- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 6 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executivewhen it intends to publish the report on the evaluation of the Rural Voices programme which funded action research projects in rural communities and whether it will consider reviving Rural Voices as part of the new Scottish Rural Development Programme.
Answer
Thegovernment is committed to abolishing the unfair council tax as part of our agendato create a wealthier and fairer Scotland. It is my intention to consult on our proposals before the endof this calendar year, and to introduce legislation to abolish the council tax and replaceit with a fairer tax based on ability to pay in the 2008-09 parliamentary session.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest position is in respect of council housing stock transfer.
Answer
As I announced inthe Housing Debate on 21 June 2007, the ScottishGovernment will consult in the autumn on its proposals for social housing. Thiswill include the role that council housing stock transfer might play indeveloping a social rented sector that is affordable and is focussed on meetingthe requirements of existing tenants and those in housing need.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 24 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged (a) under 18 and (b) 18 or over have been convicted of carrying knives or possessing an offensive weapon in Moray in each of the last five years.
Answer
The available information onpersons with a charge proved in court is given in the following tables.
Persons Aged Under 18 in MorayLocal Authority Area1 with a Charge Proved in Court for CarryingKnives or Possessing an Offensive Weapon2, 2001-02 to 2005-06
| Year | Having in a public place an article with a blade or point | Possession of an offensive weapon | Total |
| 2001-02 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| 2002-03 | - | - | - |
| 2003-04 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 2004-05 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2005-06 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
Notes:
1. MorayDistrict Court and Elgin Sheriff Court.
2. Wheremain offence.
Persons Aged 18 and over in MorayLocal Authority Area with a Charge Proved in Court for Carrying Knives orPossessing an Offensive Weapon1, 2001-02 To 2005-06
| Year | Having in a public place an article with a blade or point | Possession of an offensive weapon | Total |
| 2001-02 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| 2002-03 | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| 2003-04 | 6 | 9 | 15 |
| 2004-05 | 7 | 15 | 22 |
| 2005-06 | 7 | 16 | 23 |
Notes:
1. MorayDistrict Court and Elgin Sheriff Court.
2. Wheremain offence.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 24 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged (a) under 18 and (b) 18 or over have been convicted of carrying knives or possessing an offensive weapon in the Northern Constabulary area in each of the last five years, broken down by local area command.
Answer
The available information onpersons with a charge proved in court is given in the following tables.
Persons Aged Under 18 in theNorthern Police Force Area with a Charge Proved in Court for Carrying Knives orPossessing an Offensive Weapon1, 2001-02 To 2005-06
| Year | Having in a public place an article with a blade or point | Possession of an offensive weapon | Total |
| 2001-02 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2002-03 | 6 | 2 | 8 |
| 2003-04 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2004-05 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2005-06 | 7 | 1 | 8 |
Note: 1.Where main offence.
Persons Aged 18 and Over inThe Northern Police Force Area with a Charge Proved in Court for CarryingKnives or Possessing an Offensive Weapon1, 2001-02 to 2005-06
| Year | Having in a public place an article with a blade or point | Possession of an offensive weapon | Total |
| 2001-02 | 15 | 25 | 40 |
| 2002-03 | 22 | 23 | 45 |
| 2003-04 | 26 | 18 | 44 |
| 2004-05 | 20 | 33 | 53 |
| 2005-06 | 28 | 16 | 44 |
Note: 1.Where main offence.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 06 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 19 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of the number of people earning the national minimum wage or below in the (a) Orkney Islands, (b) Shetland Islands, (c) Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, (d) Ross, Skye and Inverness West, (e) Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, (f) Argyll and Bute, (g) Western Isles and (h) Moray parliamentary constituencies.
Answer
The preferred source for earningsestimates is the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), which is carried outby the Office for National Statistics.
The following table shows theestimated number of employees earning the National Minimum Wage (NMW) or below inthe Orkney and Shetland Islands; Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross; Ross, Skye and InvernessWest; Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber; Argyll and Bute; WesternIsles, and Moray parliamentary constituencies in 2006 (latest data).
It is not possible to provideindividual estimates for the Orkney Islands and Shetland Islands using ASHE data.
