence is a matter reserved to UK Ministers and, as such, the Executive does not have any responsibility for “grey boat…
10 May 2005 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much state aid has been made available to Ferguson's Shipbuilders Ltd in each year since 1999, showing what the aid was for in each case.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Since 1999 Ferguson shipbuilders has been in receipt of a total of £4,338,508 assistance from the Shipbuilding Intervention Fund administered by the DTI. HM Customs and Excise also provided assistance at 2% of contract value under the shipbuilder’s relief fun…