- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 13 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether an analysis of the Devanha consortium was completed in 2008.
Answer
Heriot-Watt University and DTZ were commissioned by the Scottish Government to carry out a monitoring and evaluation study of Devanha to run over the three year period of the programme. It draws on evidence collected through the monitoring and evaluation framework developed by the consultants through discussion with Scottish Government and Devanha partners and stakeholders. Key documents guiding the analysis have been the Offer of Grant from Scottish Ministers to Devanha Limited and the Programme Agreement between the Scottish Government and Devanha Limited. The evaluation will likely lead to a final published report, expected to be in 2011.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 12 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in order to inform responses to the consultation, Investing in Affordable Housing: A Consultation, whether it will clarify how it plans to ensure that the proposed lead developers will secure private funding and develop efficient cash flows for developments in cases where their consortia intend to transfer the relevant property units to another registered social landlord.
Answer
In the consultation Investing in Affordable Housing: A Consultation the Government has proposed developing guidance to support associations when setting up consortia and lead developer arrangements. This proposed guidance is intended to address questions such as the raising of private finance and efficient cash flows in cases when one association builds homes that are then owned and managed by another association. The full scope of the proposed guidance, and decisions about the reform proposals as a whole, will be considered by the government in light of the consultation responses.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 12 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in order to inform responses to the consultation, Investing in Affordable Housing: A Consultation, whether it will fully explain the basis on which it is assumed that lead developers will be better equipped than small rural housing associations in terms of identification of land and skills for new developments.
Answer
The consultation
Investing in Affordable Housing: A Consultation sets out the current proposal that; Lead developers will be established good performers and exemplars of good practice in procurement and investment. They will have strong connections and relationships with local authorities and other major stakeholders. Appointment as a lead developer would offer RSLs opportunities for increased control over the planning and management of investment and for developing stronger relations with central and local government, as well as with contractors, developers and other private sector partners. And lead developers will further develop good practice in investment and procurement, acting as beacons for further improvement for the benefit of the sector as a whole.(paragraph 35).
When working with a lead developer there will continue to be an important role for small rural housing associations in terms of identification of land and skills for new developments. The position of associations and their role when working with a Lead Developer should be safeguarded by putting in place a formal agreement. The government has proposed developing guidance to support associations when setting up consortia and lead developer arrangements and putting a formal agreement in place. It is also proposed that associations can continue to develop without working with a lead developer if they satisfy the proposed pre-qualification criteria, which would be another route for small rural associations.
The scope of the proposed guidance, and decisions about the reform proposals as a whole, will be considered by the government in light of the consultation responses.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 11 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that section 50 of the Children Act 1975 has been successfully implemented.
Answer
It is a matter for each local authority to ensure that the discretionary powers available to it under section 50 of the Children Act 1975 are used effectively and in accordance with both its statutory duties and also its local policies and priorities.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 11 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the purpose is of section 50 of the Children Act 1975.
Answer
In addition to other relevant statutory powers and duties of local authorities, Section 50 of the Children Act 1975 provides a discretionary power to a local authority to make financial payments for the maintenance of a child to a person caring for the child. This person cannot be a parent or a foster carer.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 11 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, in order to inform responses to the consultation, Investing in Affordable Housing: A Consultation, how it plans to ensure that the proposed concentration and streamlining of development and procurement under the lead development system would safeguard local expertise that is currently harnessed directly by smaller rural housing associations.
Answer
The government''s current proposals are that associations set up development consortia and that this should be governed by a formal agreement. On page 25 of the consultation paper Investing in Affordable Housing: A Consultation it says; Consortium heads [or Lead Developers] will agree with the other consortium members what the nature of their contribution will be, how relations within the consortium will work and which organisation will eventually pay for, own and manage the new homes. They will also agree how to manage contracting and procurement in order to secure the most value from the process, and how completion and transfer of the new homes to the eventual owners and managers will work. Even when working with a Lead Developer there would still be a continuing role for smaller rural housing associations and the important contribution that their local expertise makes to development and procurement can be recognised and protected. It is also proposed to retain flexibility in funding arrangements and that associations could bid for funding without working with a Lead Developer, if they are pre-qualified. This could be another route through which smaller rural associations could continue to develop. We will look at responses to the consultation on this as well as all other points.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 10 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it plans to help housing associations overcome the situation that arises when the Scottish Government assumes a higher level of rent for the calculation of Housing Association Grant than private funders use when calculating mortgage for the same units, thus leaving a shortfall that leads to restrictions on new developments.
