Questions · Jeremy Purvis

20 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the Scottish Borders are remote users of telephone exchanges, also expressed as a percentage.

Answer · Jim Mather: This information is not held by the Scottish Government.

20 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of users in the Scottish Borders are served by a telephone exchange that provides a 2Mb broadband service.

Answer · Jim Mather: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30906 on 1 February 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps…

20 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the telephone exchanges serving the Scottish Borders can provide a 2Mb broadband service to users who are three miles or more from the exchange.

Answer · Jim Mather: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30906 on 1 February 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps…

20 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the telephone exchanges serving the Scottish Borders can provide a 2Mb broadband service to all users.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Government does not hold information relating to the capabilities of specific telephone exchanges in Scotland. We are advised by BT that of the 66 exchanges in the Scottish Borders, 57 deliver an up to 8 Mbps service and are capable of providing …

14 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the radio tags used in the beaver reintroduction trial are (a) working and (b) not working and in need of replacement.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30722 on 27 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps…

14 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the approximate life is of the radio tag batteries used in the beaver reintroduction trial.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30722 on 27 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps…

14 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for tracking the two beavers that have escaped from the beaver reintroduction trial area.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30722 on 27 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps…

14 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its (a) plans are and (b) timescale is for replacing tags with spent batteries used in the beaver reintroduction trial.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: This is a matter for the bodies responsible for the Scottish Beaver Trial (the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland) in consultation with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) who are responsible for monitoring the trial, including t…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to help local authorities contribute to Scotland’s economic growth.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government economic strategy sets out our approach to achieve our central purpose of sustainable economic growth. This overarching strategy sets the direction for the public sector in Scotland. We have taken forward the principles of th…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to help local authorities grow their own economies.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government economic strategy sets out our approach to achieve our central purpose of sustainable economic growth. This overarching strategy sets the direction for the public sector in Scotland. We have taken forward the principles of th…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs it estimates have been created or supported by its (a) economic recovery plan, (b) economic strategy and (c) accelerated capital investment and how these have been measured.

Answer · John Swinney: The government economic strategy is the overarching strategy that focuses the activity of government, and the public sector in its widest sense, on increasing sustainable economic growth and on addressing the long-term gap in Scotland''s economic growth perfo…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which infrastructure projects are at risk due to a lack of accelerated capital in the pre-Budget report.

Answer · John Swinney: The failure of the pre-Budget report to contain any further capital acceleration means that infrastructure projects will now not receive an early injection of capital.

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which projects are shovel ready, as stated by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth in the news release, Pre-Budget Report, on 9 December 2009.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government was ready to deploy accelerated capital in the order of £300 million for the immediate benefit of the Scottish economy, protecting jobs and promoting recovery. Projects in key areas such as affordable housing and enterprise which would…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the Scottish Investment Bank's administration of funding from the Scottish Co-investment Fund, the Scottish Venture Fund or the Scottish Seed Fund differs from the previous administration of these schemes by Scottish Enterprise.

Answer · Jim Mather: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30450 on 20 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Scottish Investment Bank performs in administering funding from the Scottish Co-investment Fund, the Scottish Venture Fund or the Scottish Seed Fund that Scottish Enterprise was unable to perform.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Investment Bank Ltd has now been established as a subsidiary of Scottish Enterprise. It is envisaged that this new subsidiary will undertake functions in relation to these three funds comparable to those currently undertaken by Scottish Enterpris…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will continue to call the Scottish Investment Bank a bank if it is unable to secure external sources of funding.

Answer · Jim Mather: Yes. The Scottish Investment Bank Ltd has already been formally established as a subsidiary of Scottish Enterprise.

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of funding it wishes to be available to the Scottish Investment Bank beyond that from the Scottish Co-investment Fund, the Scottish Venture Fund and the Scottish Seed Fund.

Answer · Jim Mather: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30446 on 20 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Scottish Investment Bank will have external sources of funding and, if so, from where this funding might come.

