- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 30 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive which of the proposals or plans of the Kinlochleven Land Development Trust it supports and which it opposes, and what impact the plans will have in providing new employment for those who may be made redundant from British Alcan.
Answer
I refer Mr Ewing to my answer to question S1W-5404. The projects being undertaken by the Kinlochleven Land Development Trust (KLDT) are an operational matter for the Trust, the community and for those agencies which are providing financial support for the regeneration programme, and do not require the approval of the Scottish Executive.
The significant regeneration activity taking place in Kinlochleven by the KLDT is being carried out with a view to creating more jobs for the sake of the future viability of the village.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 28 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many properties are available for let as holiday homes on a commercial basis, for 140 days or more per year, in each local authority area.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 27 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will conduct an investigation into the remuneration levels of management posts in the public sector; whether the highest level of public sector salary should be paid to the First Minister on a pyramidal structure and whether all public positions should be remunerated upon a pay structure which reflects the degree of responsibility undertaken by all other posts.
Answer
There is a very wide range of public sector organisations in Scotland, with very varied functions and responsibilities. This is reflected in a similarly broad range of pay arrangements for management, staff and other public sector appointments. It would therefore be wholly inappropriate, and indeed bad policy and management practice, to attempt to link all senior public sector pay to a single salary point.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2406 by Sarah Boyack on 26 January 2000, why details of the contact between itself and the Minister of State at the Scotland Office are "not normally released" and why it will not detail the contact between the parties on this matter.
Answer
Under the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information, information will be disclosed unless the harm likely to arise from disclosure would outweigh the public interest in making the information available. In this case, the public interest in disclosure is outweighed by the harm which would be caused to the frankness and candour of internal discussion, including discussions between the Scottish Executive and the UK Government.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 21 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will insert a provision in the draft National Parks (Scotland) Bill to the effect that the members of the proposed National Parks Authority shall be elected locally and directly by the residents rather than being appointed or nominated.
Answer
We are reviewing all points raised in respect of the consultation exercise recently carried out on the draft National Parks Bill. The consultation period ended on 3 March 2000 and all points will be considered prior to the Bill being introduced to Parliament. The Bill as currently drafted requires members to have knowledge or experience relevant to the functions of the National Park authority or the National Park, but does not require direct elections.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 21 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed National Parks will require to rely on loans, in whole or in part, for their finance and, if so, by what means the National Parks will raise revenue.
Answer
National Park authorities will receive their core funding from central Government. The draft National Parks (Scotland) Bill provides for the possibility of National Park authorities seeking loans, if necessary. National Park authorities will be able to raise additional money through other sources such as Lottery Funds, European Union funding and commercial activity.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 21 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the cost of (a) holding a local referendum and (b) holding a local inquiry in (i) Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and (ii) the Cairngorms and whether a local inquiry is more or less democratic than a referendum.
Answer
The cost of (a) and (b) would depend on the nature and extent of the referendum or inquiry. The purposes of each would be different: the draft National Parks (Scotland) Bill does not provide for the holding of a referendum.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 21 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed National Parks will be funded by grants and, if so, what its estimate is of the annual grant (in current cash terms) for Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and the Cairngorms in the first five years of operation.
Answer
National Parks will be funded by grants from central Government.Scottish Natural Heritage's advice to government on National Parks, published in 1999, contained estimates of costs (in current terms) of national parks in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs and the Cairngorms. We will consider the levels of grant necessary in the context of the Executive's spending plans for the period in question.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 21 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government and the Bank of England regarding the impact on the tourist industry in Scotland of (a) Her Majesty's Government's macro-economic policies and (b) the Bank of England's policies on the value of the pound sterling against (i) the Euro, (ii) the US dollar, (iii) the Japanese Yen and (iv) other currencies; whether it will place copies of such representations in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre and, if not, why not.
Answer
The Scottish Executive liaises closely with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including economic conditions in Scotland.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 21 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider holding public debates on the model of the recent "Business in the Chamber" event on topics such as health, education, older people and social and economic development in the Highlands and Islands, whether it will ensure that the participants in such debates are from a wide cross-section of interested parties as well as special interest groups, and whether it will investigate the possibility of using the Parliament chamber for such events.
Answer
The Executive already has a range of consultative mechanisms in place but is willing to consider suitable mechanisms by which consultation processes can be supplemented or improved to generate the widest debate possible, involving a cross-section of interested parties. Subject to the approval of the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body, this could include the use of the Scottish Parliament chamber if considered appropriate.
