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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: S4W-13771

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many and what percentage of 16 to 64-year-olds have been employed in each local authority area in each of the last four years, also broken down by (a) gender and (b) qualification level.

The Annual Population Survey (APS) provides the official source for local labour market information. The information requested is available from the Local Area Labour Markets in Scotland: Statistics from the Annual Population Survey 2011 publication:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/07/9077/0

Estimates of employment by local authority and gender are provided within Tables 1.2 and 1.3 of the Local Authority Tables:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Labour-Market/Local-Authority-Tables

Employment rates by highest qualification and local authority are provided in Table S3.3 within the Supplementary Local Authority Tables:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Labour-Market/Publications/Supplementary-LA-Tables

Estimates for 2012 are scheduled for publication on 8 May 2013.

Question reference: S4W-13786

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many and what percentage of properties there are in each council tax band.

The total number of dwellings on the council tax valuation list on 3 September 2012:

Council tax band	Number of dwellings	% of total dwellings in each council tax band
Band A	550,385	22%
Band B	593,848	24%
Band C	403,321	16%
Band D	326,523	13%
Band E	329,319	13%
Band F	182,560	7%
Band G	116,298	5%
Band H	12,788	1%
Total Dwellings	2,515,042	100%

Source: As reported by local authorities on statistical return (CTAXBASE) 2012

Note: Includes dwellings exempt from council tax

The data in the above table includes dwellings exempt from council tax. Data on the number of chargeable dwellings (total dwellings less dwellings exempt from council tax) by council tax band are published in the Scottish Local Government Finance Statistics annual publication (table 2.5).

Question reference: S4W-13257

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2013
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 26 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether the commitment made by the Scottish Executive Rural Affairs Department in 1999 to "take account of the local community perspective when considering offers for sporting rights on the Scottish Ministers' Estates" is still in force.

It is standard practice for the principles behind the Estate’s Charter to be taken into account, when managing the Scottish Ministers’ estate, alongside other Scottish Government policies and the requirements of the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

In light of the concerns expressed by the community on Raasay, I have instructed officials that any future cases where a community faces a potential loss of historic sporting rights will be referred to Ministers, taking into account the requirements of the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

Question reference: S4W-13643

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 25 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on whether local authority care homes should not be closed for financial reasons alone.

Question reference: S4W-13642

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 25 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what procedures must be followed by a local authority proposing to close a care home.

We would expect local authorities to follow national guidance, Good Practice Guidance on the Closure of a Care Home, which the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities issued on managing care home closures. This guidance was developed by the National Contingency Planning Group for Adult Care and includes protocols for the handling of care and support to individual residents and their carers throughout the process.

Question reference: S4W-13644

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 25 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that older residents in care homes are not moved into poorer-quality accommodation if the home is closed.

The local authority has a duty to act in the best interests of the care home residents by ensuring that their care needs continue to be met in an appropriate setting.

Across Scotland, local authorities commission the majority of care places from the independent sector and in conjunction with the Care Inspectorate work closely with providers to improve the quality of care standards in all homes, local authority or independent.

Question reference: S4W-13645

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 25 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on Argyll and Bute Council's proposal to close the Struan Lodge care home in Dunoon and whether it considers that there should be a temporary suspension on admissions to the home until its future is confirmed.

Question reference: S4W-13646

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 25 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the mortality rate of older people who are moved from one care home to another and whether it considers that local authorities should take account of this before moving residents.

Question reference: S4W-13605

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 21 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the condition rating was for each school in the (a) Moray and (b) Argyll and Bute Council area in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2012.

This information is published on the Scottish Government website as supplementary data to the Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland publication.

Data for 2012 is available in table 9 of the following link:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/schoolestatestats/schestate2012

Data for 2011 is available in table 9 of the following link:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/schestate2011.

Question reference: S4O-01965

Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to directly promote, sustain and develop the unique culture of the Highlands and Islands.