- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were waiting for a first appointment at a sleep centre in each year since 1999, broken down by sleep centre.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 15 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what average time was taken in each year since 2000 to complete special educational needs assessments in the Scottish Borders compared with the national average.
Answer
The information requested isnot collected by the Scottish Executive. Audit Scotland, however, publishes detailsof a range of performance indicators in relation to local authority services, includingthe average number of weeks taken to complete statutory special educational needsassessments for Records of Needs.
More information on these indicatorsis available at:
http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/pi2002/documents/pamphlets/03pi04ac.pdfhttp://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/performance/documents/2005report/servicespdf/EChS.pdf.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 15 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of primary schools in the Scottish Borders were over-occupied in each year since 2000.
Answer
Audit Scotland haspublished, annually, a set of performance indicators for education which includethe percentage of each authority’s primary schools with an occupancy level of 101%or more.
Copies of the Audit Scotlandperformance indicators publications are available in the Scottish ParliamentInformation Centre as follows:
| 1999-2000 | Bib. number 11197 |
| 2000-01 | Bib. number 18781 |
| 2001-02 | Bib. number 26239 |
| 2002-03 | Bib. number 30712 |
| 2003-04 | Bib. number 35203 |
and on the Audit Scotland websiteat www.audit-scotland.gov.uk.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 15 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what contingency plans it has in place for the Parliament to meet in the event of temporary closure of the Holyrood site.
Answer
I refer the Member to myletter to all MSPs of 11 May 2006. A copy of the letter is available at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/nmCentre/news/news-06/pa06-046.htm.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 12 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to monitor any impact on bus service levels arising as a consequence of local authority obligations to fund the national concessionary fare scheme.
Answer
There are no consequences onlocal authorities to fund the Scotland-wide Free Bus Scheme for Older and DisabledPeople as it is funded by the Scottish Executive through Transport Scotland. Whenthe Scheme was being set up, a fair split of resources was agreed with the Conventionof Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) which ensured that the funding available tolocal authorities to support bus services was protected. Nevertheless, we will ofcourse continue to monitor the provision in respect of bus services over time.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 12 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that local authorities may cut bus services to fund the national concessionary fare scheme.
Answer
The Scotland-wide Free BusScheme for Older and Disabled People is being run by Transport Scotlandusing resources withdrawn from the local government finance settlement whichwere previously used for funding the free local off-peak bus schemes andadditional resources allocated centrally. The resources withdrawn from the settlement are the subject of an agreement withCOSLA which ensures that local authorities continue to be resourced forconcessionary travel on modes other than bus and that resources used forsupported bus services are protected. Accordingly,there is no need or justification for local authorities to cut bus services tohelp fund the scheme.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 11 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities require drivers in circumstances other than transporting children to and from school to undergo enhanced Disclosure Scotland checks and what these circumstances are.
Answer
This is a matter for thelocal authorities. The information requested is not available centrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 10 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what progress has been made in respect of a Scottish food fortnight in the Members¿ Restaurant.
Answer
I acknowledge Ms Grahame’sinterest in this matter. She will be pleased to learn that we are arranging aScottish food fortnight in the Members’ Restaurant starting on the 4 ofSeptember to coincide with Scottish Food Fortnight campaign for 2006 and weintend to advertise this to members in early June.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many charitable organisations which have rented or owned premises since 1999 are liable for full payment of water rates and what criteria are applied to exemptions for such premises.
Answer
Scottish Water does not categoriseits non-domestic customers by reference to the nature of their business or to theirstatus in the eyes of HM Customs and Revenue. The information sought therefore isnot held by either the Scottish Executive or Scottish Water.
The Regulations which establishedthe water and sewerage charges exemption scheme (the Water and Sewerage Charges(Exemption) (Scotland) Regulations 2002) specify the criteria that ScottishWater must apply in administering the scheme. A copy of the Regulations is availablein the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 20440).
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to revise the exemption scheme for water and sewerage services to premises operated by charitable and voluntary organisations to reduce their financial burden.
Answer
The water and sewerage chargesexemption scheme was established originally for four years with effect from 1 April 2002 to assistthose organisations that had previously been in receipt of relief and which werelikely to be most affected by its withdrawal. The statutory criteria for qualifyingfor exemption were set with that objective in mind. The Executive extended the scheme from 2006-10, to allowmore time for those organisations to prepare to pay for the services that they consume.The Executive has no plans to revise thescheme.
