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Any concerns that the construction industry in Scotland may have about the business impact assessment associated with the withdrawal of the exemption for National Insurance contribution-free holiday pay for the sector, have not been raised directly with the Scottish Government.

However, should the industry have concerns, we would expect this matter to be debated in future meetings with the Scottish Construction Forum and the Scottish Building Federation and also for these organisations to be raising the matter direct with the UK Government.

The Scottish Government has not had ministerial discussions or made any representations on behalf of Scottish business in respect of the withdrawal of the exemption for National Insurance contribution-free holiday pay for the construction industry.

I understand that the exemption from National Insurance Contributions of holiday pay via a third party was removed for all sectors except the construction industry, via secondary legislation laid before the UK Parliament, on 9 October 2007 and took effect on 30 October 2007. These regulations also introduced a five year transitional period for the construction industry, before the exemption is completely withdrawn on 30 October 2012.

While we have not made a specific assessment of the impact on the environment in the Highlands and Islands of the grazing of marginal land by beef cattle, a number of studies have shown that appropriate grazing by livestock maintains a range of habitats which are necessary to support particular species.

The sector skills agreement for the building services engineering industry in Scotland will be launched on 17 April by SummitSkills, the sector skills council for the sector.

The agreement includes an action plan for the sector. SummitSkills will be responsible for taking this forward, working in partnership with key stakeholders such as Skills Development Scotland.

We support the work of the Construction Licensing Executive (CLE) in its efforts to isolate rogue traders and promote best practice in the Scottish construction industry. We have also liaised with the CLE and others in the development of a trusted trader approach in Scotland, which will further help homeowners throughout Scotland make an informed choice about choosing a contractor suitable for them.

It is the responsibility of the Scottish Government to set the broad policy framework for public sector pay in Scotland and, as with other bodies within the public sector in Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is required to submit annual pay remits setting out its pay proposals for approval by ministers. SEPA''s pay remit covering 2006-07 and 2007-08 was approved by ministers in December 2006 and set the parameters for negotiations. Subsequent pay negotiations with the union, the detail of pay and grading of SEPA staff and implementation of the settlement are operational matters for SEPA''s management team, within overall financial limits set by the Scottish Government, and in accordance with policies and guidance on public sector pay. I have asked Dr Campbell Gemmell, Chief Executive of SEPA, to respond direct to the detailed issues you have raised.

The budget for the Scotland Rural Development Programme will be managed and monitored at a national level. This approach has been adopted to ensure that funding is directed to those proposals that make the greatest contribution to the achievement of the agreed regional priorities and deliver the greatest benefit for the people of Scotland, regardless of where they are located across the country.

Funding under the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) will be delivered through eight separate delivery mechanisms. A number of these mechanisms (e.g. Less Favoured Area Support Scheme) are non-competitive and therefore anyone who meets the predetermined eligibility criteria is considered to meet the national criteria and will receive funding.

Other elements, such as Rural Development Contracts “ Rural Priorities, are competitive. In the case of Rural Priorities, applications are assessed against a number of criteria by case officers, professional staff working for the Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate (SGRPID), Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) or the Forestry Commission. One of the primary criteria used in this assessment is the extent to which the project is considered to be capable of delivering one or more of the regional priorities identified for the area. All of these regional priorities have been developed in conjunction with national and local stakeholders and have been checked to ensure that they can be linked back to the national objectives for the SRDP.

Once assessed, the proposals will be presented to the Regional Proposal Assessment Committee for the area, who will make recommendations to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment as to which proposals should receive funding.

Circular CCD 5/2003 consolidated earlier guidance on free personal and nursing care to local authorities, the NHS and other service providers. The circular provides guidance on implementation of the policy. In addition, further guidance on charges for food preparation issued on 24 September 2004 and 25 May 2006.

Copies of the guidance documents are available at the Scottish Government web page:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Health/care/17655.

The Independent Funding Review on Free Personal and Nursing Care, chaired by Lord Sutherland, is currently investigating both the level and distribution of resources to local authorities for free personal and nursing care. The review will not only look back at the previous allocations, but forward to how we deliver effective and sustainable long-term care for Scotland''s ageing population.

We will consider the findings and recommendations of the review and the need for any further guidance when it reports on 28 April 2008.

The Scottish Government has commissioned the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) to evaluate the Scottish Beef Calf Scheme. The SAC has yet to report on its findings.