Jim Mather

23 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-23314 by Nicol Stephen on 23 May 2006, what the actual outcomes were in respect of (a) projects completed, (b) jobs created and (c) money invested in each year from 1995-96 to 2004-05.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Because of the complexnature of projects and the potential burden to business from collecting thisinformation, fully comparable data on the outcomes of all the planned projectslisted in answer to question S2W-23314 are not available.</p><p>Every project recei…

22 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the European Commission’s announcement that peninsular ferry routes, such as Tarbert to Portavadie and Gourock to Dunoon, may be treated as public service obligation island services for the purposes of the application of the 1992 European Maritime Cabotage Regula…

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Executive is takingforward proposals for the provision of ferry services on the Tarbert toPortavadie and Gourock to Dunoon routes, and elsewhere on the Clyde and Hebridesnetwork, in a non discriminatory way, in line with the Maritime CabotageRegulation. T…

17 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent on advertising and editorial coverage in the broadcast and print media in each month from May 1999 to May 2006, broken down by broadcast media outlet and print media title.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requested isnot held centrally by The Scottish Executive, however, our current media buyer,Mediacom, has provided the information from 31 August 2004 to present, at nocost to the Executive. The information requested on spend for the period 1 J…

17 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on what date residents of the Highlands and Islands will first be able to travel using discounted air fares under the Aid of Social Character scheme.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Residents of peripheral andremote communities in the Highlands and Islands have had access to discounted air fares under the AirDiscount Scheme since 18 May 2006.</p>

17 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to extend the Aid of Social Character scheme offering discounted flights to Highlands and Islands residents beyond 2008.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Scottish Executive willmonitor the effectiveness of the Air Discount Scheme and will in due course decide,within the available funding, whether to re-notify the scheme, or a revised scheme,to the European Commission.</p>

17 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why residents of the Highlands and Islands will not be able to use the Aid of Social Character scheme when travelling via one of the four main Scottish airports to other parts of the United Kingdom.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The primary objective of theAir Discount Scheme is to facilitate greater social inclusion in the mostperipheral areas of the Highlands and Islands through affordable access to air services to themain economic and administrative centres of Scotland. Passengers…

17 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider allowing flights from the Highlands and Islands involving discounts through the Aid of Social Character scheme to be used with onward connecting flights, thereby allowing residents of the Highlands and Islands more affordable access to other areas of the United Ki…

Answer · Tavish Scott: The primary objective of theAir Discount Scheme is to facilitate greater social inclusion in the mostperipheral areas of the Highlands and Islands through affordable access to air services to themain economic and administrative centres of Scotland. Arrangemen…

17 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will increase the discount on air fares which it offers to residents of the Highlands and Islands through the Aid of Social Character scheme from 40% to 50%, as permitted by the European Commission.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Air Discount Scheme (Aidof a Social Character Scheme) notified to the European Commission allows the Scottish Executive to offer a discount of up to 50% on the core air fare oneligible routes. This gives the Scottish Executive the flexibility, within thea…

17 May 2006 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to match the UK Government¿s proposals to entrench statistical independence in legislation, introduce direct reporting and accountability to the Parliament, adhere to a statutory code of practice and ensure that funding and appointments to any governing board are not sub…

Answer · Tom McCabe: As discussed in the Members Debateon 11 May, ministers have a strong commitment to the integrity of official statistics,are fully supportive of independent scrutiny against a clear set of standards andwelcome interest from the Parliament in strengthening acco…

12 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanisms are in place to ensure maximum take-up of the small business rate relief scheme.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive publishesa targeted annual leaflet about the scheme for ratepayers, which is distributedthrough local authorities. This information is also available electronically throughthe local taxation pages of the Scottish Executive website.</p>

12 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to monitor the take-up of the small business rate relief scheme.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The Small Business Rates ReliefScheme has been regularly monitored since the introduction of the scheme on 1 April 2003. Councilsare required annually to return information on the scheme to the Executive givingdetails including all gross rates relief granted …

12 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimates are of the (a) number of businesses eligible for and (b) percentage of eligible businesses claiming relief from the small business rate relief scheme and (i) how and (ii) when these estimates were prepared.

Answer · Tom McCabe: At April 2005, figures providedby the Scottish Assessors show that there were 137,934 non-domestic subjects onthe valuation rolls for Scotland eligible to claim Small Business Rate Relief. At 30 September2005, figures provided by councils to the Scottish Exec…

8 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that bidders for the Northern Isles ferry services contract had full access to all relevant material.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Executive is satisfiedthat it provided bidders for the Northern Isles Ferry Service contract with asmuch information as possible to allow them to construct a fully informed bid. Allthree companies invited to tender for the contract received a full Invitat…

8 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any complaints regarding the way the tender process for the Northern Isles ferry services contract was run and, if so, who complained, what the complaint concerned and what action has been taken as a result.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The tendering process for theNorthern Isles ferry services contract has not yet been completed. No complaintshave been received by the Executive regarding the way the tender process for theNorthern Isles ferry services contract has been or is being run.</p>

