Chamber and committees

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: S4W-11669

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 December 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 13 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether the provisions in the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 regarding the offence of stalking have been enacted and, if not, when they will come into effect.

Question reference: S4O-01641

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 December 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of the Barnett consequentials arising from the Autumn Statement it will allocate to affordable housing.

Question reference: S4W-11517

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 23 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 10 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether its advertising campaigns are broadcast in those areas of Scotland served by ITV (a) Tyne Tees and (b) Border.

The Scottish Government wants to see a Scotland-wide channel three licence, so that viewers in the south of Scotland are able to enjoy the same level of programming about Scotland as those in the northern and central parts of the country. The Scottish Government has consistently made clear to the UK Government the priority it places on achieving this outcome. Therefore, the Scottish Government has welcomed the announcement of the UK Government that Channel three licences will be renewed, subject to negotiations so that viewers in Scotland can receive a television service, similar to the rest of Scotland. I continue to urge the parties concerned to find agreement on this matter.

Scottish Government and its framework partners take advice on media planning and buying from Carat Media, our media contractor. Our requirement is always to ensure that our public information advertising reaches the right people at the most cost effective rate. To achieve this we analyse all published data for all aspects of media, such as television, press, outdoor and digital, and negotiate accordingly for each campaign.

In selecting TV channels, both regionality and audience coverage are taken into account. The published ITV data shows that:

Tyne Tees transmits as far north as Berwick-upon-Tweed and it does not officially transmit into Scotland. The total available adult audience for Tyne Tees is 2,164,000 - none of which is attributable to Scotland.

Border is the ITV region centred in Carlisle covering the border areas of Scotland and England. The total available adult audience for the region is 514,000. Of that, 205,600 adults of the total available audience are resident in Scotland with the remainder being resident in England.

For these reasons, no Scottish Government advertising campaigns have been broadcast on ITV Tyne Tees or Border to date.

In addition, Scottish Government campaigns utilise other communications channels to engage target audiences. Borders radio, community stations and local press titles.

Question reference: S4W-11507

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 7 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-11127 by Keith Brown on 22 November 2012, how much it spent on (a) the Edinburgh Glasgow Improvement Programme, (b) the Borders Railway project, (c) the Paisley Corridor Improvement project, (d) the Waverley Station Redevelopment and (e) its contribution to the Edinburgh Trams project in 2011-12; from which budget lines, and how much was provided from each budget line.

Question reference: S4W-11375

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 4 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what its budget for the construction of homes for social rent, including budget revisions, has been in each year from 2007-08.

The following table shows planned and actual expenditure specifically in respect of homes for social rent in each year from 2007-08. The figures are part of the Scottish Government’s broader spend on affordable housing supply in each year:

2007-08

(£m)

2008-09

(£m)

2009-10

(£m)

2010-11

(£m)

2011-12

(£m)

Planned	Outturn	Planned	Outturn	Planned	Outturn	Planned	Outturn	Outturn
412.911	419.800	346.190	388.911	467.304	484.290	339.342	367.248	274.600

With the changes to the administration of the programme in 2011-12, there was no planned expenditure for social housing supply in that year.

Question reference: S4W-11097

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 3 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-10110 by Margaret Burgess on 31 October 2012, how the table provided in that answer can be reconciled with the data in its online publication, Housing Statistics for Scotland – Social Sector new build.

The answer to question S4W-10110 also includes housing association rehabilitation starts, off the shelf purchase starts and the home owners’ support fund. This information is not included within the Social Sector new build table referred to. The information provided within S4W-10110 was derived from the Affordable Housing Supply Programme tables from the Housing Statistics for Scotland at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/NB-AHIP.

Question reference: S4W-11133

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 3 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether the affordable housing supply budget for 2013-14 will include the former Home Owners' Support Fund.

Question reference: S4W-11135

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 3 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how much was allocated from the Innovation and Investment Fund to (a) new council house building, (b) registered social landlord building and (c) the Innovation Fund.

In September 2011 the Scottish Government announced two tranches of government investment totalling over £111 million through the innovation and investment fund. The fund was allocated as follows:-

£35 million to Scottish local authorities to help build a new generation of council houses.
£64.5 million to housing associations to build affordable houses, mainly for social rent; and
£11.9 million for innovative development schemes by a variety of bidders.

Question reference: S4W-11136

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 3 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-10110 by Margaret Burgess on 31 October 2012, whether it was a condition of bids to the Innovation and Investment Fund for (a) new council house building and (b) the registered social landlord programme that work must have started on site by the end of March 2012.

It was originally a condition of bids to the fund that the new council house building work must have started on site by the end of March 2012. Similarly for registered social landlord projects it was stated within our published guidelines that work on all approved projects should start on site by the end of March 2012.

It was later recognised that this date may not be achievable for a number of projects and the site start target was extended by two months to May 2012.

Furthermore flexibility has been offered on the revised date where necessary, on an individual basis.

Question reference: S4W-11139

Asked by: Elaine Murray, MSP for Dumfriesshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 November 2012
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Burgess on 3 December 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many housing starts were recorded for homes for social rent in each (a) of the first two quarters of 2012 and (b) quarter of each year since 2007.

The following table shows the number of housing starts recorded for homes for social rent in (a) the first quarter of 2012 and (b) quarter of each year since 2009. The second quarter figures for 2012 are not scheduled to be published until 28 November 2012. Housing starts under the affordable housing supply programme did not form part of official housing statistics until April 2009.

Housing Starts:

Year	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Total
2012-13	1413	-	-	-	1413
2011-12	720	1107	258	940	3025
2010-11	1079	1055	1777	2152	6063
2009-10	1914	2243	1916	1604	7677