- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 22 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28139 by Johann Lamont on 13 September 2006, whether this answer indicates that the Executive has made no estimate of the capital and revenue costs of implementing the second stage transfer of Glasgow Housing Association’s housing stock.
Answer
As noted in the reply to the answer to S2W-28139 on 13 September 2006, the costs ofsecond stage transfer (SST) will vary significantly according to a large numberof factors, including in particular the number and shape of transfers and thetiming of these transfers. The number, shape and timing of SST has still to beagreed between partners. A joint team of officials from Glasgow HousingAssociation, Communities Scotland, Glasgow City Council and the purchasers arecurrently considering the financial implications of SST and their report willbe finalised shortly.All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich 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: Thursday, 09 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 22 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28141 by Johann Lamont on 15 September 2006, who the members are of the joint team examining the financial issues of second stage transfers, indicating the positions they hold (a) on the joint team and (b) within the organisation they represent on the joint team.
Answer
The Scottish Executive doesnot feel it would be appropriate to provide names of officials involved in the jointteam. However, a list of the organisations involved is provided in thefollowing table:
| Name of Partner | Department/Organisation leading on involvement in the Joint Team |
| Communities Scotland | Glasgow Area Team |
| Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) | GHA Corporate |
| Glasgow City Council | Financial Services Department |
| Purchasers | North Glasgow Housing Association and their financial advisers |
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 22 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28145 by Johann Lamont on 15 September 2006, what “early progress” means in relation to the implementation of Glasgow Housing Association’s second stage transfer.
Answer
“Early progress” in thatcontext means continuation of the current efforts of all the key stakeholdersculminating in some transfer proposals reaching the point where they can beformally put to tenants under the statutory provisions of the Housing(Scotland) Act 2001.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 22 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28144 by Johann Lamont on 15 September 2006, when the report of the joint team of officials looking at the financial issues raised by second stage housing stock transfer will be available.
Answer
The report of the joint teamon financial issues associated with second stage transfers will be finalised shortly.It will be made publicly available following its initial consideration by keystakeholders.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 22 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28143 by Johann Lamont on 15 September 2006, whether it will list each tranche of funding that it has made available to Glasgow Housing Association to support the delivery of its business plan, indicating the specific purpose for which each tranche was given.
Answer
The following table providesa breakdown of the funding available to Glasgow Housing Association to supportdelivery of its business plan and indicates the purpose of each source offunding.
| Grant | Purpose of the grant | Total amount available |
| Repayable Grant | To support the achievement of GHA’s Business Objectives. | 368,700,000 |
| Contingent Efficiencies | To support the achievement of GHA’s Business Objectives. | 100,000,000 |
| Demolition Grant | To support the demolition of stock in accordance with GHA’s Business Objectives | 114,000,000 |
| Reprovisioning | To support the construction of 2800 new build properties in accordance with GHA’s Business Objectives. | 113,000,000 |
| Central Heating | To support the installation or upgrade of central heating systems in GHA properties. | 20,630,000 |
| GHA Owner Occupiers (Paid to GCC) | To support owner occupiers, on a means-tested basis, in meeting the costs of work on their properties as part of GHA’s investment programme. | 100,000,000 |
| Totals | | 816,330,000 |
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 22 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28143 by Johann Lamont on 15 September 2006, whether this answer indicates that the Executive has given no funds to Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) other than for the delivery of GHA’s business plan and, if it has provided further funding, what the purpose was of this funding.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-29751 on 22 November 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound 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, 08 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 22 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations provided the fingerprint evidence for the Crown Office in the Lockerbie trial.
Answer
Officers of Lothian andBorders Police, the Metropolitan Police, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police andan agent of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation were cited as prosecutionwitnesses in the Lockerbie Trial in 2000 to give evidence about theirexamination of fingerprints obtained from Maltese immigration documents, hotelregistration cards and other documents, including a false passport in the nameof “Ahmed Khalifa Abdusamad” issued by the Libyan Government at the request of the Libyan Intelligence Services to Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi.
The fingerprint evidence inthe trial was not disputed by Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi and the relevantdocuments formed part of the evidence upon which he was convicted.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 22 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Crown Office has reviewed the fingerprint evidence used in the Lockerbie trial since the verdict was issued and, if so, which organisation carried out the review and when it did so.
Answer
There has been no review of the fingerprint evidence in the Lockerbie trial by the Crown Office andProcurator Fiscal Service and there is no intention to conduct such a review.
The fingerprint evidence wasnot disputed by Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi and the travel documents towhich it related were subsequently relied upon by the trial court in convictinghim of the bombing of flight Pan Am 103 and the murder of 270 people.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 21 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the previous Lord Advocate’s decision in August 2001 to take no criminal proceedings against the Scottish Criminal Record Office experts in respect of their misidentification of the Shirley McKie fingerprint, those experts were granted immunity from prosecution or whether it would be possible to commence prosecution of the same experts for this misidentification if new evidence became available.
Answer
The decision not to take proceedingsagainst the four SCRO officers who identified print Y7 as being that of ShirleyMcKie, made by the Lord Advocate in 2001, is final and it would not be possibleto prosecute these officers at any point in the future in relation to their identificationof Y7.
The finality of the decisionis not, however, as a result of immunity granted by the Crown – no such immunityhas been granted. The decision is final because, in Scots Law, when a decision totake no proceedings has been intimated by the Crown to a person against whom a criminalallegation has been made, the Crown are held to it, and such intimation will usuallyconstitute a bar to any proceedings thereafter.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Elish Angiolini on 21 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any experts employed in the Scottish Fingerprint Service have been granted immunity from prosecution and, if so, which experts have this immunity.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-29649 on 21 November 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.No expert employed withinthe Scottish Criminal Record Office has been granted immunity from prosecution and if theconduct of any expert witness appeared to constitute a criminal offence, it wouldbe fully investigated and, if appropriate, criminal proceedings instigated.
