- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 25 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10736 by Mr Frank McAveety on 29 September 2004, what information it has on what percentage of the total number of visitors from these countries to the United Kingdom these numbers of visitors to Scotland represented in 2002.
Answer
In 2002, the number of visitors who came to the United Kingdom from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland was estimated from survey data to be around 150,000,132,200 and 188,500 respectively. Of these visitors, 3% from both the Czech Republic and Hungary and 8% from Poland were estimated to come to Scotland.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 25 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10735 by Mr Frank McAveety on 29 September 2004, what information it has on what percentage of visitors to the United Kingdom from the Republic of Ireland the 48,000 visitors to Scotland in 2003 represented.
Answer
In 2003, the number of visitors who came to the United Kingdom from the Republic of Ireland was estimated from the available survey data to be around 2,488,000, of which 2% were estimated to come to Scotland.
These figures are taken from the UK-wide International Passenger Survey (IPS), which samples overseas visitors to Scotland entering the country through Edinburgh and Glasgow airports only (although from 2005 onwards, visitors who enter Scotland through Prestwick will also be surveyed under the IPS). This data is then grossed up to approximate for visitors entering through other airports. No Scottish ferry ports are included in IPS surveying; again, survey data from particular ports of entry in England and Wales from the Republic of Ireland is grossed up to an all-UK figure.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the quality of response provided by the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to parliamentary questions, in particular whether responses answer the question asked and are worded in order to provide the information sought and, if not, whether it will direct the SPS to make any necessary improvements in the responses it provides.
Answer
The Scottish Prison Service provides available information in response to PQs. I am happy for members to contact the Chief Executive of SPS to discuss particular issues in more detail.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 18 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current level of carbon dioxide emissions in Scotland is, expressed also as a percentage of such emissions in the United Kingdom, and what information it has on the average level of carbon dioxide emissions in Europe and internationally.
Answer
Carbon dioxide emissions data for Scotland and the UK are available in the publication
Greenhouse Gas Inventories for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: 1999-2001, a copy of which has been placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib number 32027) and is also available on the Executive’s climate change web-site at
www.scotland.gov.uk/climatechange.Both the European Environment Agency and the United Nations publish data on European and international carbon dioxide emissions which can be accessed at www.eea.eu.int/ and http://unfccc.int/.Care must be taken when comparing countries emissions levels, which are not always reported on a like-for-like basis. For example, in the case of carbon dioxide, the “National Total” on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Greenhouse Gas Inventory database does not include emissions from biomass burning or emissions or removals from the land use change and forestry sector. By contrast, the UK inventory does include such emissions and removals.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how its education and skills policy will contribute towards growing the renewables economy.
Answer
We believe that it is important that the renewable energy industry’s immediate and future skills needs are identified and plans put in place to deliver these needs. The Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland (FREDS) has therefore established a sub-group to look at this issue, it will report in the spring of next year. In taking forward its remit, the sub-group will work with the appropriate sector skills councils and take account of existing education and skills policies.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its civil servants are employed on energy policy.
Answer
While most aspects of energy policy are reserved, there are, within my department, currently twenty four people dealing with energy matters, mainly relating to the promotion of renewables, consents under sections 36 and 37 of the Electricity Act 1989, and energy efficiency.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 15 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings of Her Majesty’s Government’s Transmission Issues Working Group have been attended by Executive ministers, expressed also as a percentage of all such meetings; whether it will give details of the specific objectives ministers are pursuing at this working group, and what progress has been made.
Answer
The Transmission Issues Working Group comprises officials from the Department for Trade and Industry and from the devolved administrations, the electricity transmission companies and the regulator, Ofgem. Its purpose is to monitor the progress of implementation of the additional infrastructure required in order to meet the needs of the Government’s renewables targets. Executive officials have attended all meetings of the group.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children in (a) each local authority and (b) total were defined as living in a state of poverty in each of the last five years, expressed also as a percentage of the child population and giving the percentage change on a year-on-year basis.
Answer
The following table presents the number and proportions of children living in low income in Scotland in each of the last five years. Estimates are available at Scotland level only, not by local authority area.
Proportion and Number of Children in Low-Income Households, below 60% of GB Median Income, Scotland (Thousands)
| Year | Absolute | Relative |
| Before Housing Costs | After Housing Costs | Before Housing Costs | After Housing Costs |
| % | Numbers | % | Numbers | % | Numbers | % | Numbers |
| 1998-99 | 26 | 290 | 29 | 320 | 27 | 300 | 31 | 340 |
| 1999-2000 | 20 | 220 | 24 | 260 | 24 | 260 | 28 | 310 |
| 2000-01 | 18 | 190 | 21 | 230 | 25 | 260 | 30 | 320 |
| 2001-02 | 14 | 140 | 16 | 170 | 25 | 260 | 30 | 320 |
| 2002-03 | 12 | 130 | 16 | 170 | 23 | 240 | 27 | 280 |
The key low-income results, above, are for 60% of both the relative and absolute median thresholds. Estimates on the full range of income thresholds and explanation of how these estimates are calculated are published in Households Below Average Income, 1994-95 to 2002-03, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 32212).
The relative low-income measure compares against the median in the same year. The absolute measure compares against the median in the baseline year of 1996-97. Both areas are uprated to remove the effects of inflation.
The figures are estimates based on a sample survey and are therefore subject to sampling variation. As such, small percentage changes are not significant when considered on a year-on-year basis; identification of trends should be based on several years of data.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 13 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce regional or local authority area targets for renewable energy production.
Answer
While we do not currently propose to set local targets nor to identify preferred areas for such developments, we plan to create a new advisory forum to support the forthcoming review of renewable planning guidelines. This body will help us achieve our aim of meeting our ambitious renewables targets in an environmentally acceptable manner.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 12 October 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to change the formula for calculating police force funding.
Answer
Yes. Today I am publishing the findings of the Police Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) Working Group which was set up to consider how best to distribute police funding between Scottish forces. The working group has produced a new formula which aims to ensure that the way we distribute funding is linked much more directly to the cost of policing each force and recommends a target share for each force. The formula takes into account a range of factors including the population in each area, deprivation and the demands on forces.
An interim report from the working group, submitted in late 2002, had indicated that the allocations at that time merited adjustment and additional resources. As a result, an additional £4.5 million was added to the GAE allocations for Grampian Police, Fife Constabulary, Central Scotland Police and Northern Constabulary in 2005-06.
The group’s final report now makes clear that further adjustment is needed and recommends this continues to be achieved by “levelling up” the funding allocations for forces rather than by redistributing existing funding between forces. I have accepted this recommendation which means that no force will have its allocation cut as a result of the model. The overall extra amounts allocated for levelling-up are £5.5 million in 2005‑06, rising to £8.5 million in 2006-07 and £15.5 million in 2007‑08. We intend to find the balance needed to complete levelling-up by 2009-10. Once the levelling up process is complete, subsequent allocations will then be made using the new formula.