Answer · Jim Mather: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30446 on 20 January 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3M-25877 by Jim Mather on 4 August 2009, whether it is now in a position to identify what proportion of funding available to the Scottish Investment Bank will not come from the Scottish Co-investment Fund, the Scottish Venture Fund or the Scottish Seed …

Answer · Jim Mather: Opportunities for additional funding are being explored at this time. The government will in due course share further details with the Scottish Parliament.

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3M-25877 by Jim Mather on 4 August 2009, what funding sources are being examined through the work to identify further resources that may be available to the Scottish Investment Bank.

Answer · Jim Mather: With Scottish Enterprise, we will be looking at potential for European funding and for the wider private sector banking and investment community to participate in the further development of the Scottish Investment Bank.

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3M-25877 by Jim Mather on 4 August 2009, whether the work to identify what further resources may be available to the Scottish Investment Bank is complete or remains ongoing.

Answer · Jim Mather: Work remains ongoing in identifying means of augmenting the circa £150 million starting resource of the Scottish Investment Bank.

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the aims and objectives of the Scottish Investment Bank have changed following the decision not to apply to the Joint European Resources for Micro to medium Enterprises (JEREMIE) scheme for funding.

Answer · Jim Mather: There has been no resultant change in our aims and objectives for the Scottish Investment Bank, following Scottish Enterprise''s recommendation not to pursue a JEREMIE model in light of the lack of flexibility shown by the UK Treasury in application of its bu…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is intended that the Scottish Investment Bank will have further resources beyond those of the Scottish Co-investment Fund, the Scottish Venture Fund and the Scottish Seed Fund.

Answer · Jim Mather: Yes, it has always been the intention to pursue additional resources beyond these existing funds.

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the decision not to apply to the Joint European Resources for Micro to medium Enterprises (JEREMIE) scheme for funding, whether it remains committed to setting up a Scottish Investment Bank.

Answer · Jim Mather: The Scottish Investment Bank Ltd has already been established as a subsidiary of Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Government remains fully committed to taking this initiative forward. We continue to explore what other types of private and public finance c…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when and by whom the decision was made not to apply to the Joint European Resources for Micro to medium Enterprises (JEREMIE) scheme for funding for the Scottish Investment Bank.

Answer · Jim Mather: Following careful analysis the Scottish Enterprise board recommended at its 4 December 2009 meeting against proceeding with a loan application to the European Investment Bank under the JEREMIE initiative. Their analysis was significantly influenced by the cos…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that PPP/PFI schools were designed and built to an acceptable standard.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Audit Scotland report, Improving the school estate, published in March 2008, noted that the new-build schools they assessed, which including some procured through PPP, fell short of in some aspects of good practice in school design. The report mad…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the schools designed and built under the governance of the Scottish Futures Trust will differ from those designed and built under PPP/PFI.

Answer · Keith Brown: The schools being delivered by the SFT offer better value for money than those designed and built under PFI. Through collaboration and aggregation of the schools programme SFT will help deliver value for money from the £1.25 billion of public investment. …

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Futures Trust will be audited by Audit Scotland.

Answer · John Swinney: I have asked Barry White, Chief Executive of the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), to respond. His response is as follows: SFT''s accounts will be audited by independent auditors appointed by the board in accordance with the Companies Act. These are lai…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how and by whom the performance multiplier of a minimum of x7 referred to on page 19 of the Scottish Futures Trust corporate plan 2009-2014 was set.

Answer · John Swinney: I have asked Barry White, Chief Executive of the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), to respond. His response is as follows: The x7 multiplier was identified by SFT as a result of analysis of the forecast workload and activities as at November 2009, allo…

6 Jan 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what deadline has been set for the Scottish Futures Trust’s delivery of £100-£150 million of savings per annum, as stated on page four of the Scottish Futures Trust corporate plan 2009-2014, and what progress has been made toward meeting this target.

Answer · John Swinney: I have asked Barry White, Chief Executive of the Scottish Futures Trust, to respond. His response is as follows: The target remains and is stated in both the current business plan and the five-year corporate plan. Good progress is being made towards…