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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

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Question reference: S1W-34043

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 25 February 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money additional to the grant aided expenditure settlement, for example through the Better Neighbourhood Services Fund and other such initiatives, it has awarded to (a) Argyll and Bute Council and (b) West Dunbartonshire Council in each year since 1997.

Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire Council have benefited from additional resources for a range of specific initiatives. The following tables give details of some of the largest additional funds that have been allocated to the councils outwith the main revenue settlement since 1997.

Argyll and Bute (£ million)	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04
Housing Revenue Account Allocations	1.582	1.607	1.607	1.607	1.607	1.607
Criminal Justice Social Work Services	0.347	0.354	0.395	0.408	0.516	0.510
Pre-School Education Grant¹	1.221	2.094	2.3740.074	2.6330.105	0.125
Better Neighbourhood Services Fund					0.600	0.900	1.200
Strategic Waste Fund				0.080	1.100	1.810

West Dunbartonshire (£ million)	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04
Housing Revenue Account Allocations	5.569	5.657	5.657	5.657	5.657	5.657
Criminal Justice Social Work Services	0.668	0.714	0.779	0.884	0.992	1.037
Pre-School Education Grant¹	1.074	2.248	2.3410.044	1.6820.123	0.151
Better Neighbourhood Services Fund					2.000	3.000	4.000
Strategic Waste Fund				0.046		0.138

Note:From 2002-03, Pre-School Education Grant is paid through general revenue grant.

Question reference: S1W-34041

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 25 February 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what the grant aided expenditure settlement has been for (a) Argyll and Bute Council and (b) West Dunbartonshire Council in each year since 1997 showing the percentage change year on year.

The general revenue grant settlement allocations, with percentage increases, for Argyll and Bute Council are:

	£ Million	%
1997-98	108.035	-1.83%*
1998-99	107.728	-0.28%*
1999-2000	110.884	2.93%
2000-01	113.524	2.38%
2001-02	121.880	7.36%
2002-03	136.675	12.14%
2003-04	149.062	9.06%
2004-05	158.074	6.05%
2005-06	163.427	3.39%

The general revenue grant settlement allocations, with percentage increases, for West Dunbartonshire Council are:

	£ Million	%
1997-98	106.067	-7.68%*
1998-99	105.610	-0.43%*
1999-2000	110.152	4.30%
2000-01	112.855	2.45%
2001-02	123.778	9.68%
2002-03	135.502	9.47%
2003-04	146.596	8.19%
2004-05	152.456	4.00%
2005-06	158.714	4.10%

Note:*The allocations for 1997-98 and 1998-99 reflect transfers of responsibility out of general grant (e.g. for funding the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority) and the phasing out of transitional arrangements following local government reorganisation.

Question reference: S1W-34035

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2003
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 25 February 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the (a) Dumbarton parliamentary constituency and (b) West Dunbartonshire local authority area are eligible for free local off-peak bus travel.

Two distinct groups are eligible for concessionary travel in Scotland - elderly people and disabled people. Data on the number of disabled people eligible for concessionary travel is not held centrally.All men and women aged 60 and over will be eligible for concessionary travel from 1 April 2003 when men aged 60 to 64 are added to those currently eligible. The 2001 census results show a total of 12,845 men and women aged 60 and over in the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency and 19,353 in the West Dunbartonshire local authority area.

Question reference: S1W-34036

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2003
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 25 February 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how much Strathclyde Passenger Transport has been allocated to enable free local off-peak bus travel in its area.

Question reference: S1W-34042

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 February 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 25 February 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what the capital consent has been for (a) Argyll and Bute Council and (b) West Dunbartonshire Council in each year since 1997.

In each year since 1997, Argyll and Bute Council and West Dunbartonshire Council have been issued capital consents for non-housing capital expenditure from borrowing and grants as follows:Argyll and Bute

	£ Million
1997-98	14.962
1998-99	11.521
1999-2000	10.693
2000-01	10.936
2001-02	12.463
2002-03	16.564

West Dunbartonshire

	£ Million
1997-98	4.141
1998-99	5.773
1999-2000	6.650
2000-01	6.439
2001-02	6.213
2002-03	7.587

Outwith the local government settlement, Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire receive allocations of around £1.6 million and £5.7 million respectively each year for housing capital expenditure.

Question reference: S1W-34138

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 February 2003
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 25 February 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) Argyll and Bute council area have received education maintenance allowances in each year since 2001.

Education maintenance allowances (EMAs) were first piloted in West Dunbartonshire from the start of academic year 2001-02. Five hundred and twenty-six West Dunbartonshire young people received EMAs during 2001-02 and in year 2002-03 there are currently 680 being paid EMA.EMAs are not available to young people in Argyll and Bute unless they attend a secondary school in West Dunbartonshire. In 2001-02, five Argyll and Bute young people received EMAs and in 2002-03 there are 10.

Question reference: S1W-33875

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 February 2003
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 25 February 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the #24 million childcare package was allocated to (a) Argyll and Bute Council and (b) West Dunbartonshire Council and how the money was distributed.

In July 2001, £24 million additional resources for child care were allocated through the child poverty package over 2001-04. The money was allocated as follows: £8.5 million was made available for child care grants for lone parents in full-time higher education to pay for child care. This grant is administered through the Students Awards Agency for Scotland. Figures for the 2001-02 allocation are not available, as payments were manual and not automated. The number of students receiving the £1,000 grant in 2002-03 is as follows:Argyll and Bute Council - 13West Dunbartonshire Council - 30£7.5 million was made available to further education colleges throughout Scotland to widen child care provision, based on locally identified needs. Responsibility for administering this money lies with the Scottish Further Education Funding Council. Information on awards made by this body is not held centrally. £8 million was made available to local authorities to help stabilise and sustain out-of-school care projects, especially in disadvantaged areas. The money was allocated over a three-year period as £2 million in 2001-02, £3 million in 2002-03 and £3 million in 2003-04. Of this, Argyll and Bute council was allocated £31,400 in 2001-02 and £47,500 in 2002-03 and 2003-04. West Dunbartonshire Council was allocated £22,800 in 2001-02 and £34,100 in 2002-03 and 2003-04.Allocation of this money within each local authority area is a matter for the individual council as they have responsibility for the allocation of funds at a local level. The information requested is not held centrally.

Question reference: S1W-33985

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2003
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 24 February 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a strategy for promoting businesses run by women.

Within the framework of A Smart, Successful Scotland, the Executive is strongly committed to encouraging and supporting women in business. A range of new measures was introduced by Scottish Enterprise under its New Approach to Entrepreneurship strategy, launched last year. At a strategic level this includes specific targets for the number of start-ups by women supported by the network, together with practical promotional activity, for example the Executive and Scottish Enterprise jointly funding a brochure promoting successful women entrepreneurs last year.

Question reference: S1W-33982

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2003
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 24 February 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27797 by Iain Gray on 19 August 2002, when it will publish the feasibility study undertaken by Paisley Enterprise Research Centre on establishing a National Centre for Women's Enterprise.

Question reference: S1W-33983

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 February 2003
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 24 February 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27798 by Iain Gray on 19 August 2002, whether it will establish a national centre for women's enterprise to promote new businesses run by women and disseminate best practice.