Local authorities, VisitScotland and Highlands and Islands Enterprise also assist small businesses and I would suggest the member contact the relevant organisations to obtain this data.

Similarly, funding allocations in relation to the third sector, tourism, innovation and renewable energy in the specified area and time frame is not held or collected centrally.

However, an indicative analysis of renewable energy budget spend in 2008-09 shows estimated proportional spending in the Highlands and Islands as follows:

Total spending in the Highlands and Islands - £7,756,140.00.

Total spending in Scotland - £10,656,675.00.

Percentage spend in the Highlands and Islands - 72.78 per cent.

Rather than having a negative impact on the economy, the reforms will enable it to maximise its contribution to economic recovery and growth by focusing more clearly on those activities likely to have the greatest economic impact on economic recovery and increased sustainable economic growth.

While Highlands and Islands Enterprise has had regular dialogue with Scottish Government officials and ministers in the context of Highlands and Islands Enterprise''s operating plan, there have been no specific representations by Highlands and Islands Enterprise to ministers about the impact of reductions in the Highlands and Islands Enterprise budget.

However, I am able to confirm from information provided by these bodies that, at the present time, HIE account manages around 330 businesses and social enterprises and that, in the rest of Scotland, Scottish Enterprise (SE) account manages around 2,130 businesses. These figures are, however, dynamic and only reflect those businesses and social enterprises which, at this particular time, HIE and SE have identified as significant, growth or high growth entities; where HIE or SE intervention is needed and can make a difference and where productive relationships have been established. In HIE''s case, it aims to build a total of around 500 account managed businesses and social enterprises towards which it can target intervention and maximise its impact.

COPLAR provides practical guidance on the discharge of duties imposed on Scottish local authorities and other duty bodies by the act to keep specified land clear of litter and refuse.

COPLAR was published by Scottish ministers in December 2006 following a revision of the litter and fly tipping provisions of the act. COPLAR helps to explain who has a duty to clean public places, what their responsibility is, how individuals can tell if a place is clean, and what to do if you don''t think public places are of an acceptable standard in terms of litter and fly tipping.

Major amendments to the code included a greater focus on beach cleansing standards and guidance on issuing fixed penalty notices. Further information, including an electronic copy of COPLAR is available from http://www.littercode.co.uk/.

This website is operated by the independent environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful.

However that the duty to clean beaches extends only to above the high water mark and litter from ships and marine installations is the responsibility of the UK Government.

In April, KSB once again ran their annual month long National Spring Clean campaign. The 2009 campaign has proven to be a great success, with a record level of almost 58,000 people volunteering to participate in clean-up events across Scotland. Coastal clean-up events proved to be very popular, with 80 such events involving a total of 8,665 volunteers talking place. Overall, enough litter was collected across Scotland to fill almost 29,000 wheelie bins. While many groups already take part in voluntary clean ups organised by KSB during the rest of the year, National Spring Clean provides an opportunity for schools, youth clubs, environmental organisations, voluntary groups, community gatherings and businesses to play an important part in a bigger, coordinated campaign.

KSB, through the two beach award schemes, the Blue Flag and the Seaside Award, also encourages beach managers to provide information about beach litter and its impacts at all award beach information boards to raise public awareness of the problems.

Through the Scottish Bathing Water Litter Grant Scheme we are also tackling the litter problem at bathing waters and their beaches. The grant scheme, administered by KSB on our behalf, aims to encourage communities to carry out clean-ups of beaches close to bathing waters, or to run litter prevention campaigns or support and promote community action with a focus on reducing marine and coastal litter pollution. The 2009-10 grant application deadline is the end of June 2009. Further information is available on the KSB website http://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/.

The Marine (Scotland) Bill includes proposals for a new system of marine planning including new powers to define Scottish marine regions for which a local marine plan should be prepared in consultation with stakeholders. The proposals also include provisions for the co-ordination of plans covering the terrestrial and marine environment. These proposals provide an opportunity for better consideration of beach and marine litter issues where necessary.

Police officers and designated local authority officers have the power to issue fixed penalty notices to those who litter. However, as independent bodies, whether local authorities empower officials to issue notices and whether police forces exercise their powers, is entirely up to them. They are encouraged to do so by the Scottish Government.

The Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (COPLAR) provides practical guidance on the use of the litter enforcement powers contained in the act. COPLAR website, operated by the independent environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB), provides guidance on the issuing of fixed penalty fines. The information can be found at http://www.littercode.org/index.asp?pg=41.

KSB carries out surveys of all award winning beaches each summer for cleanliness in line with the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (COPLAR).

There are four standards of beach cleanliness. These are: cleanliness grade A (no litter or refuse), cleanliness grade B (predominantly free of litter), cleanliness grade C (consistent distribution of litter and refuse) and cleanliness grade D (heavily littered with significant accumulations). Beaches should achieve at least a grade B at all times. When they drop below this standard they must be returned to at least a grade B within a set timescale. Further information about the cleanliness standards and the timescales is available from the COPLAR website operated by KSB www.littercode.org.