- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 2 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many registered social landlords have made representations to it on plans to extend the right to buy and how many have expressed concerns on this issue.
Answer
47 registered social landlords have made representations. The majority are supportive of our plans to introduce a single social tenancy although concerns do exist principally about how the revised right to buy will impact on rural areas, the issue of whether it will be applied retrospectively, and the extent to which further exemptions are required. These areas are the subject of ongoing discussions with housing interests.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 2 May 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities have made representations to it on plans to extend the right to buy and how many have expressed concerns on this issue.
Answer
14 local authorities have made representations. The majority are supportive of our plans to introduce a single social tenancy although concerns do exist principally about how the revised right to buy will impact on rural areas, the issue of whether it will be applied retrospectively, and the extent to which further exemptions are required. These areas are the subject of ongoing discussions with housing interests.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 14 April 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific measures it is taking to ensure that priorities with regard to tackling domestic abuse and violence against women are being fully reflected and implemented as a priority at a local level.
Answer
The determination of local priorities for tackling domestic abuse at local level is provided for in COSLA's Guidance on Preparing and Implementing a Multi-Agency Strategy to Tackle Violence Against Women. Monitoring and evaluating the implementation of this guidance is a matter for COSLA. The Scottish Executive established the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund to support local initiatives for tackling domestic abuse. I announced the results of the applications for funding on 28 March. Thirty-one out of 32 councils applied for funding and I am happy to say that all of these areas will receive funding for at least one project.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 3 March 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive to detail, for each local authority the number of council houses affected by (a) dampness, (b) condensation and (c) both dampness and condensation for the years 1997-98 and 1998-99, and to express each category as a percentage of the total number of local authority houses in the area.
Answer
The following table sets out local authorities' estimates of the number of council houses affected by dampness and condensation as at 31 March 1998. These are the latest available figures.
Local Authority Dwellings Affected by Dampness & Condensation as at 31 March 1998 | Dwellings affected by Dampness | % of Council Stock | Dwellings affected by Condensation | % of Council Stock | Dwellings affected by Dampness & Condensation | % of Council Stock |
Scotland | 34,903 | 6.3 | 94,904 | 17.1 | 30,169 | 5.4 |
Aberdeen City | 1,585 | 5.5 | - | - | - | - |
Aberdeenshire | - | - | 478 | 2.9 | - | - |
Angus | 1,000 | 9.7 | 2,993 | 28.9 | - | - |
Argyll and Bute | 1,071 | 15.0 | 425 | 6.0 | 799 | 11.2 |
Clackmannanshire | 14 | 0.2 | 591 | 9.0 | - | - |
Dumfries and Galloway | 659 | 4.7 | 3,184 | 22.7 | 818 | 5.8 |
Dundee City | 336 | 1.5 | 6,905 | 31.4 | 584 | 2.7 |
East Ayrshire | 730 | 3.8 | 5,532 | 29.2 | 1,305 | 6.9 |
East Dunbartonshire * | | | | | | |
East Lothian | 425 | 4.0 | 560 | 5.3 | 80 | 0.8 |
East Renfrewshire | 100 | 2.3 | 225 | 5.2 | 254 | 5.9 |
City of Edinburgh | 792 | 2.6 | 6,122 | 20.0 | 3,818 | 12.5 |
Eilean Siar | 30 | 1.5 | 787 | 38.3 | 50 | 2.4 |
Falkirk | 2,083 | 9.4 | 3,038 | 13.7 | 1,886 | 8.5 |
Fife | 12 | 0.0 | 4,218 | 10.2 | 10 | 0.0 |
Glasgow City | 13,879 | 14.0 | 22,236 | 22.4 | 13,104 | 13.2 |
Highland | 1,131 | 5.9 | 2,937 | 15.3 | 665 | 3.5 |
Inverclyde | 873 | 7.1 | 3,713 | 30.2 | 420 | 3.4 |
Midlothian * | | | | | | |
Moray | 295 | 4.0 | 992 | 13.3 | 41 | 0.5 |
North Ayrshire | 246 | 1.3 | 1,356 | 7.4 | - | - |
North Lanarkshire | 2,180 | 4.2 | 8,580 | 16.6 | 1,700 | 3.3 |
Orkney Islands | 136 | 13.7 | 636 | 64.2 | - | - |
Perth and Kinross | 65 | 0.6 | 1,146 | 11.2 | 183 | 1.8 |
Renfrewshire | 2,114 | 9.5 | 2,429 | 10.9 | 1,272 | 5.7 |
Scottish Borders | 53 | 0.7 | 48 | 0.6 | 39 | 0.5 |
Shetland | 17 | 0.7 | 286 | 12.4 | 20 | 0.9 |
South Ayrshire | 518 | 4.7 | 7,025 | 63.3 | 627 | 5.6 |
South Lanarkshire | 2,657 | 7.0 | 6,629 | 17.6 | 2,094 | 5.5 |
Stirling * | | | | | | |
West Dunbartonshire * | | | | | | |
West Lothian | 1,902 | 10.6 | 1,833 | 10.2 | 400 | 2.2 |
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Note: *Figures not provided by local authoritySource: As reported by local authorities in the HRA Checklist 1999-2000.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 11 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, in the light of the recent publication of reports and recommendations from the NHS Pay Review Body (PRB) and subsequent announcements regarding pay rises for staff covered by the PRB, how it intends to address the issues of recruitment, retention and morale associated with pay settlements for those biomedical scientists within the NHS not covered by the PRB.
