- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether a real-terms public spending increase of 2.4% will lead to a fall in the level and quality of services financed through central funding initiatives.
Answer
Strategic SpendingReview 2007 will focus on achieving the Government’s purpose and five strategicobjectives. We will work with our partners to deliver the best possible public serviceswith the available resources.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the delay in the comprehensive spending review will not adversely affect the delivery of essential services.
Answer
We will publish ourspending plans as soon as possible after the announcement of the UK ComprehensiveSpending Review. However, there will be an impact on the notice we can give deliverybodies of their allocations for 2008-11. We will work with delivery partners tominimise disruption and ensure the on-going smooth delivery of services to customersin circumstances that are outwith the control of the government.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it intends to take to reduce smoking-attributable mortality in all ages and genders in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area, in light of it having the highest such mortality rate of any NHS board area.
Answer
The Scottish Government is makingsubstantial levels of specific funding available to Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHSBoard for the provision of smoking cessation services and related tobacco controlactivity to reduce the incidence of smoking related morbidity and mortality in thearea. In 2007-08, the Board’s allocation is £2,569,000 including £800,000 for thetobacco control element of the Keep Well initiatives in East and North Glasgow.
Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHSBoard is strongly committed to reducing smoking prevalence within the area and havehad a comprehensive tobacco control strategy in place for a number of years. Thesubstantial increases in the funding made available by the Scottish government overthe last three years, has enabled the board to considerably expand these tobaccocontrol activities. As a result, a comprehensive, integrated, smoking cessationservice has been established across the board area and a range of other tobaccocontrol measures, such as prevention and education, are being pursued. Theboard is also currently reviewing the overarching tobacco control strategy in lightof recent developments, including structural changes, to ensure that the contributionof all relevant health improvement partners within local Community Health Partnershipsis harnessed effectively to reduce smoking-related harm within the area.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to withdraw the graduate endowment paid by students from Northern Ireland studying at Scottish universities.
Answer
Only Scottishdomiciled and non-UK EU students studying in Scotland are liable for the graduate endowment fee. It has never applied tostudents from England, Wales or Northern Ireland studying in Scotland.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will improve the profile of spending on social housing.
Answer
The Scottish Government'sspending plans for the period 2008-11, which will enable us to fulfil ourpurpose and achieve our strategic objectives, will be announced in late autumn,when the strategic spending review is concluded.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will protect the right-to-buy for tenants who already have this right.
Answer
We recognise theimportance of protecting the existing rights of tenants to buy their homes butalso wish to ensure that the Right to Buy is responsive to local needs. Weintend to examine how to achieve a comfortable balance between theopportunities for homeownership and the pressure that exists in some localitieson affordable housing.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 31 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Government will consider introducing a legal limit on caffeine in alcohol products.
Answer
I discussed responsibilityand cost sharing with the former Secretary of State for Environment and RuralAffairs, David Miliband, when we met on 18 June 2007.I also wrote to the new Secretary of State, Hilary Benn on this issue on 4 July 2007. In allthe discussions with Defra on this issue the Scottish Government have stressedthe importance of affordability and supporting a sustainable livestockindustry.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 20 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Ofgem to go further than the forthcoming licence condition on backcharging token prepayment meter customers and require all suppliers who adopt the policy to end it immediately.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to questionS3W-1618 on 20 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 20 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to Iberdrola to end the policy of backcharging token prepayment meter customers.
Answer
Regulation of energy supply companiesis a matter for Ofgem. The new supply licence conditions will oblige suppliers totake all reasonable steps to ensure meters are recalibrated in a timely manner afterany price change and Ofgem will be monitoring closely compliance with this condition.I intend to keep this matter under review and I will make appropriate representations to Ofgem if this becomes necessary.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 19 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is reviewing the operation of Scottish Enterprise Network’s Business Gateway and, if so, what the timescale is for the review.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise hasreviewed the operation of the Business Gateway over the past two years. This hasnow been completed and new contracts for the local delivery of Business Gatewayservices were issued on 11 July 2007.
