The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body has incurred approximately £156,000 of expenditure on hospitality over a 39-month period, since July 1999. The cost of identifying each individual event and those present over the last three years would not be justified.

Over 1.7 million Ha of agricultural land in Scotland are rented under full tenancy agreements (that is, tenancies under the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 1991 with traditional secure tenants or limited partnership tenants, including minor holdings) (source: Scottish Agricultural Statistics, Scottish Executive, 2001). As I explained in the answer given to question S1W-28914 on 18 October 2002, there were estimated to be around 14,000 full tenancy agreements under the 1991 act active in Scotland in 2001. We do not hold information centrally which subdivides this figure further. On the basis of the above information, we estimate that the average size of a holding under a full tenancy agreement in Scotland is around 120 Ha.A Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) survey estimated that around 64% of such tenanted land is held under 1991 act tenancies with a traditional secure tenant (source: Land Tenure Patterns in Scotland, RICS Scotland, 1995, Table 1). This would mean that around 1 million Ha of agricultural land in Scotland are held under traditional secure 1991 act tenancies.All answers to written parliamentary questions can be found on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

No.

The case for a bypass for Nairn has not been identified as a priority when considering potential projects for the motorway and trunk roads programme and there are no plans at present to take forward such a scheme. I have not received representations on this matter from either Highland or the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS).

No. Disclosure of information which would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion is exempted from the commitment to provide information under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information.

The next step is a matter for the UK Government. The Executive has liased closely with the UK Government on what we believe is a substantial case for a public service obligation on the Inverness/Gatwick link.

Consignia, post offices and postal services are reserved to the UK Government. The Performance and Innovation Unit's report Counter Revolution: Modernising the Post Office Network (June 2000) showed that the future viability of the network was challenged by the introduction of automated credit transfer. The Department of Trade and Industry are concentrating on supporting the Post Office's efforts to build up new business opportunities, including universal banking services, in order to mitigate the effects of the move to automated credit transfer.

No, amnesic shellfish poisoning is a matter of public health. Its existence increases the need for further conservation of scallop stocks, and I am persuaded following extensive consultation that technical conservation measures are the best way of achieving such conservation. However, I do intend to consider carefully the points made to and by the Rural Development Committee before finalising and laying the statutory instrument in question.

All funding consequentials contribute to a block allocation to the Scottish Executive. The flexibility this gives ministers is considered a key element of the devolution arrangements. There was not a sufficient case for running a separate Scottish pilot on the project now known as Your Guide. DTI recently announced that the project would not receive further funding. The Scottish Executive remains in close contact with both DTI and Consignia regarding possible alternative projects.

Post offices and postal services are reserved to the UK Government. I understand that details of financial support for rural post offices will be announced shortly by the Department of Trade and Industry.