Answer
Scottish Government does not prescribe the actual rents a Registered Social Landlord (RSL) should charge, but for appraisal purposes we assume a benchmark rent in our grant calculation as we have a responsibility to ensure public money is used in the most efficient and effective fashion. This is a national benchmark and it is based on assessed affordability to a household with a single earner on the national minimum wage. Some RSLs choose to charge lower rents than others. Where an RSL chooses to charge actual rents below our benchmark assumption then it could have difficulty in raising the necessary private finance.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 March 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 10 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the value has been of (a) the formula capital allocation and (b) each allocation in real terms for NHS (i) Highland, (ii) Orkney, (iii) Shetland, (iv) Western Isles and (v) Grampian in each year since 2005-06.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20837 on 6 March 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 6 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) initial revenue and (b) capital allocations have been to NHS (i) Highland, (ii) Orkney, (iii) Shetland, (iv) Western Isles and (v) Grampian in each financial year since 2004, also expressed in real terms.
Answer
Details are as follows:
£ Million
| NHS Highland* | NHS Orkney | NHS Shetland | NHS Western Isles | NHS Grampian |
Initial Revenue Allocation | Real Terms | Initial Revenue Allocation | Real Terms | Initial Revenue Allocation | Real Terms | Initial Revenue Allocation | Real Terms | Initial Revenue Allocation | Real Terms |
2004-05 | 239.2 | 270.6 | 22.4 | 25.3 | 26.7 | 30.2 | 42.2 | 47.7 | 481.7 | 545.0 |
2005-06 | 272.1 | 301.7 | 25.1 | 27.8 | 29.8 | 33.0 | 47.1 | 52.2 | 547.9 | 607.4 |
2006-07 | 419.6 | 452.9 | 26.9 | 29.0 | 31.8 | 34.3 | 50.3 | 54.3 | 583.5 | 629.8 |
2007-08 | 445.8 | 467.2 | 28.7 | 30.1 | 33.9 | 36.5 | 53.6 | 56.2 | 627.3 | 657.4 |
2008-09 | 459.6 | 466.5 | 29.7 | 30.1 | 34.9 | 35.4 | 55.2 | 56.0 | 646.3 | 656.0 |
2009-10 | 469.4 | 469.4 | 30.5 | 30.5 | 35.9 | 35.9 | 56.6 | 56.6 | 660.6 | 660.6 |
Note: *From 2006-07 NHS Highland''s allocation includes their increased responsibilities following the dissolution of NHS Argyll and Clyde.
Real Terms Figures are at 2009-10 Prices (£ Million)
| NHS Highland* | NHS Orkney | NHS Shetland | NHS Western Isles | NHS Grampian |
Capital Allocation | Real Terms | Capital Allocation | Real Terms | Capital Allocation | Real Terms | Capital Allocation | Real Terms | Capital Allocation | Real Terms |
2004-05 | 8.4 | 9.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 17.6 | 19.9 |
2005-06 | 9.3 | 10.3 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 19.3 | 21.4 |
2006-07 | 15.5 | 16.7 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 23.2 | 25.0 |
2007-08 | 18.5 | 19.4 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 2.0 | 2.1 | 27.8 | 29.1 |
2008-09 | 18.6 | 18.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 29.3 | 297 |
2009-10 | 18.9 | 18.9 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 29.8 | 29.8 |
Notes:
*From 2006-07 NHS Highland''s allocation includes their increased responsibilities following the dissolution of NHS Argyll and Clyde.
Real Terms figures are at 2009-10 prices.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 4 March 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what capital charge is levied on the budget of Forestry Commission Scotland per hectare of forest land.
Answer
Capital charges are not levied on a hectarage basis, but on the value of assets shown on a department''s balance sheet. The charge is 3.5% of the average value over an accounting period. Capital charges for the national forest estate amounted to £23.4 million in 2007-08 and since the estate covers some 665,000 hectares we can calculate that the average cost per hectare was £35.