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The Scottish Land Fund which is an initiative established within the Lottery funding channelled through the New Opportunities Fund, and unrelated to the National Heritage Memorial Fund, will complement new land reform legislation by contributing to funding for land purchase by rural communities, in addition to providing funding for feasibility studies and for community land management and development projects and community-based business and management training and support. It is, therefore, not a suitable vehicle for funding retiral schemes. Accordingly I will not be making any proposals for such modifications to the directions to the New Opportunities Fund in respect of the Scottish Land Fund. Directions in respect of initiatives which apply only in Scotland would be a matter for the Scottish Executive, subject to the agreement of Her Majesty's Government.

We have a set an overall target of creating 100,000 new businesses by 2009. Achievement of this target year by year will depend on the success of specific initiatives and on the general performance of the economy, which is currently very good.

The report of the Audit Committee of the Scottish Parliament, Scottish Further Education Colleges: Managing Costs, which was published on 9 February, identified 13 colleges with particular financial health problems.The report also summarises the status of the recovery plan for each of the 13 colleges. The components of these plans are specific to the circumstances of each college and reflect realistic options to address the college's future income and expenditure profiles in order to eliminate the deficit and restore financial health. The plans have to be agreed with the Scottish Further Education Funding Council but their implementation is the responsibility of the college Board of Management.Another measure, which will assist colleges with large deficits to address their problems, is a review of management within the Further Education sector. The Funding Council expects to report to Scottish Ministers by May with recommendations on what range and mix of management skills will best serve colleges, and how the best management practice can become the norm.

The Business Growth Fund is administered by Scottish Enterprise (SEn) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). Copies of the application forms for the fund have been placed with SPICe although any applicant should be encouraged to discuss the fund with their local LEC in the first instance. The LEC will be able to provide scheme details, as well as general advice on applying. Final decisions are taken centrally by SEn and HIE, taking account of advice from the LEC dealing with each application. This ensures a consistent approach in delivering this national programme across the SEn and HIE areas.

The IRIS unit will follow up representations from businesses in any sector on any regulatory concern.

The recently published Scottish Economic Report, which was laid before the Scottish Parliament in January, provides details of the methods used to calculate new business starts and the business stock. I would be happy to discuss these data with business representative groups.

I understand that the Scottish National Ice-Skating Championships will go ahead as planned. The National Ice Skating Association (NISA) has now retracted its eligibility statement and Scottish skaters will be able to participate without any threat of action from NISA.

There are currently eight Special Advisers employed within the Scottish Executive. The estimated annual cost of employing them (including overheads) is £527,207. Individual salaries are not revealed in order to protect the privacy of those concerned. Regarding severance payment, Mr Rafferty received the three month's salary due under the terms of his contract of employment; Mr Chalmers did not receive any such payment. A copy of the Model Contract of Employment for Special Advisers is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICE).

The Scottish Tourist Board and relevant Area Tourist Boards promote traditional music both in print and on their websites.The STB, the Scottish Arts Council and the traditional music sector are working in partnership to raise the profile of traditional music events in Scottish tourism. As part of this initiative, pilot schemes have taken place throughout the country looking at ways of making traditional music more accessible to visitors.

The cost of graphic design, printing and distribution was £32,320.