- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 27 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will only approve large-scale stock transfers proposals subject to guaranteed speedy progress to second stage transfers to community-based registered social landlords as recommended in the 3rd Report, 2000 of the Social Inclusion, Housing and Voluntary Sector Committee, Housing Stock Transfer, and, if so, what its definition of "guaranteed speedy progress" will be.
Answer
As indicated in the Scottish Executive's response to that report, we will examine business plans to assess whether they deliver further choices to tenants for more localised solutions which are best suited to individual transfer proposals, taking account of tenants' views.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 26 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will, after consultation, establish a model for the maximum number of housing units to be managed by a registered social landlord (RSL), as recommended in the 3rd Report, 2000 of the Social Inclusion, Housing and Voluntary Sector Committee, Housing Stock Transfer.
Answer
Scottish Homes will shortly issue a consultation paper setting out proposed criteria to be used in considering applications from social landlords wishing to be become RSLs. This will invite views on the registration procedures in respect of very large and very small prospective RSLs.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answer expected on 18 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much money was used to pay off local authority housing debt as a result of housing capital set-aside rules in each year since 1996-97, broken down by local authority.
Answer
Answer expected on 18 September 2001
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 24 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive why the Scottish birth rate is continuing to decline year on year; whether it is possible to reverse this trend; if so, whether it would be desirable to do so and, if so, what steps it will take to achieve this.
Answer
The birth rate in Scotland has been declining for a number of years, from 19.2 per 1,000 in 1960 to 10.4 per 1,000 in 2000 (figures from GRO Scotland), although it is predicted that the rate will remain fairly constant up to 2021. The birth rate has fallen over the same period across almost every advanced industrialised country as people exercise their private and personal choices over family sizes. The Scottish Executive does not consider it feasible or desirable to attempt to influence this trend.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 24 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the long-term implications are of the continuing decline in the Scottish birth rate.
Answer
The Scottish birth rate has been declining since 1960. This general trend is in line with the pattern in most other advanced industrial countries, although the birth rate in Scotland has declined more significantly than the rate for the UK as a whole. Actuarial predictions suggest that the Scottish birth rate will remain fairly constant over the next 20 years. As with any demographic trend, there will be a range of implications from the fall in the Scottish birth rate.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 24 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to ensure that nitrogen dioxide levels fall below an annual mean of 40 micrograms per cubic metre in towns and cities.
Answer
The Environment Act 1995 requires local authorities to carry out a review and assessment of air quality within their areas and take action where air quality objectives are unlikely to be met within a set timescale. These requirements are set out in more detail in The Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In such cases the authority must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and draw up an action plan that sets out the steps it intends to take in pursuit of the objectives. The objective for NO2 is an annual mean of 40mg/m3 to be achieved by the end of 2005. To date two AQMAs have been declared in Scotland (Aberdeen and Edinburgh) with Glasgow expected to follow shortly. All three are based on traffic-related NO2 emissions.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 24 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the ministerial statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government on 28 June 2001, why there has been a net reduction of #26 million in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 Transport budgets and what impact this will have on the delivery of transport priorities.
Answer
The adjustments to the transport programme, which are to fund other Executive priorities, are set out in the following table. The SPT adjustment will bring provision in line with payments due under the franchise and is not expected to affect operations and services. Small reductions in the roads programme and on the Integrated Transport Fund will not have a significant impact on the delivery of our transport priorities. The additional funding in 2003-04 will be used to fund a pilot scheme for Child Pedestrian Training and to assist with modernisation of the road haulage industry.
| Programme | 2002-03 (£ million) | 2003-04 (£ million) |
| Motorways and Trunk Roads | - 5 | - 10 |
| Strathclyde Passenger Transport | - 5 | - 5 |
| Integrated Transport Fund | - | - 5 |
| Other Transport Programmes | - | + 4 |
| Net Change | - 10 | - 16 |
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 5 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to raise public awareness of the health risks associated with passive smoking.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is working in conjunction with HEBS and ASH Scotland to explore the best means of raising awareness about the impact of passive smoking. A long-term media campaign, linked to other action at community and industry levels, is being devised. This is being informed by the results of a survey of customer attitudes to smoking in public houses and restaurants. The campaign will be multi-faceted, focusing on issues associated with smoking in the workplace and in the home as well as in places of entertainment such as pubs, restaurants, and clubs. The first phase of the campaign is expected to be launched later this year. HEBS and ASH Scotland are also collaborating to produce guidelines for local authorities on the development of tobacco policies in the workplace.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 5 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive why the appointment of the development workers to be funded under the KickStart programme has been delayed and when all of these development workers will be in post.
Answer
Our aim has been to ensure that the KickStart programme is not "top down" in its approach and that it meets the diverse needs of voluntary and community groups around the country. This meant that we consulted widely, including with the Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIPs). The views of SIPs have strongly influenced the design of the programme and various changes have been made. For example, as a result of SIP views, KickStart will now run for an extra year, until March 2003, and with an increased allocation of £625,000.Most of the SIP clusters are in the process of recruiting their development workers and aim to have them in post between October and November.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 4 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much each local authority spent on improvement and repair grants for private sector houses in 1999-2000 and 2000-01 and how much each is expected to spend in 2001-02, giving the figures in real terms in each case.
Answer
The following table sets out actual expenditure by local authorities on improvement and repairs grants for private sector houses for 1999-2000. Figures are not available for expenditure in 2000-01 or for the local authorities estimated expenditure in 2001-02. Real terms figures can be calculated by applying the Treasury deflators (currently 2.5%) in the normal way.
| Local authority | Expenditure (£000) |
| Aberdeen City | 1,907 |
| Aberdeenshire | 388 |
| Angus | 506 |
| Argyll and Bute | 1,779 |
| Clackmannanshire | 267 |
| Dumfries & Galloway | 621 |
| Dundee City | 1,646 |
| East Ayrshire | 235 |
| East Dunbartonshire | 150 |
| East Lothian | 604 |
| East Renfrewshire | 151 |
| Edinburgh, City of | 2,848 |
| Eilean Siar | 3,461 |
| Falkirk | 495 |
| Fife | 419 |
| Glasgow City | 6,932 |
| Highland | 4,314 |
| Inverclyde | 489 |
| Midlothian | 53 |
| Moray | 557 |
| North Ayrshire | 767 |
| North Lanarkshire | 1,689 |
| Orkney Islands | 1,408 |
| Perth and Kinross | 1,083 |
| Renfrewshire | 1,879 |
| Scottish Borders | 947 |
| Shetland Islands | 320 |
| South Ayrshire | 310 |
| South Lanarkshire | 3,500 |
| Stirling | 776 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 247 |
| West Lothian | 429 |
| Scotland | 41,177 |
