No.

All businesses who are members of an Area Tourist Board will have access to the Ossian system and will be encouraged to use the e-commerce facility available after June 2000.

The latest data is in respect of 1997. Estimates for the next three years are not held.

Local Authority	Tourism Employment: 1997
Aberdeen City	9,863
Aberdeenshire	5,582
Angus	2,989
Argyll & Bute	3,845
Clackmannanshire	786
Dumfries & Galloway	4,481
Dundee City	4,638
East Ayrshire	2,368
East Dunbartonshire	1,712
East Lothian	2,271
East Renfrewshire	1,301
Edinburgh City	20,559
Eilean Siar	687
Falkirk	3,228
Fife	8,742
Glasgow City	24,722
Highland	10,247
Inverclyde	2,583
Midlothian	1,503
Moray	2,503
North Ayrshire	3,844
North Lanarkshire	5,485
Orkney	509
Perth & Kinross	6,387
Renfrewshire	4,896
Scottish Borders	2,289
Shetland	839
South Ayrshire	4,709
South Lanarkshire	6,591
Stirling	3,554
West Dunbartonshire	2,602
West Lothian	2,787
Total	159,102

Source: Annual Employment Survey.

Notes:

Excludes self-employed, estimated at 17,000.Includes all employment: full time, part time, seasonal, year-round.

The Executive does not hold information centrally on the remuneration packages of all persons holding publicly funded positions. The publication Appointments to Non-Departmental Public Bodies, updated in February 2000, gives the names and remuneration of Chairs and Board members of executive and advisory non-departmental public bodies, nationalised industries, public corporations and NHS bodies in Scotland. The publication is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. The names and remuneration of the Chief Executives and Chief Officers of most public bodies are published in the body's annual accounts.

Dealings with the United Nations remain a reserved matter for the UK Government. Niche markets such as walking and climbing which take advantage of Scotland's spectacular environment and particularly its mountains are a vital element of the country's tourism product. In line with A New Strategy for Scottish Tourism the Scottish Tourist Board will seek to promote these activities while emphasising the conservation of the environment on which they depend.The Scottish Executive has been pursuing for some time the sustainable development of mountain areas as encompassed in Chapter 21 of Agenda 21. Initiatives such as the formation of the Glenmore Working Group, the commitment to the Rothiemurchus Concordat, projects carried out by the members of the Cairngorm Partnership and our recent commitment to establishing national parks are contributing to fulfilling the UK Government's undertaking.

All accommodation establishments who are members of Area Tourist Boards receive a free entry on the Internet via Ossian. General IT and Ossian specific training is provided through Local Enterprise Companies and Area Tourist Boards.

All the comments made on the draft National Parks (Scotland) Bill are currently being considered.We recognise the importance of communities and local residents in the running of the National Parks they live in. The draft Bill sets out the aims of National Parks at section 1(3) and the conditions for a National Park proposal at section 1(2). These encompass the interests of residents and communities, as well as many other interests, without specifying them all by name. Section 30 is for definition of terms and is not the appropriate place for setting out community involvement.

We have not asked Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to advise instead of local residents and communities on the boundaries of National Parks. We have asked them to consult with these groups and others on identifying and discussing the options for the detailed arrangements for each proposed National Park. This will help to pave the way for the formal consultation in due course after Royal Assent has been achieved.

I have recently outlined several proposed improvements to the services provided by the Scottish Enterprise Network to assist business start-ups and small businesses, and we are discussing similar developments with Highlands and Islands Enterprise. These include the possible introduction of quality standards, covering both business organisations and advisers. As part of that work I have asked my officials to contact PSYBT to discuss their particular approach.

No. The Scottish Tourist Board's policy ensures that all accommodation providers and visitor attraction operators whose details appear on the Scotland website offer a quality assured product.