- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to stimulate increased employment and wealth creation in the small business sector.
Answer
I refer Mr Kenneth Gibson to the answer I gave to question S1W-7739 on 22 June.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to undertake a rolling review of existing legislation in order to ensure that any which is no longer relevant is revoked or amended and what representations it is making to Her Majesty's Government and the European Parliament to do likewise.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is committed to reducing the burden on businesses caused by unnecessary legislation. The Improving Regulation in Scotland unit has a continuing dialogue with businesses and pursues any regulatory concerns they raise.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to assist existing and new small businesses to expand and take on new employees.
Answer
I refer Mr Kenneth Gibson to the answer I gave to question S1W-7739 on 22 June.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to assess the effect of proposed legislation, prior to implementation, on the ability of small businesses to comply in terms of both cost and technical implications.
Answer
The Scottish Executive requires that a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) is completed before introducing any legislation which will have a significant impact upon business. This document, which must be included in any consultation, addresses the cost to business both in terms of compliance costs and any other costs incurred. The Executive recognises that regulatory burdens can have a disproportionate effect on small businesses. Consequently, the RIA as with all Executive policy begins from the "think small first" position and includes the "small business litmus test" to ensure the particular interests of small businesses are to the fore when developing policy.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider revising flood defence legislation to take account of river catchment areas rather than local authority boundaries.
Answer
The Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961 provides for local authorities to take measures for the prevention or mitigation of flooding of non-agricultural land in their area. The Act already allows for the exercise of these powers by a local authority to take place on land outwith their area. There are therefore no restrictions now to prevent local authorities working together on a catchment basis.
In addition, guidance contained within National Planning Policy Guideline 7 advocates wide consultation and encourages the creation of Flood Appraisal Groups. A number of such groups have been formed, some based on catchment considerations rather than local authority boundaries.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 22 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether whole life asset management rather than just road maintenance is required to link communities effectively and promote social and economic development.
Answer
Road maintenance on the trunk road network, which is the responsibility of Scottish Ministers, is considered in the context of whole life asset management to ensure the integrity of the network in meeting the requirements of local and national planning.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 21 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3566 by Susan Deacon on 17 February 2000, whether its plans to examine measures for better enforcement of the law to tackle those who make illegal sales to young people include liaison with the Ministerial Group set up within the Department of Trade and Industry to examine issues including how to make enforcement of consumer protection more effective, especially in relation to the group's work on simplifying legislation on age limits.
Answer
My participation in the Ministerial Group on Consumer Affairs will ensure that the Executive's views on a number of consumer matters, including the issue of age-related sales, will be clear to the Department of Trade and Industry and other government departments.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 21 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase support to community pharmacists providing services to drug misusers, including security measures such as installation of panic buttons, CCTV and prominent alarm boxes.
Answer
NHS community pharmacy services to drug misusers - the dispensing of methadone and needle exchange - are subject to local contracting between community pharmacy contractors and their Primary Care Trust/Island Health Board. Issues of safety and security are primarily matters for the contractors concerned.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 20 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of Scotland's local roads network will be resurfaced this financial year.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not hold the information requested.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 20 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many kilometres of non-trunk road network there are and what percentage requires to be repaired during this financial year.
Answer
Table 5.2 in the 1999 edition of Scottish Transport Statistics indicates that as at 1 April 1998 there were 49,857 kilometres of non-trunk road network. The Scottish Executive has no information on the percentage to be repaired by local authorities during this financial year.
