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For the purposes of teacher workforce planning we estimate that around 3,100 new teachers will go on to be employed in the probationer induction scheme.

Appropriate due diligence was applied when members were appointed to the Council of Economic Advisers. No further examination has been carried out since then.

The precise arrangements will vary between different parts of the Scottish Government but a common principle is that there is an audit committee, composed of external appointees, for each part of the organisation for which the Principal Accountable Officer has designated an Accountable Officer. A standing agenda item in the model terms of reference of those audit committees is to consider any reports from Audit Scotland and the management response to, and implementation of, recommendations. Audit Scotland staff are invited to attend all audit committee meetings.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19705 on 21 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

We will be in a position to evaluate the impact of the scheme once it has been fully implemented in 2009-10. The impact of the scheme will also be measured by its contribution to meeting the strategic targets set out in the Government''s Economic Strategy.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19705 on 21 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19705 on 21 January 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The average cash benefit to business properties under the scheme is around £1,000 in 2008-09. The scheme is just one of a number of measures in the Scottish Government''s economic recovery programme which can improve cash flow to small businesses.

The Small Business Bonus Scheme delivers a lower taxed more competitive business environment for small businesses. Analysis of empirical evidence to date indicates that measures such as the scheme support the growth of small businesses and facilitate their contribution to economic growth. We will be in a position fully to evaluate the impact of the scheme after it has been fully implemented in 2009-10.

Data for the employment of enterprises operating in Scotland are published annually within the Scottish Government publication Scottish Corporate Sector Statistics. The figures are only available from 1998 and the latest data refers to the employment of all enterprises in Scotland as at March 2008.

The following table shows the total employment of small enterprises (0 to 49 employees) in Scotland and the year-on-year growth rate from 1998 to 2008:

	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Employment	749,950	726,860	730,140	735,260	741,820	745,460
% Growth	-	-3.1%	0.5%	0.7%	0.9%	0.5%
	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Employment	759,500	745,870	745,850	771,850	780,100
% Growth	1.9%	-1.8%	0.0%	3.5%	1.1%

Source: Scottish Government, ONS (IDBR).

Please note that these figures exclude central and local government employment.