- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 2 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what inquiry or other investigations are currently taking place in respect of the recent fire in a cell at HM Prison Cornton Vale.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:An investigation was carried out by the prison's Fire Safety Officer and the SPS Fire Safety Adviser.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 28 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will comment on the report by the Auditor General for Scotland in Appendix 13 of the Scottish Prison Service's Annual Report and Accounts 2000-01.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:The Annual Report and Accounts for 2000-01 fully disclose the accounting policies which SPS has complied with in accordance with Government and Accounting Standards requirements. The Auditor General for Scotland has confirmed that SPS complied fully with the current accounting guidance.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 26 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the answer to question S1W-22619 by Peter Peacock on 21 February 2002 and the answer to the fourth supplementary question to question S10-4764 by Peter Peacock on 28 February 2002, what the difference in circumstances is between the position of Western Isles Council and the current situation at the Scottish Borders Council with regard to a council obtaining special borrowing consent following mismanagement of its finances.
Answer
The position of Western Isles Council in 1991, is significantly different from that in the Scottish Borders, in that Western Isles Council had acted ultra vires, in investing in BCCI and faced loses equal to around one third of its total annual budget for services. The scale of the losses suffered by Western Isles Council meant that without action being taken immediately, the delivery of basic services was under threat. The Controller of Audit's report into the Scottish Borders budget deficit in 2001-02, identified an overspend, accumulated over two years 1999-2000 and 2000-01, of £3.9 million - or less than 1.5% of its total budget for all services for each year - arising from financial mismanagement.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 26 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the fourth supplementary question to question S10-4674 by Peter Peacock on 28 February 2002, whether it would respond favourably to an application for special borrowing consent by the Scottish Borders Council if the council applied part or all of its proposed reserves of #1.8 million to reducing cuts to front line services.
Answer
No such request has been received. The level and use of reserves is a matter for the council.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 01 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 26 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the fourth supplementary question to question S10-4764 by Peter Peacock on 28 February 2002, which councils have received special borrowing consent in order to allow them to eliminate budgetary deficits.
Answer
Western Isles Council was granted additional borrowing consent in 1991, in respect of significant losses incurred by investment in BCCI. I am not aware of any other council having been granted special borrowing consent in relation to a budget deficit.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 26 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the letter by the Minister for Finance and Public Services to the Finance Spokesman for COSLA dated 25 February 2002, whether the minister will allocate #3-4 million of the identified under-spend of #200 million to Scottish Borders Council to prevent the present round of cuts.
Answer
No. It is for Scottish Borders Council to set a budget which is within its means. I understand that it has done so.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 22 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22619 by Peter Peacock on 21 February 2002, whether an application by Scottish Borders Council under paragraph 1(2) of schedule 3 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1975 for special borrowing in order to reverse the further #5.5 million in cuts voted through by the council administration on Thursday 14 February 2002 would be competent.
Answer
Scottish Borders Council has not submitted a formal application for special borrowing to reverse its budget deficit. Further, the council has now set its budget for 2002-03 and council tax bills have issued. The competence of any future request for special borrowing from the council would depend on the terms on which it was made.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 22 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive on what basis the City of Edinburgh Council has been granted additional borrowing of approximately #2 million to defray the costs arising from the demolition of houses.
Answer
The City of Edinburgh Council has been awarded additional capital consent of £1.8 million for the regeneration of the Gilmerton area of the city, following the collapse of housing over old limestone workings in late 2000. The support has been granted to the council to help it cope with an emergency situation that it could not reasonably have foreseen, and that was not of its making.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 22 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 22 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22619 by Peter Peacock on 21 February 2002, which local authorities have been awarded special or additional borrowing consent under either paragraph 1(2) of schedule 3 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1975, or any other statutory or non-statutory authorisation in the last three financial years, broken down by (a) date, (b) local authority, (c) statutory or non-statutory authorisation, (d) purpose, (e) the amount awarded and (f) on what terms the award was made.
Answer
Local authorities are empowered to borrow for capital purposes, by virtue of the provisions in schedule 3 to the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1975. It is only where they require to borrow money for other than capital purposes (except in relation to any public utility undertaking), or to raise money outside the United Kingdom or in a foreign currency, that they require consent from Scottish ministers. No local authority has been awarded special borrowing consent in the last three financial years.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 21 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the current waiting time for the Sleep Centre in Edinburgh is now two years and six months; whether there are over 100 patients waiting to be seen at the centre for a first out-patient appointment, and whether it has concerns over these figures given that a substantial number of roads accidents may be directly related to sleep apnoea.
Answer
Waiting times for all services, including sleep apnoea, depend on clinical priority. The highest priority of patients referred to the Sleep Centre in Edinburgh, have their initial appointment within four to six weeks, while routine cases may at present wait 10 months for their initial assessment.There are 1,042 people on the waiting list for a first appointment at the Sleep Centre. The Scottish Executive is concerned about long waiting times and is determined that the NHS should reduce them.
