- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 11 March 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 25 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil servants are currently on secondment to external organisations; what the nature is of each such organisation, and how long each secondment will last.
Answer
The number of civil servants currently on secondment to external organisations is 57. The duration of secondments will be part of a forthcoming interchange review. The nature of the receiving organisations and how long each secondment will last is as follows:Total Number of Outward Secondments: 57Nature of Organisations
Public Sector | 13 |
Charity | 12 |
European | 11 |
Industry and Commerce | 10 |
Scottish Enterprise | 5 |
Academic | 5 |
Trade Union | 1 |
Duration of Secondments
0-1 year | 1-2 years | 2-3 years | 3+years |
10 | 31 | 10 | 6 |
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 March 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 19 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21955 by Iain Gray on 30 January 2002, what the timetable is for the publication of the report on the review of the social economy and for consideration of the report's recommendations.
Answer
I have now received a draft of the social economy review undertaken by Mr Stephen Maxwell, Assistant Director of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations. I shall be discussing Mr Maxwell's draft with him and will arrange for publication of the report for consultation in due course.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 14 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21044 by Ms Margaret Curran on 3 January 2002, on what specific areas the second stage of the Housing Improvement Task Force's work will concentrate.
Answer
At its third meeting on 4 February 2002 the Housing Improvement Task Force agreed that the work of stage two, the formulation of policy recommendations to address the issues identified in the first stage report (to be published during March 2002), will be undertaken through three sub-groups considering:Owner occupiers resident in houses and flats that require improvement or repair;Individuals buying and selling property, andLandlords renting property in the private sector (and the interests of tenants who occupy these properties).Draft remits for each of the sub-groups are included in the papers for the 4 February meeting, which will be placed on the Scottish Executive website.The specific policy areas that the sub-group will look at in detail have yet to be decided. They will be agreed at each group's first meeting to take place from 19 March to 4 April. As with all other papers relating to the work of the task force, the papers for these meetings will be published on the website prior to each meeting.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 12 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will define "income" in respect of voluntary organisations that apply for exemption from water and sewerage charges.
Answer
The regulations providing for exemption from water and sewerage charges for small voluntary organisations will include a definition of income for the purposes of assessing eligibility for the scheme.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 12 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review restrictions on the political activities of local authority employees and what the timescale is for implementing any such plans.
Answer
We consulted on the issue of political restrictions in the Green Paper on local government, published in November 2000. Specific proposals on political restrictions will be included in the Local Government Consultative Document due to be published before the Easter Recess.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 12 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the supplementary question to question S1O-4696 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 14 February 2002, when the tender for a feasibility study on establishing a national centre for women's enterprise will be awarded; what key issues the study will consider, and when the study's findings will be published.
Answer
The tender for a feasibility study on establishing a national centre for women's enterprise was awarded to the Paisley Enterprise Research Centre, University of Paisley, on 22 February. The study will provide an assessment of the need for a women's enterprise centre in Scotland and the role it could best perform. The study is expected to be concluded by end May 2002.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive when it now plans to publish its response to the Race Equality Advisory Forum report.
Answer
The Executive published its response on 12 March.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 12 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations and any other bodies about the exemption scheme for water and sewerage charges for voluntary organisations; on what dates any such discussions took place, and what conclusions were reached.
Answer
Ministers and officials have had the following meetings to discuss the exemption scheme for water and sewerage charges:
Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations | 7 January, 30 January, 7 February and 6 March |
Scottish Churches Committee | 31 January and 6 February |
Youth organisations | 1 February and 6 February |
These discussions contributed to the development of the exemption scheme now being implemented. Further meetings are expected.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in implementing the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.
Answer
Many public sector bodies in Scotland have been under a general obligation under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 to promote race equality since April 2001.An order extending the list of bodies in Schedule 1A of the 1976 Act, including devolved bodies, to be made subject to the general duty to promote race equality was laid in Westminster in October 2001 and came into force on 3 December 2001.However, the act recognised that there would be a need to make provision for more specific duties to ensure the better performance by public bodies of the general duty.The Race Relations Act 1976 (Statutory Duties) (Scotland) Order 2002 was laid before the Scottish Parliament on 15 February 2002 and will come into force on 13 March 2002. Public bodies will require to comply with the duties by November 2002.The Commission for Racial Equality, Scotland will shortly be publishing for consultation a draft Statutory Code of Practice and associated guidance for devolved public bodies in Scotland. The code will provide practical guidance to bodies on how to fulfil both their general and specific duties and will be supported by examples of best practice.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 12 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider repealing sections of Part II of the Local Government Act 1988 with regard to the ability of local authorities to carry out new build construction work on behalf of others and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no plans at present to amend the Local Authorities (Goods and Services) Act 1970 to allow Scottish local authorities to engage in new-build construction work. However, this issue was raised in the recent consultation on the Scottish Local Government Bill. The Executive will take time to consider the views of those who responded on this issue.