Chamber and committees

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: S1W-16620

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 8 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many central heating systems have been installed in (a) council properties, (b) registered social landlord properties and (c) private properties in each of the last five financial years for which figures are available and how many are scheduled to be installed this year, broken down by local authority area.

The information at (b) and (c) is not available. Information at (a) is provided to the Executive by local authorities and details for 1996-97 to 2000-01 are set out in the following table. The figures cover first-time installation of central heating systems, replacement of old systems and the extension of partial systems. There is no information about the number of properties in each of these categories. We have made provisional allocations to local authorities, including potential stock transfer authorities, for 2001-02 under the Central Heating Programme. We have asked for an estimate of the number of systems they can install in the current financial year.

Central Heating Systems Installed in Council Houses1996-97 to 2000-01
Authority	1996-1997	1997-1998	1998-1999	1999-2000	2000-2001 (planned)
Aberdeen	51	638	1,683	1,851	345
Aberdeen-shire	556	340	500	580	675
Angus	34	363	153	260	418
Argyll & Bute	255	480	287	380	133
Clackmannan-shire	110	480	252	165	105
Comhairle nan Eilean	30	40	55	66	38
Dumfries & Galloway	0	578	971	N/A	N/A
Dundee	1,051	1,042	1,150	1,028	1,417
East Ayrshire	1,503	1,196	1,383	1,852	695
East Dunbarton-shire	100	136	115	205	326
East Lothian	0	0	0	0	0
East Renfrewshire	110	250	448	448	146
Edinburgh	1,130	1,861	2,278	2,590	1,465
Falkirk	4,100	1,161	350	153	191
Fife	0	0	0	0	0
Glasgow	964	200	348	100	1,100
Highland	190	177	386	596	845
Inverclyde	42	638	667	360	275
Midlothian	183	223	495	435	108
Moray	400	514	0	484	503
North Ayrshire	500	850	362	564	600
North Lanarkshire	1,280	4,330	536	1,907	1,157
Orkney	110	19	16	16	13
Perth & Kinross	0	0	0	0	0
Renfrew-shire	0	2,164	1,921	1,446	1,313
Scottish Borders	45	354	112	240	242
Shetland	0	0	0	0	0
South Ayrshire	442	65	420	280	500
South Lanarkshire	3,319	585	931	1,187	611
Stirling	200	91	161	139	102
West Dunbarton-shire	850	1,224	695	692	255
West Lothian	470	55	1,600	1,400	300
Scotland	18,025	20,054	18,275	19,424	13,878

Question reference: S1W-16921

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 July 2001
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 7 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how much will be invested in each financial year from 2001-02 to 2003-04 to attract biotechnology companies from outwith Scotland and to stimulate growth of Scottish biotechnology companies.

Question reference: S1W-16918

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 July 2001
Current Status: Answered by Angus MacKay on 7 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent on IT projects which (a) were terminated or (b) exceeded budgetary provision in each financial year from 1997-98 to date.

IT projects implemented by the Scottish Executive over this period have ranged from very small local developments to major investments in IT infrastructure. All significant projects (defined as those costing over £100,000 including VAT) were submitted to the Scottish Executive Information Systems Steering Group (SEISSG) for approval and allocation of funding. Requests for budget uprates, which may arise in response to legislative changes or changes to user requirements, are also submitted to SEISSG. During the period in question, no IT projects exceeded their budgetary provision. In 2000-01 one project costing £200,000 including VAT was completed but not subsequently implemented because of a change in user requirements.

Question reference: S1W-16804

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 July 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 3 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a mapping exercise will be carried out to clarify the potential impact of housing stock transfer proposals on housing capital receipts set aside and whether abolishing set aside would impact on the Scottish assigned budget.

The purpose of Housing Revenue Account (HRA) capital receipts set-aside is to reduce the burden of debt being carried by local authorities and their rent payers. If set-aside were abolished, local authorities would be able to spend all their receipts on new housing investment. As a consequence housing debt would be increased and rents would rise to service the increased debt. It would be open to the United Kingdom Government to take into account any such increase in self-financed local authority expenditure in considering the level of grant to the Scottish Administration.

Question reference: S1W-16628

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 1 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will empower senior nurses and senior midwives to direct patient care.

There are a number of ways in which the nursing professions are being empowered at present. For example, through the recently published Framework for Maternity Services in Scotland, midwives have an explicit role in delivering and influencing patient care.

In addition, Caring for Scotland - The Strategy for Nursing and Midwifery in Scotland has a commitment to investing in leadership at ward sister and charge nurse level and focus group meetings for those staff are being held now.

Also, I recently announced plans for Scotland's first nursing summit to bring together all those with an interest in promoting nursing to work in partnership with the Executive to explore new ways of improving recruitment and retention.

Question reference: S1W-16605

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 1 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12809 by Susan Deacon on 7 February 2001, when the review of support arrangements for nursing students will be completed.

Question reference: S1W-16742

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 29 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 1 August 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the role of the new Executive agency related to housing will be in community regeneration.

Local authorities have a lead role in community regeneration. In recognition of this the new agency will contribute as partners to local authority regeneration and housing strategies, offering a national and cross-authority perspective on planning and resource allocation. The agency will be responsible for implementing the Executive's Neighbourhood Regeneration Statement, including delivery of the Social Inclusion Partnership Programme.

Question reference: S1W-16621

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 31 July 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the sources are of the #350 million funding to be invested in its central heating initiative.

Question reference: S1W-16629

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 31 July 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to reconsider any of the eligibility criteria for its central heating programme.

Question reference: S1W-16631

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2001
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 31 July 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to carry out a national funding review of further education colleges.

The funding of individual colleges of further education is a matter for the Scottish Further Education Funding Council. The funding of the further education sector in Scotland is kept under constant review by the council.

The Enterprise & Lifelong Learning Committee of the Parliament has also indicated its intention to inquire into the need for a long-term, comprehensive strategy for continuing post-compulsory education and training in Scotland, including considering the effectiveness and relevance of current funding mechanisms and levels in meeting Scotland's economic and social needs.