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Background

This is the fifth edition of 'Rural Scotland Key Facts' - a publication intended to be an easily accessible reference for statistics on rural Scotland. This 2008 version updates statistics from the fourth edition where new statistics have become available. Some new items have also been introduced.

For hard copies of this publication or for further information on any of the tables/figures presented, please contact the Analytical Services Division of the Scottish Government Rural and Environment Research and Analysis Directorate. Telephone 0131 244 6143.

This is a National Statistics publication.

It has been produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice and Release Practice Protocol. www.statistics.gov.uk/about_ns/cop/default.asp.

Details of pre-release access is provided on the Scottish Government Statistics website at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/topics/statistics/search/forthcoming.

Complaints and suggestions

If you are not satisfied with our service, please write to:

Tel: (0131) 244 0302
Email: rob.wishart@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

Sources

For tables/charts referencing the General Register Office for Scotland, figures are derived from a number of sources including the Census and Registered Births and Deaths. Further information is available at http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/index.html.

For tables/charts sourced from the Scottish Household Survey, the unweighted base numbers for households population are 1,337 for remote rural, 1,622 for accessible rural, and 10,455 for the rest of Scotland. There are occasional variations in base sizes for individual tables/figures. Further detail on the base numbers is available in 'Scotland's People: Results from 2007 Scottish Household Survey'. The sample sizes are smallest for remote rural areas so there are larger confidence intervals associated with the statistics for this area than for the rest of Scotland figures. Further information is available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/16002.

For tables/charts sourced from the Scottish House Condition Survey, the unweighted base sample numbers for dwellings are 310 for remote rural, 407 for accessible rural, and 2,430 for the rest of Scotland. Further details available in 'Scottish House Condition Survey: Key Findings for 2005/6' at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/12/07131524/0. The Scottish House Condition Survey is not a National Statistics source.

Statistics sourced from Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics (including the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation) are based on data zones - the small area statistical geography in Scotland. Further information on Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics is available from www.sns.gov.uk. More information regarding the SPRI can be found at http://www.sepa.org.uk/spri/index.htm. The SPRI and hospital admissions come from sources that are not National Statistics.

Statistics sourced from the Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey are based on the 2007 survey that included 3,830 sites. Further information is available from http://cci.scot.nhs.uk/Publications/2008/01/24150145/0.

The SQA Attainment and School Leaver Qualifications in Scotland 2006/07 is based on figures drawn together from the various sources including the pupil census and are the best that the schools are able to provide at that time. Further information is available from http://openscotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/03/14134538/0.

The Destination of Leavers from Scottish Schools 2006/07 uses figures but together by a number of sources such as the Pupil Census and Careers Scotland. Further information can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/12/07093501/0.

For charts sourced from the Inter Departmental Business Register, this register is maintained by ONS and is a database of all registered enterprises operating in the UK, i.e. enterprises that are registered for VAT and/or PAYE. It covers 99% of economic activity in the UK. Those excluded are small sole traders or partnerships with no employees and an annual turnover of less than the VAT threshold (£61,000 at March 2007). Figures from IDBR relate to 2007. The analysis used to produce the charts in this edition extends to include the public sector, to incorporate a more accurate classification of firms and to correct a previous error in methodology.

The Annual Small Business Survey is a survey of small and medium-sized enterprises (0 to 249 employees). A total of 9,905 small and medium-sized Enterprises were interviewed, of which 1,014 were located in Scotland. The figures represented here are restricted to businesses with more than zero employees. Further information is available from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/05/22155951/0. Figures from the Annual Survey of Small Business relate to 2006. The Annual Small Business Survey is not a National Statistics source.

For statistics sourced from the Annual Population Survey in Scotland, this data includes the boost to the Labour Force Survey sample in Scotland resulting in a sample of approximately 23,000 households. The Annual Population Survey data follows on from the Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey data. Further information is available from http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/25095306/0. Figures from this survey relate to 2007.

Information relating to the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings ( ASHE) is available from http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=13101&Pos=2&ColRank=1&Rank=160. ASHE is a UK wide survey that was developed to replace the New Earnings Survey in 2004. Figures from this survey relate to 2007.

Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification

Further information on The Scottish Executive Urban Rural Classification 2007-2008 is available on the Scottish Government website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/07/29152642.

The Scottish Government Urban Rural Classification 2007-2008 updates the Scottish Executive Urban Rural Classification 2005-2006 with the latest available population settlement and drive time estimates. The classification is updated every two years although the definitions of urban and rural areas underlying the classification are unchanged. Two main criteria have been used to produce the Scottish Government urban rural classification: settlement size as defined by the General Register Office for Scotland ( GROS) and accessibility based on drive time analysis to differentiate between accessible and remote areas in Scotland. The changes between the 2005-2006 and the 2007-2008 classifications stem from settlements whose population fluctuates around the 10,000 and 3,000 marks as these are the population thresholds used to distinguish between urban and rural areas. Further information on this is available from the above publication.

Where possible, it is appropriate to use the classification that relates to the year it is being applied to. Further information on the Scottish Executive urban rural classification 2003-2004 and 2005-2006 is available on the Scottish Government website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/06/19498/38784 and http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/07/31114822/0 respectively.

With the exception of data sourced from Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics, all data used have been assigned an Scottish Government urban rural classification based on unit post codes. For statistics based on Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics, data zones are classified into the Scottish Government urban rural classification using 'best fit' methods. Further information on this is available from the publication on 2007-2008 urban rural classification.

Edited by Elspeth MacKay and Paul Teasdale.

Comments on the format and contents of this booklet would be most welcome.

Please contact:

Tel: 0131 244 6143
Fax: 0131 244 6140
Email: Elspeth.MacKay@scotland.gsi.gov.uk

We welcome any comments or suggestions that would help us to improve our standards of service.

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