- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what European funding programmes are available to organisations in Scotland.
Answer
There are four Structural Funds available in Scotland:The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) primarily supports productive investment, infrastructure and SME development. The Guidance Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF-Guidance section) supports measures for the adjustment of agricultural structures and rural development. The European Social Fund (ESF) supports measures to promote employment (education systems, vocational training and recruitment aids). The Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG) supports measures for the adjustment of structures in this sector, and the "accompanying measures" of the common fisheries policy. These are made available through geographically defined programmes - the Highlands and Islands Special Transitional Programme, the three Objective 2 programmes (East, West and South of Scotland) and Objective 3 which supports training activities outwith the Highlands and Islands area.In addition to these there are four community initiatives, which are worth around 5% of the 2000-06 Structural Fund budget and are pilot projects/test beds for activity which, if effective is then mainstreamed into the larger funds:Interreg III: Cross-border, transnational and interregional co-operation.Urban II: Regeneration of urban areas in crisis. (Port Glasgow and Clydebank South)LEADER+ : Rural development through innovative local projects.EQUAL : Combating discrimination and inequalities in connection with the labour market.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any assessment of how much funding would be required to purchase all track record and entitlement currently allocated to vessels known to have been decommissioned and, if so, how much it estimates this figure to be.
Answer
The department does not maintain records of the value of FQA units. Consequently, no assessment has been made.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of available sources of funding from European institutions and how many staff are engaged to ensure adequate take-up of such funding by organisations in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Executive, in partnership with other bodies such as the Programme Management Executives, the enterprise networks, local authorities and voluntary organisations, seeks to take full advantage of the various sources of funding from European institutions, as set out in the answer given to question S1W-34834 today. All these stakeholders are actively engaged in ensuring funding streams are fully utilised and work co-operatively to achieve this end. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: .
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it had with Shell UK prior to the company's announcement of 350 job losses.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with Shell about a wide range of matters, and was aware that the company was considering changes to its offshore operations. The restructuring decision was one for the company itself to take.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what its budgetary projections are for financial support to sea fisheries for each of the next two years, showing the percentage allocated to (a) enforcement, (b) decommissioning schemes, (c) Fisheries Research Services and (d) other purposes.
Answer
The information requested is set out in the following table. In compiling the data, "enforcement" has been taken to mean spending by the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency. A detailed breakdown of figures on "sea fisheries" is not readily available: data will include some expenditure which may not be related to that. To allow proper year-on-year comparisons, all numbers are on a cash basis.
| | 2003-04Budget(拢 Million) | 2004-05Plans(拢 Million) |
| Enforcement | 13.4(14.3%) | 14.2(32.5%) |
| Decommissioning and Transitional Aid | 50.0*(53.4%) | Nil |
| Fisheries Research Services | 16.9(18.1%) | 16.4(37.5%) |
| Other | 13.3(14.2%) | 13.1(30%) |
| Total | 93.6 | 43.7 |
Note:*The 2003-04 Budget presented to the Parliament makes no provision for this spending, which will be made during 2003-04 in a Revised Budget, but the planned spending on the schemes is included here for completeness.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what level of financial support it has provided to sea fisheries in each of the last four years, showing the percentage allocated to (a) enforcement, (b) decommissioning schemes, (c) Fisheries Research Services and (d) other purposes.
Answer
Details are set out in the following table. In compiling the data, "enforcement" has been taken to mean spending by the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency. A detailed breakdown of figures on "sea fisheries" is not readily available: data will include some expenditure which may not be related to that. To allow proper year-on-year comparisons, all numbers are on a cash basis.
| | 1999-2000 Outturn(拢 Million) | 2000-01Outturn(拢 Million) | 2001-02Outturn(拢 Million) | 2002-03 Spring Budget(拢 Million) |
| Enforcement | 12.8(38.7%) | 13.4(42.3%) | 15.0(37.7%) | 18.5(26.8%) |
| Decommissioning | Nil | Nil | 3.7(9.3%) | 21.2(30.7%) |
| Fisheries Research Services | 13.4(40.5%) | 15.0(47.3%) | 15.8(39.7%) | 16.5(23.9%) |
| Other | 6.9(20.8%) | 3.3(10.4%) | 5.3(13.3%) | 12.9(18.6%) |
| Total | 33.1 | 31.7 | 39.8 | 69.1 |
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive when the new arrangements for prisoner escort duties will be in place and what level of resources this will free up in the prison service.
Answer
A tendering exercise is currently under way. Subject to the progress of discussions with tenderers, a decision is expected in the summer of 2003. The resources freed up for the criminal justice system will depend on the outcome of the tender process.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 24 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to the rates relief scheme for the white fish industry announced on 11 March 2003.
Answer
The maximum cost to the Executive is estimated at 拢1.8 million. The actual costs will depend on decisions made by local authorities on the applications for hardship relief.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 21 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any representatives from the fish processing sector on the Seafish Industry Authority and what the reasons are for the position on this matter.
Answer
The processing sector is currently represented on the board of the Sea Fish Industry Authority by Mr Iain MacSween and Mr Jeff Evans. The eight industry members of the board are appointed to represent interests across the sea fish industry, striking a careful balance of geographical and sectoral representation. Mr Danny Couper of the Scottish Fish Merchants Federation was appointed for a three-year term on 1 April 2000, but resigned on 21 May 2001. Fisheries ministers appointed Mr MacSween as his replacement.
- Asked by: Richard Lochhead, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 21 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to the latest proposals regarding the future of the Scottish Agricultural College's Aberdeen campus at Craibstone and, in particular, whether it plans to allow the proposals to proceed unchallenged.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-34655 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at .
