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: S1W-24494

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21600 by Malcolm Chisholm on 30 January 2002, whether Lanarkshire Primary Care Trust has been informed that it is unacceptable to refuse to accept a referral and to close waiting lists and whether the trust has confirmed that this practice no longer exists.

Question reference: S1W-24597

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 17 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current status is of the proposed Shetlands Islands Council housing stock transfer.

Question reference: S1W-24603

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 17 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16823 by Jackie Baillie on 2 August 2001, what the current status is of the proposed transfers of Scottish Homes properties to other landlords

Scottish Homes has just over 3,000 houses still in ownership. Of these, some 1,200 have been successfully balloted and scheduled to transfer in April/May this year. Transfer proposals are being finalised for the remaining estates, with ballots scheduled later in the year. This is with the exception of Govan, which is subject of a management contract and Windlaw, Castlemilk, where tenants are pursuing transfer under the tenants choice scheme.

Question reference: S1W-24427

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any concern has been expressed to it by the Civil Service Commissioners in regard to any appointment made by it since May 1999.

Question reference: S1W-24429

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any complaints regarding its adherence to the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Code.

Question reference: S1W-24428

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has requested the Civil Service Commissioners to routinely monitor the appointments it makes.

Question reference: S1W-24495

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 17 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-21675 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 24 January 2002, whether it intends to carry out any research in order to determine what percentage of student debt is a consequence of the introduction of the student loans system.

Question reference: S1W-24431

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 16 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15784 by Sarah Boyack on 11 June 2001, whether any evidence has come to light that the out-going trunk road operating companies neglected the clearing of litter from motorways during the final months of the old contracts and whether any additional payments have been requested by, or made to, the new operating companies.

The Scottish Executive and the Performance Audit Group have investigated the evidence provided by the new operating companies and reviewed the actions taken by the previous trunk road operators in regard to the clearing of litter from motorways. The Executive's position on the evidence presented is that there is no justification for meeting the claims for additional payments submitted by the operating companies.

Question reference: S1W-24336

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 22 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 16 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) people and (b) agencies have been engaged in a consultative capacity by and on behalf of Communities Scotland since its inception and at what cost.

I have asked Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:A total of 27 consultancies have been employed by Communities Scotland since its inception, details of which are given in the following table. The total cost to Communities Scotland is £502,778.

Consultancy	Project		Contract Value
Area Based Studies
EKOS Ltd.	Study into jobs and training opportunities from construction in Glasgow North		£8,187
ODS	Evaluation of Care and Repair small repairs project in Glasgow		£5,000
Glasgow University	Study to consider the feasibility of a housing market database drawing on Glasgow Solicitors Property Centre data		£8,000
Eric Watterson	Technical consultancy services on various development projects		£8,739
Dearle and Henderson	Cliffburn Masterplan - community consultation and preparation of regeneration masterplan for Cliffburn, Arbroath		£16,000
EDAW	Regenerating Stobswell - Feasibility Report		£17,000
NFO System 3 and DTZ Pied	Perth and Kinross and Angus Housing Needs Study		£30,000
Ecological Design Group	Evaluation of 14 new low energy homes for rent at Kincardine O'Neil		£5,000
ODS	Research into BTS Prioritisation in Inverclyde		£9,958
ODS	Appointed a set of residents advisors for residents in the Moorpark area		£5,000
Russell Rowbotham Associates	Appointed a set of residents advisors for residents in the Shortroods area		£5,000
HCH Chapman Hendy Consultants	Research into RSL delivery in Edinburgh		£5,000
Ernst & Young	Discussion Paper looking at low or nil subsidy provision of affordable housing		£10,000
Research
Eddy Adams	Project to scope out Communities Scotland potential role in engaging in international networking activity.		£7,486
Policy Development
Segal Quince Wicksteed	Review of Wider Role Policy		£33,346
Eddy Adams	Consultancy services at workshops and meetings to develop a Digital Inclusion action plan for Communities Scotland		£3,916
Training Support
Michael Bell Associates	Development of electronic training programme for housing advisors covering areas of housing law		£16,862
Shelter Scotland	Delivery of training support for electronic training programme for housing advisors		£7,990
Regulation and Inspection
Employers in Voluntary Housing	Placement of part-time Housing Manager in a poorly performing association		£884
Edinburgh College of Art	Gypsy/Travellers Thematic Studies Literature Review to develop an assessment framework and identify examples of good practice		£4,995
Masons Solicitors	Research to produce guidance of performance standards and procurement		£5,875
Think - Em	Design costs to improve the quality of various annual performance and statistical returns		£2,843
Publications
Laure Paterson	Editing, writing, proofreading HomePoint publications		£3,530
Laure Paterson	Proofreading Communities Scotland draft Corporate Plan for consultation		£100
Laure Paterson	Proofreading of chapters prior to the publication of Housing Economics.		£1,800
University of Dundee	Production of Third Housing Digest Series- Issue 2 and 3		£4,000
Global language Services	Translation of basic housing information from English into Cantonese, Punjabi and Urdu for publication on Housing Options website.		£313
Evaluation
Bob Widowson	Evaluation of Scottish National Standards for housing information services.	£7,256
KPMG	Performance management - development of Key Performance Indicators for Communities Scotland	£3,623
Performance Improvement
Thirdwave	Development of Housing Quality Assessment Programme for refurbishment (jointly with ECA).	£33,500
Edinburgh College of Art	Development of Housing Quality Assessment Programme for refurbishment (jointly with Thirdwave)	£21,000
PA Consulting	To develop an e-business strategy with supporting business cases to help Communities Scotland progress towards Modernising Government.	£200,000
IME UK Ltd	Development of menu-based reports for the pilot of Scottish Statistics website	£10,575

Question reference: S1W-24601

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 March 2002
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 15 April 2002

To ask the Scottish Executive what rates of interest are currently being obtained by housing associations expressed as margins over the London InterBank Offered Rate or bank base rates.