8 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures were taken to ensure that potential ferry operators' costs for competing in the tender process for the Northern Isles ferry services contract were as low as possible.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Executive providedbidders with a clear and thorough Invitation to Tender and a wide range of informationrelevant to the contract. In addition, the Executive responded to specific requestsfor additional information, with this information circulated to all …

8 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was to it of the tender process for the Northern Isles ferry services contract.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The costs incurred by the ScottishExecutive in carrying out the current Northern Isles ferry tendering process includethe staff costs for the core work being carried out by a team based in the TransportGroup of the Scottish Executive Enterprise, Transport and…

5 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any money from Scotland’s European funding allocation has been used at any time to meet deficits within Scottish Enterprise; whether it can guarantee that no such money will be used in future to meet budget deficits within Scottish Enterprise, and whether, in light of Scottish Ent…

Answer · Allan Wilson: No European funding receivedby Scottish Enterprise has been used at any time to meet deficits withinScottish Enterprise and no such money will be used in future to meet suchdeficits. ERDF is paid to Scottish Enterprise in respect of project expenditurethat ha…

5 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures will be taken to ensure that innovative employment programmes at regional and local levels funded with the assistance of European funds will not be absorbed into existing national programmes, thereby reducing their independence and effectiveness.

Answer · Allan Wilson: It is a regulatoryrequirement of EU funding that activities must be additional. Moreover, structuralfunds only provide a share of support for projects with the balance made up bymatch-funding. Consequently, any decisions on the future development ofprojects w…

5 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assurances it can give that EU funding for Scotland under the competitiveness objective will not be used to fund existing programmes run by agencies such as Scottish Enterprise, in light of the possible transition from separate allocation of EU funding which has allowed innovative sp…

Answer · Allan Wilson: Although no final decisionshave yet been taken by the Executive on how future Structural Funds should bedelivered in Scotland, a range of different delivery models are currentlybeing considered. Due to the fact that future Structural Funds will be greatlyredu…

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it maintains the position that the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services should be tendered for as a bundle and whether it is committed to ensuring that they remain as a bundle.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Yes.</p>

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it was informed that Arran Ferries had lodged a complaint with the European Commission regarding the operation of ferry services by Caledonian MacBrayne.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Executive first became awareof complaints to the European Commission regarding the Clyde and Hebrides ferryservices in spring 2005 but were not informed who lodged the complaints nor thedetails of the complaints. The general policy of the European Commiss…

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that bidders to operate the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services had full access to all relevant material on each route within the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services bundle.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The tender process for the Clydeand Hebrides ferry services commenced in October last year when adverts seekingexpressions of interest from operators interested in providing the services werewidely published. Following the responses to the adverts, Pre-Qualif…

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any complaints regarding the way that the tendering process for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services is being run and, if so, who complained, what the complaint concerned and what action has been taken as a result.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Western Ferries have expressedconcerns about the tender process for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services. The Executive has received no formalcomplaints about the administration of the tender process from any of the potentialbidders.</p>

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken to ensure that the cost of competing in the tendering process for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services is as low as possible.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Executive has recently introduced electronictendering arrangements for procurement exercises such as this and bidders for theClyde and Hebrides ferry services have the option of submitting their bidand other associated information using this mechanism. Th…

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate it has made of the cost of competing in the tendering process for the operation of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.

Answer · Tavish Scott: As with any competitive tenderingcompetition, it is a commercial decision for potential bidders to consider the scaleof costs they are willing to commit to the tender process for the Clyde and Hebrides ferryservices.</p>

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the withdrawal of Western Ferries from the tendering process for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services, it will re-examine the tendering procedures involved.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Clyde and Hebrides ferryservices are being tendered in line with Scottish Executive and EU procurementrules and in a fully transparent and fair manner. Therefore the Executive hasno intention of re-examining its tendering procedures in light of Western Fe…

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ascertain from V-Ships whether it wishes to continue as a bidder for the operation of the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Following Western Ferries’decision to withdraw from the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services tender process,none of the other organisations who remain in the tender process have indicatedto the Executive that they wish to withdraw from the competition at this st…

4 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will meet Western Ferries to discuss the reasons for its withdrawal from the tendering process for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services.

Answer · Tavish Scott: We would be interested to learnof Western Ferries’ specific reasons for their decision.</p>

26 Apr 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why the latest quarterly GDP figures for Scotland are for the fourth quarter of 2005 while the latest figures for the United Kingdom are for the first quarter of 2006, given that both sets of figures were published on the same day.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The GDP figures published bythe Office for National Statistics (ONS) for Quarter 1, 2006 are the first preliminaryestimate of GDP growth. These figures are available with a 3.5 week lag, butare based on incomplete production data, limited retail sector data, …

7 Apr 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether aquaculture remains one of the world’s fastest growing industries and how growth in Scotland’s aquaculture industry compares to (a) the global average, (b) growth in Norway and (c) growth in Chile in the past 5 years.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Between 1999 and 2004, the Scottishaquaculture industry, measured by production of Atlantic Salmon (tonnes), grew by24%. This is compared to; (a) global average growth rate of 53%; (b) Norwegian growthof 31%, and (c) Chilean growth of 239%; over the same peri…