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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S1W-11880

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 08 December 2000
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 8 February 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are used to define prisoners as having mental health problems.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

Unlike mental disorder or illness where medical diagnostic categories may be applied, there are no established criteria for determining mental health problems of prisoners.Establishments operate multidisciplinary mental health teams, including medical and nursing psychologist, social work and other staff. Inpatient beds are provided in three hub establishments (Barlinnie, Perth and Polmont).

Question reference: S1W-12834

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 8 February 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11310 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 30 November 2000, whether any local authorities have to date made applications for funding for flood prevention schemes in future years and, if so, whether it will provide details of each proposed scheme and specify the amount of funding (a) sought and (b) awarded in each case.

The non-housing programme capital allocation to local authorities provides resources for various capital work projects, including flood prevention schemes.

In addition, subject to completing the statutory process under the Flood Prevention (Scotland) Act 1961, supplementary allocation may be available for the construction of major flood prevention schemes (FPS). Recently, flood prevention schemes have been confirmed for Bridge of Earn, Moredun, Paisley, River Kelvin, Collier Street, Johnston and Weem Village.

Following requests by councils, supplementary allocations have been provided recently to:

Perth and Kinross Council for Bridge of Earn FPS (£0.75 million)

Renfrewshire Council for Moredun, Paisley FPS (£1 million); and

East Dunbartonshire Council for the River Kelvin FPS (£8 million).

The amounts provided fully met the councils' requests.A further request from Renfrewshire Council for a supplementary allocation of £1 million for the Collier Street, Johnston FPS has just been received and is being considered.

Question reference: S1W-12835

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 8 February 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding was allocated to flood protection schemes in (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99 and (c) 1999-2000 and which applicants received funding in each of these years, specifying the amount awarded to each project in each year.

The single allocation which local authorities receive in support of their non-housing capital programme includes provision for, among other things, expenditure on flood prevention. Separately, following flooding in recent years, resources for this programme have been enhanced to cater for major flood prevention schemes. In response to requests from councils who had experienced severe flooding in their areas, additional funding was issued to councils to support the development of flood prevention measures as shown in the table:

1997-98	Renfrewshire Council	£1.0 million
1998-99	Moray Council	£0.4 million
	East Dunbartonshire Council	£0.3 million
	Renfrewshire Council	£0.3 million
	East Ayrshire Council	£1.2 million
1999-2000	Renfrewshire Council	£1.0 million

In addition, awards from the former Central Challenge Fund were made to East Ayrshire Council for flood prevention measures in Kilmarnock and to Perth and Kinross Council for construction of the Perth Flood Prevention Scheme:

1997-98	East Ayrshire Council	£1.47 million
	Perth and Kinross Council	£1.82 million
1998-99	East Ayrshire Council	£0.41 million
	Perth and Kinross Council	£4.4 million
1999-2000	Perth and Kinross Council	£7.1 million

Question reference: S1W-12468

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 8 February 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been made available to the textile industry in the Borders since 6 June 2000.

Companies are supported by a very wide variety of programmes from the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Enterprise Networks and other public sector bodies. Scottish Enterprise Borders received an additional £2.3 million in the current year to help meet the challenges the area is facing, the third year of increased funding. The LEC estimates that this has helped it to provide some £700,000 to textile companies in the Borders since 6 June 2000. In addition, a Faraday award of £1.2 million has been awarded by the DTI to the Technitex project, a collaborative project across the UK led by Heriot Watt at Galashiels. The total value of support is dependent on the extent to which companies and other bodies involved in the industry come forward with eligible projects and proposals.

Question reference: S1W-12235

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 6 February 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Her Majesty's Government to seek a change in the rules for Crisis Loans so that an applicant need not apply in person in remote areas of Scotland.

Question reference: S1W-09539

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 September 2000
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 31 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive further to the answer to question S1W-4682 by Iain Gray on 25 April 2000, what plans it has to (a) collate information about local authority funding for the training of (i) lip readers and (ii) teachers of lip reading and (b) provide for the funding of such training in the future.

Iain Gray's response on 25 April 2000 to Mr Duncan Hamilton informed him that no funding would be available from the Scottish Executive in the years 1999-2000 and 2000-01 to train (a) lip readers and (b) teachers of lipreading. The Scottish Executive did not know what funding was available for this purpose from local authorities or health boards as this information is not collected.Officials have now met with the Scottish Course to Train Tutors in Lipreading based at Donaldson's College, Edinburgh to explore the possibility of funding. Section 9 Grant under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 has now been awarded. This pump priming grant will provide a basis to extend local services and develop the links between Audiology Clinics and Further and Adult Education Provision.

Question reference: S1W-12429

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 26 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11306 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 30 November 2000, how many households it is estimated will be eligible under the relief scheme for water and sewerage charges for those on low incomes in each of the next three years and what the estimated administration costs are of the scheme.

The number of households that will qualify for assistance under the proposed scheme will depend on the charges levied by each of the water authorities in the coming year and the level at which any cap is set. As the charge levels have yet to be set and proposals for the scheme are still out to consultation it is not presently possible to identify the actual number of households that will qualify. It is however anticipated that at least 100,000 households throughout Scotland will receive assistance under the proposed scheme.With regard to the administration costs of the scheme my officials are presently discussing the implications for the billing process with local authorities. It is anticipated that suitable software adjustments can be made to the existing systems that will significantly reduce the requirement for on going administrative costs. This is however subject to any adjustments resulting from the consultation process. For this reason an estimate of the administrative costs is not available at this time.

Question reference: S1W-12428

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11248 by Malcolm Chisholm on 29 November 2000, whether it will give a breakdown by local authority of the distribution of the #10 million earmarked to support carers.

The £10 million allocated to local authorities in 2000-01 under the Strategy for Carers in Scotland for services to support carers was distributed as follows:

Local Authority	(£000)
Aberdeen	411
Aberdeenshire	378
Angus	233
Argyll & Bute	204
Clackmannanshire	97
Dumfries & Galloway	301
Dundee City	326
East Ayrshire	244
East Dunbartonshire	166
East Lothian	177
East Renfrewshire	146
Edinburgh, City of	887
Eilean Siar	70
Falkirk	270
Fife	699
Glasgow City	1355
Highland	387
Inverclyde	181
Midlothian	134
Moray	155
North Ayrshire	283
North Lanarkshire	611
Orkney Islands	38
Perth & Kinross	274
Renfrewshire	322
Scottish Borders	237
Shetland Islands	40
South Ayrshire	244
South Lanarkshire	546
Stirling	161
West Dunbartonshire	183
West Lothian	242

Question reference: S1W-12432

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 26 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what statistics are available on the level of personal debt and whether any are available (a) on a geographical basis, (b) broken down by household income and (c) showing the increases or decreases in levels of personal debt under (a) and (b) in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S1W-12431

Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 January 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 26 January 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11588 by Jackie Baillie on 29 November 2000, whether it will give a detailed breakdown of the allocation of the #10 million for refuge development; what criteria will be used in allocating funding, and whether there is any ceiling on the amount available for existing refuges.