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: S3W-18785

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 14 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-18165 by Nicola Sturgeon on 3 December 2008, how many members of staff at the Vale of Leven Hospital have now received training on Clostridium difficile; what the nature of that training was, and when it was received.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde advise that all priority staff as identified by the Vale of Leven Hospital have completed healthcare associated infection (HAI) training.

Sessions to date have been held during September and November 2008 and have covered a wide range of HAI related topics including: the function of the Infection Control Team; micro-organisms and the routes by which they spread; risk factors for HAI; standard precautions that should be taken by staff; environmental cleaning; decontamination of equipment; information about MRSA and Clostridium difficile; outbreak management and Viral gastroenteritis.

Question reference: S3W-18672

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 14 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has awarded a contract to any organisation to translate Scottish Government information into British Sign Language.

Question reference: S3W-18673

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 7 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will adapt its website to enable British Sign Language to be used.

The British Sign Language and Linguistic Access Working Group advises the Equality Unit on improving linguistic access for deaf people in Scotland. Since January 2008, the Scottish Government''s website has included a BSL translation of an introductory page within its People and Society Topic at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Equality/disability/remit.

The Scottish Government has funded a wide variety of initiatives to promote BSL and has committed £1.5 million for 2008-11 to increase the number of BSL teachers and of BSL/English interpreters.

Question reference: S3W-18912

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 5 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has legislative competence to introduce a scheme for the minimum pricing of alcohol and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S3W-18914

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 5 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reasons the example minimum unit price of alcohol of 35p is identified in its discussion paper on its alcohol strategy; what evidence it can provide on how this figure was reached, and what impact this price would have on alcohol harm.

The example minimum unit price of alcohol used in the Scottish Government''s discussion paper was an illustrative figure only. As stated in the discussion paper, this figure is lower than the off-sales average price and would impact most on those products priced low relative to their strength. Further work would be needed assess the potential impact of different minimum prices before firm proposals were brought forward.

Various studies have been carried out on the pricing of alcohol and its misuse, some of which are referenced in the discussion paper. Given the link between consumption and harm and the evidence that affordability is one of the drivers of increased consumption, addressing price is an essential component of any long-term strategic approach to tackling alcohol misuse.

Question reference: S3W-18913

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 5 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that a scheme for the minimum pricing of alcohol is compatible with EU competition law and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Question reference: S3W-18671

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 22 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it routinely translates Scottish Government information into British Sign Language.

Question reference: S3W-18542

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 18 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive how often sections (a) 17 and (b) 18 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 have been used to date, broken down by local authority.

Sections 17 and 18 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 deal with the abandonment and ensuing repossession of properties under the Scottish secure tenancy. The information is not held centrally for local authority landlords; however, information on the number of abandonments following the start of evictions proceedings by local authorities is collected and is set out in the following table.

Eviction Actions Against Council Tenants: April 2002 to March 2008

Number of Cases Resulting in a Termination of the Tenancy through Abandonment or Eviction

	Abandonment	Eviction
Scotland	6,867	6,275
Aberdeen City	1,159	103
Aberdeenshire	40	254
Angus	0	71
Argyll and Bute	0	59
Clackmannanshire	33	36
Dumfries and Galloway	25	39
Dundee City	595	336
East Ayrshire	123	592
East Dunbartonshire	45	92
East Lothian	7	76
East Renfrewshire	13	51
Edinburgh, City of	1,552	170
Eilean Siar	2	4
Falkirk	261	480
Fife	133	470
Glasgow City	225	133
Highland	65	163
Inverclyde	13	42
Midlothian	4	122
Moray	6	59
North Ayrshire	44	297
North Lanarkshire	1,990	817
Orkney	0	4
Perth and Kinross	22	90
Renfrewshire	31	703
Scottish Borders	18	13
Shetland	4	8
South Ayrshire	217	197
South Lanarkshire	47	359
Stirling	82	110
West Dunbartonshire	57	39
West Lothian	54	286

Source: Evictions returns by local authorities to the Scottish Government: Communities Analytical Services (Housing Statistics).

Notes:

1. Figures may include estimates based on previous data due to outstanding returns.

2. Following housing stock transfers, figures for Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow and Scottish Borders are not included from 2003-04, Eilean Siar, Argyll and Bute and Inverclyde from 2007-08.

I have asked Karen Watt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Housing Regulator, to provide information in respect of registered social landlords and this is provided in the following table.

Abandonments and Evictions in Registered Social Landlord tenancies, from 2004-05 to 2007-08*, by Local Authority Area

	Total Abandonments	Total Evictions¹
Scotland	10,616	4,802
Aberdeen City	85	118
Aberdeenshire	53	74
Angus	70	48
Argyll and Bute	81	52
Clackmannanshire	87	64
Dumfries and Galloway	414	235
Dundee City	299	186
East Ayrshire	177	49
East Dunbartonshire	68	39
East Lothian	14	26
East Renfrewshire	44	28
Edinburgh, City of	467	365
Eilean Siar	17	7
Falkirk	135	90
Fife	268	170
Glasgow City	6,178	2,213
Highland	85	69
Inverclyde	43	45
Midlothian	37	25
Moray	11	24
North Ayrshire	97	75
North Lanarkshire	288	89
Orkney	4	4
Perth and Kinross	70	33
Renfrewshire	478	186
Scottish Borders	392	193
Shetland	2	3
South Ayrshire	12	9
South Lanarkshire	156	70
Stirling	16	18
West Dunbartonshire	244	87
West Lothian	224	108

Source: Scottish Housing Regulator Annual Performance and Statistical Returns (APSR).

Notes:

*This information was not collected prior to 2004-05.

1. Total evictions: number of eviction proceedings resulting in either abandonment or recovery of vacant possession. Abandonments during eviction proceedings are thus included in both columns of this table.

Question reference: S3W-18675

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Mike Pringle on 17 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it has awarded a contract to any organisation to translate parliamentary information into British Sign Language.

Question reference: S3W-18676

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Mike Pringle on 17 December 2008

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will adapt the Parliament’s website to enable British Sign Language to be used.

The Parliament has a webpage dedicated to BSL and is currently working towards enhancing the use of BSL on the website.

This is being carried out through the web development project where accessibility issues are being fully considered. BSL users will be properly consulted to identify areas where BSL translation would be most effective on the Parliament''s website.

Further improvements are being made to accessing BSL videos by embedding these on the Parliament website using Flash, and by providing access via other channels such as the Parliament''s YouTube channel.

If the Member would like further information on the provision of BSL within the Parliament, the SPCB''s Equality Team is happy to arrange a meeting to discuss the various arrangements in place.