Table 1: Number of people earningthe minimum wage or below in selected parliamentary constituencies, 2006
| | 2006 |
| Orkney and Shetland Islands | 400 |
| Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | 1,800 |
| Ross, Skye and Inverness West | 2,500 |
| Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber | 2,900 |
| Argyll and Bute | 1,100 |
| Western Isles | 800 |
| Moray | 2,200 |
Source: Annual Survey of Hoursand Earnings, Office for National Statistics.
Notes:
1. The estimates are based onthe hourly pay excluding overtime and shift premium payments.
2. The estimates are based on a samplesurvey, and as such, are subject to sampling error.
3. The estimates are based onplace of residence.
4. Parliamentary constituenciesbased on 2005 revision.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 05 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 17 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged (a) under 18 and (b) 18 or over have been convicted of carrying knives or possessing an offensive weapon in Argyll and Bute in each of the last five years.
Answer
The available information onpersons with a charge proved in court is given in the following tables.
Persons Aged Under 18 in Argylland Bute Local Authority Area1 with a Charge Proved in Court forCarrying Knives or Possessing an Offensive Weapon2, 2001-02 to 2005-06
| Year | Having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point | Possession of an Offensive Weapon | Total |
| 2001-02 | 1 | - | 1 |
| 2002-03 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 2003-04 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2004-05 | 1 | - | 1 |
| 2005-06 | - | - | - |
Notes:
1. Argyll and Bute DistrictCourt and Campbeltown, Dunoon, Oban and Rothesay Sheriff Courts.
2. Where main offence.
Persons Aged 18 and Over in Argylland Bute Local Authority Area with a Charge Proved in Court for Carrying Knives orPossessing an Offensive Weapon1, 2001-02 to 2005-06
| Year | Having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point | Possession of an Offensive Weapon | Total |
| 2001-02 | 14 | 2 | 16 |
| 2002-03 | 5 | 6 | 11 |
| 2003-04 | 10 | 11 | 21 |
| 2004-05 | 9 | 9 | 18 |
| 2005-06 | 8 | 4 | 12 |
Notes:
1. Argyll and Bute DistrictCourt and Campbeltown, Dunoon, Oban and Rothesay Sheriff Courts.
2. Where main offence.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 18 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to address the shortage of affordable homes in areas where a significant proportion of homes are classed as second or holiday homes.
Answer
The Scottish Governmentis currently assessing a broad range of housing issues across the country and isaware of the pressures on affordable housing in some areas. Scotland is characterisedboth by areas of demand for housing and by areas which have a surplus of housing,so it is the responsibility of local authorities to assess housing need in theirareas, taking account of all pressures on the housing stock, in their Local HousingStrategies.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 15 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will continue to support the Homestake shared ownership housing grant scheme.
Answer
The ScottishGovernment is currently considering how best to support those who aspire tohome ownership, but who are unable to become owner-occupiers with their ownresources, and will look at the Homestake shared equity scheme in that context.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 15 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would support a restricted occupancy policy, similar to that adopted by the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, or a two-tier housing market structure, as is operated in Guernsey, to alleviate the shortage of affordable housing for local people.
Answer
The Scottish Governmentis currently assessing a broad range of housing issues across the country and isaware of the pressures on affordable housing in some areas. It is for local planningauthorities to determine whether they wish to employ specific planning measuresin order to intervene in local housing markets.
- Asked by: Rhoda Grant, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 15 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address the issue of temporary accommodation, in light of its responsibilities under the Homelessness etc. (Scotland) Act 2003.
Answer
Powers undersection 9 of the Homelessness etc. Scotland Act 2003 were exercised in 2004 tobring into force the Homeless Persons (Unsuitable Accommodation) (Scotland) Order 2004.
As a consequenceof this Order, local authorities placing homeless households with children orpregnant women into temporary accommodation must ensure that such accommodationcomplies with the standards set out in the Order unless exceptional circumstances(also defined in the Order) apply.
Six-monthlyofficial statistics bulletins on homelessness are published by the Executive,and the latest bulletin can be found at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/03/12095510/0.Information onlocal authorities’ offers, and homeless households’ take-up, of temporaryaccommodation as well as monitoring of local authorities’ compliance with the orderis reported in the bulletins.
