- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 7 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people are currently on the waiting list for the Young People's Unit in the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.
Answer
There are 88 young people currently on the Young People's Unit waiting list.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 21 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 4 February 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive when Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education will make an assessment into the impact of the cuts made on the provision of education in the Scottish Borders by the Scottish Borders Council.
Answer
It is a matter for Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) to determine the timing of inspections, including the inspection of the education functions of local councils. HMIE notified Scottish Borders Council on 28 January that it would be conducting an inspection of the education functions of the council. The main inspection activity will take place between late March and early May, with a report of the findings to be published in June 2002.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 30 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to its news release SE 4012/2001 of 19 September 2001, (a) how much of the #101.9 million end-year flexibility award for education has been allocated, (b) to whom or to what organisations or projects it has been allocated and (c) whether local authorities may apply for funding from the award and, if so, (i) how they should do so and (ii) whether there are or have been any time limits on making such applications.
Answer
All of this funding has now been allocated. A significant proportion of EYF funding comprised a managed underspend to be set against the additional costs to local authorities arising from the teachers' pay and conditions settlement. Substantial additional resources have also been allocated to schools for use directly at school level. Funding has also been made available to authorities for increasing the number of three-year-olds in pre-school education, provision of Pupil Support Bases and ICT associated initiatives. Further EYF funding has been allocated to Social Justice projects aimed at improving the education of looked after children.Where resources have been allocated through specific grant mechanisms requiring application by education authorities, this process has been completed and all local authorities have received their appropriate allocation.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 30 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to its news release SE 4012/2001 of 19 September 2001, whether it will allocate any of the #101.9 million end-year flexibility award for education to the Scottish Borders Council education budget, in light of any further cuts to that budget being considered by the council.
Answer
All of this funding has been allocated, as indicated in the answer given to question S1W-21939.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 28 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what valuation was received for the former HM Prison Dungavel prior to its being offered for sale and what the final sale price was.
Answer
I have asked Mr Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:The valuation was provided to SPS by the Valuation Office Agency on a confidential basis. The Scottish Executive does not publish valuation data. The sale price was £450,000 and was recorded with the title deeds in the Land Register.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 28 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what valuation was received for the former HM Prison Penninghame prior to its first being offered for sale; what offers were received by the first deadline; why none of the offers received were accepted; what offers were received the second time the prison was offered for sale, and what the final sale price was.
Answer
I have asked Mr Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:The valuation was provided to SPS by the Valuation Office Agency on a confidential basis, as were the offers. The Scottish Executive does not publish valuation data. The sale price was £275,000 and was recorded with the title deeds in the Land Register.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 21 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-20622 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 28 December 2001 and with regard to her letter to me of 1 January 2002, how many members of staff are now employed by the call centre company at Claridge Mill in Selkirk.
Answer
The Manpower Call Centre at Claridge Mill currently employs 37 people. As stated in the news release, the company expects to create around 200 jobs at the facility. This figure is based on projections made by the company.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 21 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the letter to me of 1 January 2002 from the Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning and to its news release SE0357/2001 on 14 February 2001, how many jobs are projected in total to be created at the contact centre at Claridge Mill in Selkirk.
Answer
refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21534.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 21 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the letter to me of 1 January 2002 from the Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning, whether the sums of #670,000, #7,020 and #3,000 from Scottish Enterprise Borders represent the total public funding allocated from all sources to the call centre company at Claridge Mill in Selkirk.
Answer
Total public funding allocated to Manpower is as follows: £600,000 to secure and adapt the premises in Selkirk, £70,000 for training, £7,020 to re-train workers made redundant by other companies and £3,000 to implement the European Computer Driving License on a pilot basis.In addition, the company has been made an offer of Regional Selective Assistance of which no payments have yet been made.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 07 January 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 21 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17558 by Angus MacKay on 13 September 2000, how much has been (a) claimed by and (b) paid to Scottish Borders Council under the Bellwin scheme following heavy snowfalls in February 2001 and what the reasons are for any difference between the two amounts.
Answer
Under the terms of the Bellwin Scheme, detailed in Finance Circular 9/2000, Scottish Borders Council claimed costs of £642,580. £39,685 was disallowed because it covered works which were insurable and normal staff costs which are ineligible under the scheme. This reduced the claim to £602,895.after the deduction of a threshold, which is £222,328 for Scottish Borders, 85% of the remainder was eligible for payment.The sum of £291,134 (90% of amount payable) was paid on 21 December 2001. The remaining 10% will be paid following receipt by the Executive of an audited claim.
