- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 12 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to allow local authorities to establish 100% publicly owned arms length companies to bring investment into public sector housing following the announcement by the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on 4 April 2000 that this would be permitted in England and Wales.
Answer
DETR's proposals for arms length companies have limited attraction in Scottish circumstances as there are no plans to relieve the companies of any debt burden, in the same way as we are doing for Scottish councils who move to community ownership. In addition, all borrowing by the proposed arms length companies will be subject to the normal controls on public expenditure and, consequently in Scottish circumstances, would be met from the resources available in the assigned budget.
We will of course continue to monitor how any proposals are taken forward by DETR.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 12 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce the incidence of accidental overdose of legally obtained prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
Answer
The Executive supports the aim of providing patients with full and useful information about prescribed and over-the-counter medicines. UK law now requires medicines to be supplied to consumers with specified information on the label and with an accompanying leaflet to ensure safe and correct use. There has therefore been a general move by manufacturers towards supplying medicines in packs which have patient information leaflets sealed into them.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 12 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of global warming and in particular any consequent flooding of low lying coastal areas.
Answer
The Executive's research report
Climate Change: Scottish Implications Scoping Study, published December 1999 (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/kd01/ccsi-01.pdf), sets out the possible implications of climate change for Scotland. Flooding, including flooding of coastal areas, was identified as one of the main impacts of climate change for Scotland. In response to the report's findings the Executive have commissioned further research to examine, among other things, the effect of climate change on the frequency of floods, including coastal flooding, and the effect on design standards of existing riverine flood prevention schemes.
This research, together with research due to be published next year by the UK Climate Impacts Programme to update their Climate Change Scenarios for the United Kingdom, will provide a clearer view of the impacts of climate change on Scotland, including sea level rise and increased storminess. In anticipation of this we are gathering information to identify those areas which may be vulnerable to the predicted increases in sea level.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional uniformed officers it estimates could be recruited by each police force during this financial year if police authorities were not required to pay non-domestic rates.
Answer
Following the abolition of Crown Exemption from non-domestic rates from 1 April 2000 police forces are liable to pay non-domestic rates for police properties. The Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) settlement for 2000-01 was increased to recompense in full the costs associated with the payment of rates. The effect of Crown Exemption on the police is therefore cost neutral and has no bearing on officer recruitment.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional uniformed police officers it expects will be recruited by each police force as a result of its announcement of an extra #8.9 million for the police.
Answer
The additional £8.9 million invested in the Scottish police will enable the recruitment of more than 300 extra police officers. Decisions on recruitment and deployment of staff are, however, matters for individual chief constables. After allocating £1 million to the Scottish Police College at Tulliallan for the training of the additional recruits the funds were distributed as shown in the table below. Also shown is the notional number of additional officers that could be recruited from the extra money available.
Police Force | Additional Funding £000 | Number of Additional Officers |
Central Scotland Police | 369 | 15 |
Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary | 233 | 9 |
Fife Constabulary | 435 | 17 |
Grampian Police | 676 | 27 |
Lothian and Borders Police | 1,442 | 58 |
Northern Constabulary | 423 | 17 |
Strathclyde Police | 3,710 | 148 |
Tayside Police | 612 | 24 |
TOTAL FUNDING | 7,900 | 315 |
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 8 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve the economic competitiveness of Glasgow.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is committed to supporting the Glasgow Alliance and the Joint Economic Strategy for Glasgow published by Glasgow Development Agency and Glasgow City Council as members of the Alliance in 1999. The main aim of that strategy is to build on Glasgow's distinctive qualities to develop a dynamic, internationally competitive economy which creates wealth and provides quality, sustainable work opportunities for all the residents of the city.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 8 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the percentage of pensioners who received council tax benefit in the last year for which figures are available.
Answer
Social security benefits including housing and council tax benefits are reserved matters and are the responsibility of the DSS.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 8 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that health boards encourage NHS staff to get vaccinated against influen'a next winter and in subsequent years.
Answer
Along with ministerial colleagues in the other UK Health Departments, I have asked the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to review its present advice on the immunisation of healthcare workers against influenza. We await the Committee's advice, which will help inform the arrangements we make in future years.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive in addition to The Key, how much it and Glasgow City Council will spend in promoting the Glasgow housing stock transfer.
Answer
The Executive has allocated £2.856 million of New Housing Partnership funding to Glasgow City Council in connection with the development of its stock transfer proposal, £1.01 million of this is for consultation with tenants. The council has submitted a further bid for NHP funding which is being assessed by the New Housing Partnership Steering Group.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 7 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the staffing levels are for each neonatal intensive care unit.
Answer
The NHS in Scotland does not collect the information requested. It is for each NHS Trust to determine the number and type of staff required to deliver an appropriate level of service to meet local patient needs and to organise staff resources accordingly.