- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32596 by Malcolm Chisholm on 31 December 2002, whether any assessment has now been made of the legal implications of the BetterCare Group Ltd ruling on the impact and operation of the General Agreement on Trade in Services.
Answer
The regulation of international trade is a reserved matter and as such the UK Government take the lead in this matter. Scottish Executive officials are, however, keeping in regular contact with Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) colleagues regarding GATS and how it may impact on the Executive's responsibilities. DTI colleagues indicate that this ruling has no implications on GATS as GATS does not extend to cover rules on Government procurement.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 18 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-34650 by Ms Margaret Curran on 26 March 2003, when discussions between it, the two local authorities, Communities Scotland and the enterprise network on the allocation of funding for accelerating land renewal in Glasgow and North Lanarkshire will be completed and when it will make an announcement regarding the allocation.
Answer
An announcement on the specific allocations of funding from the vacant and derelict land fund to Glasgow and North Lanarkshire will be made in due course.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 15 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Secretary of State for Scotland was consulted before the decision was made not to grant a public inquiry on the Robin Rigg wind farm.
Answer
The Secretary of State for Scotland was not consulted about what is a devolved matter.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 14 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what role it plays in promoting the export of electricity and what percentage of the electricity generated in Scotland has been exported in each of the last four years.
Answer
The electricity industry is of considerable importance to Scotland and we keep closely in touch with the Department of Trade and Industry, the regulator Ofgem and Scottish generators to ensure that Scottish interests are fully taken into account in GB electricity trading arrangements. We are currently working with these bodies to develop new trading and transmission arrangements, which will help to remove the barriers that independent Scottish generators currently face in selling to the electricity market in the rest of Great Britain. 19% of electricity generated in Scotland in 2000 and 18% of electricity generated in Scotland in 2001 was consumed elsewhere. Information in respect of other years is not currently available.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 14 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its fire services bill.
Answer
A consultation paper containing our legislative proposals will be published in the autumn. We plan to introduce the bill early in 2004.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 14 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30144 by Ms Margaret Curran on 15 October 2002, whether, if it had the resources available within its budget, it would write off the capital housing debt of a local authority if the authority and its tenants, in light of local circumstances, decided not to transfer their housing stock.
Answer
The latest estimate of council housing debt is around £2.3 billion. We do not believe it would be a responsible use of the Executive's budget to apply any additional resources that may be obtained to repay this debt.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 14 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-34129 by Ms Margaret Curran on 4 March 2003, whether every local authority now has a publicly available register of interests of social inclusion partnership board members.
Answer
Of the 24 local authorities that act as grant recipient for Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIP), 22 have confirmed that registers of interests of SIP board members are available for public inspection. Renfrewshire and Perth and Kinross Councils have intimated that they are at an advanced stage in compiling registers of interest.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 14 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30144, whether it will make representations to HM Treasury seeking the writing off of all capital housing debt of local authorities.
Answer
No. As stipulated in the answer given to S1W-30144, HM Treasury has already made it clear that resources to deal with local authorities housing debt would only be made available following a housing stock transfer.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-33605, S1W-33606, and S1W-33607 by Mr Frank McAveety on 14 February 2003, whether it has reflected further on any implications of the BetterCare Group Ltd ruling and, in particular, whether the ruling will have any implications for the provision of public services.
Answer
The Bettercare Group Ltd ruling implies that the Competition Act 1998 may apply to public bodies in certain circumstances, for example where they purchase services. The Competition Act is intended to prohibit agreements between undertakings which are anti-competitive and to prevent abuse by undertakings of a dominant market position. Irrespective of application of the Competition Act, public bodies should avoid anti-competitive behaviour. Furthermore, European Community law places detailed obligations (aimed at promoting fair and open competition) on public bodies when procuring services. As such the Executive does not expect the Bettercare Group Ltd ruling to have significant implications for the provision of public services.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 13 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32594 by Iain Gray on 31 December 2002, whether tertiary education is subject to liberalisation under the General Agreement on Trade in Services, and, if so, whether it has undertaken, or will undertake, an assessment of any implications for tertiary education of such liberalisation in the light of responses to the consultation by the Department of Trade and Industry.
Answer
The European Commission's initial offer submitted to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) under the current round of negotiations for the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) proposes no new commitments for the education sectors. The initial offer was tabled in the WTO on 29 April 2003 and the full text has been made available at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/issues/sectoral/services/rpldda_en.htm.
