Chamber and committees

Households should treat housing costs as they would any other relatively, fixed item of expenditure for budgeting purposes. The Scottish Executive publishes low income thresholds on both a “before housing costs” basis and an “after housing costs” basis. This is because some people choose to spend more of their income on housing costs. An after housing costs measure therefore, would understate the relative standard of living of those individuals who were actually benefiting from a better quality of life by paying more for better accommodation. Conversely, any income measure which does not deduct housing costs will overstate the living standards of individuals whose housing costs are high relative to the quality of their accommodation.

The Scottish Executive remainsin regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including theeradication of child poverty. As and when contact on any issue results in agreedproposals for amending the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament orthe executive competence of the Scottish ministers, these are put to the Scottishand UK Parliaments in the normal way (i.e. either through Orders in Council underthe Scotland Act 1998, or through Legislative Consent Motions in the Scottish Parliament associated with bills before the UK Parliament).

I am advised by the Food StandardsAgency that 10 farms in Scotland, comprising nine in East Ayrshire Council Area and onein Stirling Council Area, are still subject to restrictions as a result of the Chernobyl incident.The restricted areas are defined in the Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions)(Radioactivity in Sheep) Order 1991 No. 20 (as amended) and sheep from these farmsare required to be monitored for radioactivity prior to being moved off farm.

No copies of the RegenerationPolicy Statement: People and Place and the Summary document are uncollected.Copies not posted out are being used by the Scottish Executive as part of itsprogramme of communication and discussion on regeneration in Scotland, asforeshadowed in the Statement itself.

Three thousand, five hundredand five copies of the Regeneration Policy Statement: People and Placewere produced. Six thousand, one hundred and two copies of the Summary documentwere produced.

Two thousand, one hundredand fifty-five copies of the Regeneration Policy Statement: People and Placeand the Summary document were posted to a wide range of organisations inthe public, private and voluntary sectors involved in regeneration in additionto distribution by hand to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre on theday of publication. These include local authorities, the enterprise networks,academics and researchers, financial institutions, construction and other tradeorganisations, professional bodies and housing associations.

Copies not posted out arebeing used by the Scottish Executive as part of its programme of communicationand discussion on regeneration in Scotland, as foreshadowed in the statement itself.

The roles andresponsibilities of the Communities portfolio have altered several times since1999 and the information requested is not readily available and could only beobtained at disproportionate cost.

The total cost of producing,printing and distributing the Regeneration Policy Statement: People and Placeand the Summary document was £32,088.

Postage costs for thedistribution of the Regeneration Policy Statement: People and Place andthe Summary document were £2,744.