- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 18 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32334 by Allan Wilson on 17 December 2002, whether it has made any recent representations to Her Majesty's Government in respect of any transfer of power to the Parliament with regard to the Crown Estate Commission and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.
Answer
No such representations havebeen made.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 18 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to ensure that the working practices and hours of grit lorry drivers comply with all legal requirements and guarantee the safety of the driver and a minimum resting period.
Answer
The way in which drivers are organised is a matter for BEAR Scotland Ltdprovided all contractual and legal obligations are met. The Scottish Executive Is in regular contact with BEAR Scotland Ltd to ensure safe and efficientwinter maintenance of the trunk road network.
The performance audit groupregularly audit operations carried out by the trunk road operators to ensurethat they comply with the requirements of the contract. Any concerns would beraised with the operating company.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the presentation of the Scottish share of UK income tax liability was based on payments to income tax collection offices in Scotland or as a proportionate share of total receipts from the UK in last year's Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland report.
Answer
The Scottish share is basedon Inland Revenue statistics on the income tax liabilities of Scottish residentsas reported in the Inland Revenue’s Survey of Personal Incomes .
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the methodology that allocates Scotland's share of corporation tax revenues will take into account an estimate of Scotland's share of extra-regio territory in this year's Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland (GERS) report and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.
Answer
Extra-regio corporation taxis not allocated to Scotland’s share of corporation tax revenues.
The UKcontinental shelf is not regarded as part of mainland UK or itsconstituent countries and therefore it is not possible to attribute a share of the extra-regio corporation tax to Scotland.
However, GERS considersthe effects on the Scottish fiscal position of different assumptions on theallocation of North sea revenues (including North sea corporation tax) in table8.2 (GERS 2001-2002).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the methodology used to calculate Scotland's revenues from other taxes and royalties will take into account an estimated Scottish share of the extra-regio territory in this year's Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland report.
Answer
North sea revenues do notinclude other taxes and royalties.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 17 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has estimated the funding that will be lost in matched funding from the block grant when Objective 1 transitional money ends.
Answer
It is too early to predictthe outcome of the debate on the future of the European Structural Funds forthe Highlands and Islands or anywhere else when the current programmes ceasein December 2006. The European Commission’s third cohesion report due to bepublished early next year will give an indication of the Commission’s thinkingahead of their draft regulations expected next May. Negotiations between memberstates will take place thereafter and are likely to last at least a year.
Public sectormatch funding for structural fund projects comes from the relevant domesticspending programme within the assigned budget. Whatever the future of the funds,public bodies will continue to be able to set their own priorities includingallocating money either to match fund projects they sponsor or to fund themoutright.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 17 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what figures it has for viral and other infections passed to haemophiliacs through contaminated blood products since 1970; how many people were affected by each such virus or other infection, and whether it expects these figures to change.
Answer
This information is not heldcentrally.
The routine screening ofblood by the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service for HIV, hepatitis Band C, syphilis and Human T-cell lymphotropic Type 1 (HTLV1) and the viralinactivation undertaken during the manufacture of blood products means thattransmission of these particular viruses by blood transfusion should now bevery rare.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has with regard to the locations within Scotland where the 1% sample of national insurance records were taken which were used as a basis for calculating Scotland's share of social security contributions, as referred to in Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland 2000-2001 (GERS).
Answer
We do not have informationavailable as to the locations within Scotland where the 1% sample was taken. The figures used in GERSwere derived by the Office of National Statistics. Specific details of thesample data are not available to the Executive.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 16 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has with regard to how the Inland Revenue calculates the Scottish portion of inheritance tax revenue in last year's Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland report.
Answer
The Inland Revenue suppliesthe amount of inheritance tax collected in respect of Scottish deaths and othertransfers.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 16 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the methodology for this year's Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland report will allocate Scotland's share of revenue from TV licenses.
Answer
The BBC receives the revenuefrom TV licensing directly (and is responsible for its administration). The BBCdoes not have shareholders and therefore does not aim to make a profit.Operating surpluses and deficits simply represent timing differences betweenincome and expenditure and are included in the position “Gross trading surplus,rents and miscellaneous. transfers” in the Government Expenditure Revenues forScotland. The Scottish share is allocated by its Gross Value Added share.
