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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: S3W-10287

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, under the Solidarity Golden Rule of its Government Economic Strategy, what representations it intends making to influence the UK Government to reduce inequality by ensuring that welfare reform addresses Scotland’s social equity issues and whether this includes addressing the level of withdrawal of housing benefit by 65p in the pound for income earned over the benefit thresholds.

I am contacting Stephen Timms MP, Minister for Employment and Welfare Reform, to arrange a meeting soon to discuss a number of matters, including the impact of welfare reform, on the people of Scotland. The Scottish Government liaises regularly with the UK Government to ensure that developing policy on welfare reform and related areas such as child poverty and housing benefit takes full account of the needs of Scotland's people.>

Question reference: S3W-09897

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 28 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate, as part of its strategy on tackling poverty, the possibility of setting up a website to act as a portal for access to information on benefits, work opportunities, support, and training opportunities.

Effective access to advice and information is an important aspect of tackling poverty. In relation to advice on benefits, work opportunities and training opportunities it is important for a website to be able to provide information on both national aspects, such as benefits, and aspects to do with local labour market conditions. These aspects can best be captured in one place by local authority websites which already exist to provide information for their local areas.

These local websites are complemented by national sites, such as the Jobcentre Plus website, which provides information on benefits and work opportunities, and Learn Direct Scotland''s website, which provides details of training opportunities. The Scottish Government website also provides links both to local authority websites and to the Department for Work and Pensions'' website, which provides comprehensive information on benefits.

Given the existence of these sites at both local and national level we would not propose to establish a separate Scottish Government site, although we will continue to review links between sites to ensure that advice and information is made as accessible as possible.

Question reference: S3W-09771

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 27 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many installations under the central heating programme were completed from October to December 2006, broken down by local authority area.

Information is not held by local authority area but by main postcode. The managing agent (Scottish Gas) has provided installation figures for the three-month period October to December 2006 from its commencement as managing agent on 1 October 2006, not for those individual months. The average monthly installation rate over the period requested is shown in the following table:

2006	AB	DD	DG	EH	FK	G	HS	IV	KA	KW	KY	ML	PA	PH	TD	ZE	Total
October	0	2	0	4	1	11	0	0	2	0	0	7	0	0	1	0	28
November	0	2	0	4	1	11	0	0	2	0	0	7	1	0	0	0	28
December	0	3	0	3	2	12	0	0	3	0	0	6	0	0	0	0	29
Total	0	7	0	11	4	34	0	0	7	0	0	20	1	0	1	0	85

Note: 1. The figures provided are for completed installations.

Question reference: S3W-09772

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 27 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many installations under the central heating programme were completed from October to December 2007, broken down by local authority area.

Information is not held by local authority area but by main postcode. The monthly installation rate over the period requested is shown in the following table:

2007	AB	DD	DG	EH	FK	G	HS	IV	KA	KW	KY	ML	PA	PH	TD	ZE	Total
October	75	37	33	116	73	152	17	48	168	9	66	52	90	50	8	2	996
November	72	139	56	81	32	227	11	26	99	19	54	65	74	23	24	3	1,005
December	85	50	39	108	19	269	7	27	31	18	63	61	63	12	20	4	876
Total	232	226	128	305	124	648	35	101	298	46	183	178	227	85	52	9	2,877

Note: 1. The figures provided are for completed installations.

Question reference: S3W-09896

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Linda Fabiani on 26 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate, while ensuring compatibility with Historic Scotland’s involvement with the bid for World Heritage status, the possibility of the full reconstruction of a section of the Antonine Wall, similar to the reconstruction of part of the Roman frontier in Germany.

The World Heritage Committee''s Operational Guidelines for the Implementation of the World Heritage Convention states that the reconstruction of archaeological remains or historic buildings or districts is justifiable only in exceptional circumstances. Reconstruction is only acceptable on the basis of complete and detailed documentation and to no extent on conjecture. This is based on international best practice in the treatment and interpretation of archaeological sites.

The reconstructions along the line of the German limes were specifically excluded from the World Heritage Site when it was inscribed as part of the Frontiers of the Roman Empire World Heritage Site by the World Heritage Committee in 2005. We therefore do not intend to reconstruct any part of the Antonine Wall. A working group has been established to implement the World Heritage Site Management Plan and this will be looking at improving access, understanding and interpretation of the Wall.

Question reference: S3W-08080

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 1 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what legal advice it has received on the use of Mosquito ultrasonic youth deterrents.

Question reference: S3O-02045

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 24 January 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact an increased number of police officers on the beat will have on crime reduction.

Question reference: S3W-08078

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 January 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of adults do not suffer from presbycusis.

Question reference: S3W-08077

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 22 January 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive who is responsible for the deployment and licensing of Mosquito ultrasonic youth deterrents.

Question reference: S3W-08079

Asked by: Bill Kidd, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 December 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 22 January 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have been undertaken to evaluate the safety of Mosquito ultrasonic youth deterrents.