- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will mitigate the effect of the lower budgetary growth anticipated in future spending settlements.
Answer
The government willexercise financial discipline and deliver a programme of efficiency and reform toaddress the effects of the lower Budgetary growth that is anticipated in futurefunding settlements received from the UK Government.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will meet its commitment to freeze council tax in the next financial year.
Answer
The government’s commitmentto freeze council tax levels at 2007-08 levels will be taken forward as part of the Spending Review. The outcome of the Spending Review will be announced laterthis year. Discussions with local government are on-going as to how best the counciltax freeze can be achieved.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the fourth annual report of the Homelessness Monitoring Group on the implementation of the Homelessness Task Force report.
Answer
I refer the memberto answer to question S3W-1134 on 26 June 2007. Following consideration of the material referred to,conclusions will be published.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.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will proceed with the rebuilding of the Dumbarton and Vale of Leven academies under the previously agreed PPP scheme.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-2573 on 14 August 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that freezing the current council tax levels for all local authorities will enable them to exercise their responsibilities adequately in line with projected inflation.
Answer
I am currently havingvery constructive discussions with local government about a package of measuresto enable local authorities to maintain and improve the frontline public servicesthey deliver and to deliver a freeze in council tax levels.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made against each of the 59 recommendations in the Homelessness Task Force report.
Answer
The last progressreport on implementation of the recommendations of the Homelessness Task Force isavailable on the Scottish Government website at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Housing/homeless/H-M-G/HMG23HTFandHMGprioritiesand http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Housing/homeless/H-M-G/HMG23HTFandHMGprioritiesa.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it intends to take to reduce smoking-attributable mortality in all ages and genders in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area, in light of it having the highest such mortality rate of any NHS board area.
Answer
The Scottish Government is makingsubstantial levels of specific funding available to Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHSBoard for the provision of smoking cessation services and related tobacco controlactivity to reduce the incidence of smoking related morbidity and mortality in thearea. In 2007-08, the Board’s allocation is £2,569,000 including £800,000 for thetobacco control element of the Keep Well initiatives in East and North Glasgow.
Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHSBoard is strongly committed to reducing smoking prevalence within the area and havehad a comprehensive tobacco control strategy in place for a number of years. Thesubstantial increases in the funding made available by the Scottish government overthe last three years, has enabled the board to considerably expand these tobaccocontrol activities. As a result, a comprehensive, integrated, smoking cessationservice has been established across the board area and a range of other tobaccocontrol measures, such as prevention and education, are being pursued. Theboard is also currently reviewing the overarching tobacco control strategy in lightof recent developments, including structural changes, to ensure that the contributionof all relevant health improvement partners within local Community Health Partnershipsis harnessed effectively to reduce smoking-related harm within the area.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will improve the profile of spending on social housing.
Answer
The Scottish Government'sspending plans for the period 2008-11, which will enable us to fulfil ourpurpose and achieve our strategic objectives, will be announced in late autumn,when the strategic spending review is concluded.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will protect the right-to-buy for tenants who already have this right.
Answer
We recognise theimportance of protecting the existing rights of tenants to buy their homes butalso wish to ensure that the Right to Buy is responsive to local needs. Weintend to examine how to achieve a comfortable balance between theopportunities for homeownership and the pressure that exists in some localitieson affordable housing.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to withdraw the graduate endowment paid by students from Northern Ireland studying at Scottish universities.
Answer
Only Scottishdomiciled and non-UK EU students studying in Scotland are liable for the graduate endowment fee. It has never applied tostudents from England, Wales or Northern Ireland studying in Scotland.