Answer
There is no evidence held centrally to suggest any widespread recruitment and retention issues surrounding this staff group.However, the recent pay offer to biomedical scientists, if accepted, will mean, increases of up to 26% from 1 April 1999 for Trainee MLSOs, 7.1% for MLSO1s and 7.1% for MLSO2s with a further 3.25% for all these groups from April 2000.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 10 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits it envisages for housing associations in pursuing charitable status and whether it intends to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the existing charity laws which could subsequently change the status and rights of tenants of registered charitable housing associations.
Answer
It is for housing associations to evaluate the full implications for themselves of seeking recognition from the Inland Revenue that their association should enjoy charitable status. Charitable status could affect their tax liability, but they would also need to ensure that their activities were in line with the agreed charitable purposes. With regard to existing charity law, the Scottish Executive announced to Parliament on 3 November 1999 that an independent commission would be established to review and reform charity law in Scotland. Ministers are currently considering the chair, membership, remit and timetable of the commission and a further announcement will be made to the Parliament in due course.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 7 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will supplement the work of the Drug Enforcement Agency by reviewing and amending existing drug treatment programmes for addicts, such as the methadone programme, in the light of the death of 15 year old Kerry-Ann Kirk, from Coatbridge.
Answer
It is for the statutory authorities, in liaison with local Drug Action Teams, to ensure that there is an appropriate range of treatment services for drug misusers in line with the national objectives set out in Scotland's drugs strategy. The success of methadone treatment in reducing crime, deaths, disease and drug use is well documented. In light, however, of the tragic death of Kerry-Ann Kirk, the Executive is asking all health boards to report on the steps that they have taken to ensure that, wherever practicable, methadone is taken under supervision. That includes addressing problems that may arise over weekend and holiday periods. The balance of benefit is hugely in favour of prescribing methadone, but we must ensure that its use is safe and watertight.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 27 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what information and statistics it has on the number of incidences where local authorities are unable to upgrade their tenants' homes due to adjoining owner-occupiers refusing to give permission or being unable to afford to participate in the upgrading.
Answer
No such information is collected. However, we are aware of the problem, particularly through our discussions with councils on new housing partnerships. The forthcoming Housing Bill will include provisions relating to repairs by owner-occupiers.
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 18 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was spent on research into the causes of myalgic encephalomyelitis in the last five years for which figures are available and what is the projected funding for the next five financial years or those years for which figures are available.
Answer
The table below gives the relevant information about research on myalgic encephalomyelitis which has been directly funded by the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) in the past five years. CSO has no current projects or applications for future funding under consideration in this area.
CSO also supports research indirectly through its allocation of some £29 million annually to the NHS in Scotland. Some of this funding may support research with a relevance to myalgic encephalomyelitis. Details of past and current research undertaken on myalgic encephalomyelitis in the UK are available on the National Research Register (NRR), a copy of which is in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.Table: CSO annual expenditure on myalgic encephalomyelitis projects
Year | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | Total |
£ | 0 | 29,454 | 23,171 | 0 | 0 | 52,625 |
- Asked by: Elaine Smith, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 9 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to promote "family friendly" employment policies within the business community in Scotland as part of the Childcare Strategy for Scotland.
Answer
Family friendly employment is key to allowing people to achieve a balance between home and family life. The Scottish Executive is in contact with Her Majesty's Government on a wide range of issues including proposals for a campaign on a UK basis. This will complement the progress we are making in expanding the provision of affordable, accessible, quality childcare.