- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 30 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring it has undertaken of the effectiveness of the Partnership Action for Continuing Employment contingency plans.
Answer
In March-April 2001 the Executive undertook a series of seminars to review the first year of operation of the Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) framework.In October 2001 the report Partnership Action for Continuing Employment 2001 Review was published, outlining the key findings from the review. The document included an action plan for the further improvement and development of PACE at a strategic and local level. That included recommendations in respect of early warnings and forward planning.We are also commissioning research on how other countries deal with large-scale redundancies in order to identify other examples of best practice.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 30 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16250 by Rhona Brankin on 27 June 2001, whether any sites for the repository of nuclear waste material from decommissioned nuclear submarines have now been selected.
Answer
No sites have been selected. I understand that in its announcement on the publication of the final report of the Project ISOLUS Front End Consultation, the Ministry of Defence stated it will not be until industry comes forward with proposals that potential sites will begin to emerge.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 30 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Department of Trade and Industry played any role in action taken to alleviate the effects of recent redundancies in West Lothian and, if so, what role it played.
Answer
The Executive has put in place the Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) initiative which is a strategic national framework bringing together the relevant local agencies to alleviate redundancy situations. The local PACE teams have provided support to those affected by recent redundancies in West Lothian tailored to individual needs. This includes advice on job searching, core skills training, skills transfer programmes and financial advice. Through InUK, a joint DTI/FCO organisation, the Department of Trade and Industry has assisted in the marketing of the Bathgate site of Motorola.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 30 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve the trunk road network in West Lothian.
Answer
We are committed to implementing the decisions that flow from the Central Scotland Transport Corridor Studies, which includes the A8/M8 corridor.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 30 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is giving, or intends to give, to any companies or other organisations that were suppliers of goods and services to the Motorola plant in Bathgate and/or the NEC plant in Livingston and have been or will be adversely affected by their closure.
Answer
Following the closure of the Motorola plant in Bathgate, the Motorola Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE) team undertook a review of the likely impact of the closure on the supply base companies. The review concluded that while a few companies had been directly affected, the majority of the 300 suppliers had felt little or no significant impact. This PACE team is currently undertaking a similar review on the supply chain for NEC.Scottish Enterprise wrote to all the supplier companies outlining the assistance that may be available to those companies affected. That could include business advice, assistance and financial support. This package is still available to companies as required.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 30 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what sites are currently in use, or have been identified for future use, as repositories for nuclear waste and what the source of the nuclear waste was, or will be, for each site.
Answer
The latest information on the amount, location and source of radioactive waste presently stored in the UK and predicted to arise in future is contained on the CD-ROM 1998 United Kingdom Radioactive Waste Inventory, a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 8385). The Inventory does not include information on past disposal of waste. Dounreay has operated disposal facilities for low and intermediate level waste which has arisen as a result of past activity on the site. The intermediate level waste disposal facility, the so-called "Dounreay shaft", has not been used since 1977. Details of the waste to be recovered from it are included in the Inventory as it is proposed that it will be removed from the shaft.The consultation document Managing Radioactive Waste Safely began the process to develop a long-term policy for the management of solid radioactive waste in the UK. Future stages of this process will consider options for the storage and disposal of radioactive waste. This is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 16146).
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 30 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children left school in the West Lothian area without attaining a standard grade in (a) English, (b) Mathematics and (c) English and Mathematics in each academic year since 1996.
Answer
The following table shows the number and percentage of pupils that left publicly funded schools in the West Lothian education authority in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, without attaining a standard grade in (a) English, (b) Mathematics and (c) English and Mathematics:
Year | Total number of leavers | Percentage not attaining Standard Grade Mathematics | Percentage not attaining Standard Grade English | Percentage not attaining Standard Grade Mathematics and English |
1996-97 | 1,861 | 190 (10%) | 200 (11%) | 239 (13%) |
1997-98 | 1,912 | 143 (7%) | 137 (7%) | 180 (9%) |
1998-99 | 1,939 | 118 (6%) | 106 (5%) | 150 (8%) |
Note: Data relating to 1999-2000 is not yet available.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 30 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21018 by Lewis Macdonald on 3 January 2002, what the eligibility criteria are for the Public Transport Fund.
Answer
The eligibility criteria for the Public Transport Fund are set out in circular DD3/2001 inviting bids. Copies are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 18647).
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 25 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will receive the #16.7 million Regional Selective Assistance clawback from Motorola announced by the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning on 25 April 2001.
Answer
Motorola repaid £16.75 million to the Executive in May 2001.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 25 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the #16.7 million Regional Selective Assistance clawback from Motorola announced by the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning on 25 April 2001 will be invested in West Lothian.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21786.
