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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-09784

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Adam Ingram on 6 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to extend initiatives such as the Highland Youth Voice model to all parts of rural Scotland.

There are a range of successful local youth engagement models across Scotland, including Highland Youth Voice. While the Government is keen to encourage local youth participation, it is for local authorities to work with local young people to determine the best model for their area.

The Scottish Government supports the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) in empowering young people across Scotland to influence decisions affecting their own lives and those of their schools and communities. Young people from rural areas and the Islands are represented on the SYP.

Question reference: S3W-10383

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, as was reported in The Herald on 26 February 2008, it was involved fully in the drafting of the Counter-Terrorism Bill provisions and was completely content with them.

Question reference: S3W-10384

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 6 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what the extent of the involvement of Scottish ministers was in the drafting of the UK Counter-Terrorism Bill.

Question reference: S3W-10112

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any officials in the Financial Partnerships Unit have contributed articles to Public Private Finance or similar publications and, if so, what remuneration they received.

The main remit of the Scottish Government Financial Partnerships Unit (FPU) is to provide policy support to Scottish Government ministers and procurement managers on partnership options and procurement methodology for infrastructure delivery and investment. This involves working with all public sector organisations and all sections of the private sector involved in infrastructure investment “ to not only receive information but also to inform public and private sectors of the Scottish Government's current thinking on infrastructure investment.

Contributing articles on current thinking on infrastructure investment is part of the usual business of FPU and the Scottish Government. We have contributed articles to Public Private Finance magazine as well as other similar publications. Officials in FPU do not receive any remuneration from publishers for this.

Question reference: S3W-09755

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 3 March 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how many installations were carried out under the central heating programme in each (a) year and (b) month since its inception in (i) the North Lanarkshire local authority area, (ii) the South Lanarkshire local authority area, (iii) the Falkirk local authority area and (iv) each parliamentary constituency in the Central Scotland region.

The fuel poverty programmes have included the provision of central heating in both the public and private sectors. In the public sector, local authorities completed installations in their properties in March 2004 and housing associations completed installations in their properties in December 2004, except Glasgow Housing Association properties where, due to the high number of properties involved, the Programme was completed in March 2007. In the private sector, installations have been carried out by the managing agent.

The number of systems installed in the public sector from the start of the programme in 2001 until the programme ended in December 2004 are held as annual installation figures. The number of systems installed over the period requested in Falkirk, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire council areas, is shown in the following table:

Local Authority Area	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	Total
Falkirk	92	76	0	0	168
North Lanarkshire	31	41	4	0	76
South Lanarkshire	863	802	1,998	0	3,663

Note:

1. The figures include installations carried out by local authority and housing associations in each of the local authority areas indicated.

2. The figures do not include installations carried out in the private sector.

In the private sector, information is not held by local authority or parliamentary constituency area, but by main postcode. In the private sector the monthly installation rate, covering the period October 2006 until January 2008 for main postcode areas DG, FK, and ML is shown in the table below:

	DG	FK	ML	Total
October 2006	0	1*	7*	8*
November 2006	0	1*	7*	8*
December 2006	0	2*	6*	8*
January 2007	28*	74*	159*	261*
February 2007	28*	74*	159*	261*
March 2007	28*	74*	159*	261*
April 2007	4	40	106	150
May 2007	4	40	107	151
June 2007	53	59	80	192
July 2007	23	49	126	198
August 2007	37	39	136	212
September 2007	33	86	125	244
October 2007	33	73	52	158
November 2007	56	32	65	153
December 2007	39	19	61	119
January 2008	44	44	122	210

Note:

1. The figures marked with an asterisk, where the current managing agent (Scottish Gas) has provided figures on a three-monthly rather than a monthly basis, during the start up period covering its involvement on the programme. The figures given are the monthly average for the relevant three-month period.

2. The DG, FK and ML postcode areas are the main postcode areas covering the local authority areas requested.

Before October 2006, information on installations in the private sector are held as annual installation figures. The total number of systems installed in the private sector in each financial year over the period requested for main postcode areas DG, FK, and ML is shown in the table below:

Main Postcode Area	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07	Total
DG	70	160	416	599	586	251	2,082
FK	62	120	245	489	503	192	1,611
ML	83	167	392	712	1,007	386	2,747

Question reference: S3W-10093

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 29 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities and registered social landlords have a statutory requirement to inform their tenants of any structural faults found in their properties and, if so, what legislation establishes this responsibility and from what date the requirement has existed.

Section 14 of the Housing Defects Act 1984 contained such a requirement. The Act was subsequently repealed and this provision was consolidated into Part XIV of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987, which remains in force.

The requirement is that a public sector authority as defined in the act (which includes councils and registered social landlords), before selling a dwelling designated as defective under the act, must notify the purchaser in writing of the defect giving rise to the designation and that the purchaser is not eligible for any assistance under that part of the act. Notification has to be given before the sale is concluded.

In addition, section 27 and schedule 4 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 require the landlord in a Scottish Secure Tenancy (SST) to notify the tenant before the start of the tenancy of any work required to make the house wind and watertight and in all other respects reasonably fit for human habitation. SSTs were introduced on 30 September 2002.

There is no other statutory obligation on local authorities or registered social landlords to inform their tenants of the existence of any structural defects in their property.

Question reference: S3W-09782

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 29 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it provides for community development in rural areas outside the Highlands and Islands.

The Scottish Government provides resources through a variety of mechanisms to local authorities and to a number of agencies responsible for supporting community development in rural areas within and outside the Highlands and Islands.

The Scottish Government itself will be injecting some £1.6 billion into rural areas through the Scottish Rural Development Programme 2007-2013. Funding will be delivered through a variety of mechanisms including Rural Development Contracts and LEADER. In addition, £195,000 will be made available to the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations to support non-crofting county rural communities to produce investment plans to access funding. This extends similar assistance which is available for the crofting counties from the Crofters Commission to the rest of Scotland.

Question reference: S3O-02382

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 28 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions the Cabinet Secretary for Justice has had with the Home Secretary on the introduction of ID cards.

Question reference: S3W-09528

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 27 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are included in its definition of best value in public sector procurement.

It is government policy that all procurement of goods and services should be based on value for money, having due regard to propriety and regularity. Value for money is defined as the optimum combination of whole-life cost and quality (or fitness for purpose) to meet the user''s requirement.

In addition to this, local authorities are subject to a duty of best value under the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003. An organisation which adopts best value will be able to demonstrate that they have a strategy for procurement and the management of contracts and contractors to ensure that it treats procurement as a key component in achieving its objectives, including those relating to sustainable development, equalities, and health and safety, as well as a means of finding the most cost effective method for securing the quality of assets and services it needs. It will ensure that the framing of specifications and the vetting of suppliers is consistent with these objectives. Also, that when competitive tendering, procurement procedures place the minimum possible burden on suppliers consistent with the achievement of best value through effective competition.

Question reference: S3W-10110

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 February 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 February 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any officials in the Financial Partnerships Unit have attended the PPP: PFI Challenge sailing regatta organised by Britannia Events in each year that it has run and whether any officials will attend in 2008.