- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 19 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what its current estimate is of the ratio of workers to non-workers and what the comparative ratio was in 1997.
Answer
The latest data, taken fromthe Office for National Statistics labour market first release, on the ratiofor workers to non-workers at a Scottish level relates to the period ofSeptember to November 2006. The ratio of working age people in employment toworking age people who were not in employment in this period was 3.05. Theequivalent ratio for September to November 1997 was 2.48.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 19 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are employed under the successor programmes to the New Deal, broken down by programme and age group.
Answer
New Deal programmes stillexist so there is no successor to these programmes at present.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 19 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of the number of houses affected by (a) dampness and (b) condensation.
Answer
The Scottish House ConditionSurvey for the year from October 2003 to September 2004 estimates that around 103,000households in Scotland (5%) live in dwellings showing signs of rising or penetratingdamp. The survey estimates that around 243,000 households (11%) live in dwellingsshowing signs of condensation.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 19 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of the number of children living in (a) absolute and (b) relative poverty and what the comparative figures were in May (i) 1997, (ii) 1999 and (iii) 2003.
Answer
The information requested isavailable in the publication
Scottish Households Below Average Income, 2004-05which is available either in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number39177) or on the Scottish Executive website at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/95793/0023203.pdf.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 19 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to the UK Government in respect of the impact on Scotland of its proposals to raise the state pension age, in light of the average lifespan in Scotland being less than that in the United Kingdom, and whether the Executive has made any assessment of the likely impact of these proposals on its own policies and budget, including the eligibility criteria for concessionary fares and similar initiatives.
Answer
Scottish ministers fully endorsethe UK proposals to raise the state pension age. The Executive is actively engagedin assessing the potential impact of the pension proposals on its own policies andis liaising with the Department of Work and Pensions to ensure that Scottish circumstancesare taken into account in taking forward pension reform.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 19 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimates are of the number of people who are (a) unemployed, (b) economically inactive and (c) economically inactive but fit and able to work.
Answer
The latest available data onthe composition of economic inactivity is for the period of July to September2006. The number of people who were unemployed in this period was 131,000. Thenumber of people of working age who were economically inactive was 641,000 ofwhich 397,000 were economically inactive for reasons other than being sick ordisabled.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 18 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of the number of people or families on local authority housing waiting lists.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-30466 on 19 December 2006. Information on waiting lists is collectedon an annual basis and there have been no updates since the most recent informationfor 2005-06 was published.All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 18 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of the number of homeless people, broken down by status.
Answer
The latest figures on homelessnessare published in the statistical bulletin Operation of the Homeless Persons legislationin Scotland: National and Local Authority Analysis 2005-06. Thisgives a full breakdown of the characteristics of applicant households and assessmentsmade (tables 11 and 12), and is available on-line in the publications section of the housing statistics branch reference site:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/PubHomeless.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 18 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many new homes were (a) started and (b) completed in each year since May 1999, broken down into (i) private sector, (ii) public sector and (iii) housing association.
Answer
The number of new dwellings startedand completed since 1996 is published in the Housing trends in Scotland: quarterending 30 June 2006 bulletin (tables 6 and 7). This is available on-line in the publications sectionof the housing statistics branch reference site:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/PubHousingTrend.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 17 January 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28342 by Patricia Ferguson on 9 September 2002, whether it will list any feudal superiorities in Scotland owned by Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, in his role as the Prince and Steward of Scotland, as referred to in Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998.
Answer
The feudal system of landtenure in Scotland was brought to an end on 28 November 2004 when theAbolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 was fully brought into force. On thatdate, all superiority interests in land were extinguished. Section 58 of theAct applies the provisions in the act to The Crown and the Prince and Stewardof Scotland. Therefore, the Prince and Steward of Scotland doesnot now own any feudal superiorities.
