According to diary records,the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning has met the Chief Executiveof Scottish Enterprise on at least 14 occasions since 2003 (twice in 2003,twice in 2004, four times in 2005, and six times so far in 2006). The Chief Executive will also have been present at other meetings during this periodwhere the Chair and he were not the only invitees.

During the Squirrel conferenceI hosted in February this year I asked Scottish Natural Heritage and the ForestryCommission Scotland to form a working group to advise me how best to conserve thered squirrel population in Scotland and to prepare proposals for an action plan. I understandthat the group considered a range of possible approaches to grey squirrel controland that they concluded that a bounty scheme would not be able to achieve the necessarytargeting of effort and would not provide good value for the use of public money.The group also expressed concerns about the potential public safety and animal welfareimplications.

We are undertakinga Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) which will provide an opportunity toconsider future strategic investment priorities for all modes of transport acrossthe whole transport network in Scotland, includingtransport corridors, such as the A9 between Perth and Inverness. In addition to the Perth – Inverness corridor, being assessed through the (STPR).

I recently announcedthe outcome of the Route Action Strategy Study between Perth and Blair Atholl which identified £165million worth of potential long-term improvement work on the southern section of the A9 and recommended that more detailed analysis on this be carried out to confirmthe practicality. I have agreed to this further work being done to fully assessthe implications and practicalities of dualling between Perth and Pitlochry, provision of safe overtakingopportunities and reconstruction along this important, but environmentally sensitiveroute.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-27488 on 16 August 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Twenty applications for consentunder section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 have been received since 1999, in respectof hydro schemes. Of these, 15 were made by public limited companies and five byprivate companies or others.

The details of all section 36hydro applications received since 1999 are outlined in the following table.

	Plc	Private/Others	Total
Applications received	15	5	20
Refused	0	1	1
Withdrawn	1	2	3
Consented	9	0	9
To be determined	5	2	7

 

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-27488 on 16 August 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

This information is not heldcentrally. It is for each local authority to consider in the context of their ownspending priorities.

Information on staff numbersemployed by NDPBs between 1999 and 2006 is published as part of the Public Sector Employment Quarterly Estimates. The latest version is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/06/29112448/0.

Prior to 1999, informationon NDPB staff numbers was published in the annual Cabinet Office publicationpublic bodies. Copies of the 1997 and 1998 versions are available from:

http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/caboff/bodies97/tables/so-exb.htm.http://www.archive.official-documents.co.uk/document/caboff/pb98/contents.htm.

The full-time equivalentnumber of civil servants employed on 31 March in each year is shown in thefollowing table:

Year	Scottish Executive and Agencies	Other Civil Service1
1999	13,144.3	30,800
2000	13,488.3	31,300
2001	13,365.2	31,900
2002	13,870.1	31,900
2003	14,526.1	31,900
2004	14,922.5	33,500
2005	15,103.1	31,700
2006	15,263.0	31,300

Note:1. Source: Public Sector Employment in Scotland:Statistics for Q1 2006.

I shall reply to the member as soon as possible.