- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 July 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the most up-to-date figures are that it has comparing business start-up rates in (a) Scotland, (b) the rest of the United Kingdom and (c) leading OECD countries on a like-for-like basis.
Answer
Business start-up rates in Scotland can be compared with the rest of the UK using data produced by the Department of Trade and Industry on the number of businesses registering for VAT per 10,000 adults. The most recent data is for 2002.
Table 1: VAT Registrations per 10,000 Adults in 2002
| Scotland | 28 |
| Rest of UK | 38 |
Source: DTI 2003
Directly comparable data for leading OECD countries is not available.
Table 2 shows more a more detailed breakdown comparing business start up rates in all UK regions.
Table 2: VAT Registrations per 10,000 Adults by Region
| United Kingdom | 37 |
| North East | 21 |
| North West | 33 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 31 |
| East Midlands | 36 |
| West Midlands | 34 |
| East | 41 |
| London | 57 |
| South East | 44 |
| South West | 37 |
| England | 39 |
| Wales | 26 |
| Scotland | 28 |
| Northern Ireland | 27 |
Source: DTI 2003.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 February 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 2 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what input it has had into the Atkinson Review on national statistics and what relevance this review will have for Scotland.
Answer
Officials within the Executive have met with the Atkinson team, and will be helping them to sourcethe Scottish data for the devolved services as they develop any new measuresfor the UK as a whole. In parallel, Scottish Executive analysts are considering the wide range of existing measures of publicsector activity for Scotland, and will assess the appropriateness of thesealongside the conclusions of the Atkinson review.
We will then be in aposition to identify where more sophisticated or different measures arerequired, with the aim of developing measurements of productivity for thepublic sector in Scotland which take into account the new UK approach,where appropriate. The Executive considers this to be a very important area ofdevelopment, and is identifying resources to take it forward, in consultationwith a range of external expert advisors.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 20 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what contact it has had with the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions regarding the security arrangements for airside passes at Scottish airports.
Answer
The Executive has regular discussionswith the Department for Transport on a range of aviation matters affecting Scotland includingsecurity arrangements for airside passes at Scottish airports.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 12 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive Whether it will provide a full record of support and funding for the Straight Out project that assists young offenders to find employment following their release.
Answer
The Straight Out project hasreceived New Futures funding of £350,000 during Phase 2 (2002-05) from ScottishEnterprise (SEn). SEn is supporting projects in securing alternative funding. Moredetailed information on support and funding for individual projects is an operationalmatter for Scottish Enterprise.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 12 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any research has been carried out on factors affecting land supply for housing in urban areas to inform the formulation of forthcoming plans for planning reform.
Answer
The review of the Executive’splanning policy on housing, which led to the publication, in 2003, of
ScottishPlanning Policy (SPP) 3 : Planning for Housing, was informed by an advisorygroup consisting of representatives of local authorities, community councils, Homesfor Scotland, Scottish Environment Link and the Royal Town Planning Institute. Thereview was also informed by research - Edinburgh College of Art / Heriot Watt University, School of Planning andHousing (2001):
The Role of The Planning System in the Provision of Housing -commissioned by the Scottish Executive (Bib. number 11880).
We will carefully consider thecontent and recommendations of the recently published report of the Barker Reviewof Housing Supply, and consider what implications it has for the planning systemin Scotland.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 March 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 11 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what external research it has commissioned to inform the forthcoming planning consultation.
Answer
On 1 April we published two consultation papers,
Rights of Appeal in Planning and
Making Development Plans Deliver.On 8 April we published a further consultation paper,
Satellite Dishes and Other Antennas: Consultation on Possible Changes to Planning Regulations. These papers were informed by discussions with a wide range of stakeholders.
Making Development Plans Deliver was additionally informed by our programme of planning audits, pilot projects on local planning with Highland and South Lanarkshire Councils and takes account of responses to the earlier consultation on the Review of Strategic Planning.
Current planning research projects which are relevant to our aim to modernise the planning system include work on theuse of model policies, case studies of public involvement and resources for planning.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 6 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an update on the progress of the Edinburgh University - Stanford University joint collaboration and whether any other such transatlantic linkages between Scottish and American institutions have been established.
Answer
The Edinburgh-Stanford Link project,funded by Scottish Enterprise, has so far generated 12 joint research projects betweenthe two universities and 10 collaborations with companies, since it was launchedin February 2002. The project has recently signed its first consulting contractwith Memex Technology Ltd of East Kilbride, one of the world’s leading intelligence software companies.
Scottish Enterprise is currentlyassessing a number of other possible projects that involve collaboration betweenScottish universities and those in North America.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how long the waiting list is for orthopaedic out-patients in Argyll and Clyde and what steps it is taking to reduce orthopaedic waiting times in Argyll and Clyde and across Scotland.
Answer
Informationon the number of patients waiting for an out-patient consultation is notcollected centrally at present. Work is underway across the NHS to record thenumber of patients referred to each consultant-led out-patient service and the relatedwaiting times for patients.
As part of its out-patients programme, the Centre for Changeand Innovation will be launching a national redesign of out-patient orthopaedicservices later this month. This project will focus on improving queue management,patient booking systems, referral management services and the extended role ofnurses and allied health professionals in the outpatient setting.
The programmehas already invested £240,000 in NHS Argyll and Clyde to implement a patient focussed booking initiative.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 5 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7018 by Allan Wilson on 8 April 2004, whether it will provide a summary of the extent, location and estimated costs of resolving current and known planned developments throughout Scotland, including the timescale involved.
Answer
As Allan Wilson’s answer confirmed,this is an operational matter for Scottish Water. I have asked the Chief Executiveto write to you about this matter.
As Allan Wilson’s answer alsoconfirmed, work is currently underway in relation to the timescale involved forScottish Water’s next investment programme. This consultation process, which willprecede any decisions about resolving constraints on development and a number ofother investment priorities will take place in the summer and all members of the Scottish Parliament will receive a personal copy of the consultation document.
All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website , the search facility for whichcan be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 4 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is currently taking, or has taken, to support the reintroduction of sea eagles.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has long supported the re-introduction of the white-tailed sea eagle toScotland through a range of measures. A four-year period of research has been undertakeninto the impact of white-tailed sea eagles on sheep farming on Mull. During thisperiod, a scheme administered by Scottish Natural Heritage has been in place tocompensate any loss borne by farmers. The Scottish Executive will publish the results of theresearch in June 2004.
The white-tailed sea eagle andother threatened species also benefit from the tough action the Scottish Executive has taken to clamp down on wildlife crime wherever it occurs. The CriminalJustice (Scotland) Act 2003 introduced custodial sentences and enhancedpolice powers to tackle wildlife crime. The Nature Conservation (Scotland) Bill,currently being considered by Parliament, also contains further significant measuresto improve protection for Scotland’s wildlife.
Last year, I visited Mull and was veryimpressed with the wide partnership of key organisations working together to reducethe levels of criminal activity which this bird attracts. I was delighted to contribute£2,500 towards the Mull Eagle Watch Project led by Strathclyde Police.
