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: S2W-29639

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 November 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 20 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) main items of expenditure and (b) total costs were in respect of the operation, maintenance, rent, upgrade and any other associated costs of Bute House, the official residence for the First Minister, in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S2W-29245

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 20 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what agreement it has reached with HM Customs and Excise on VAT indemnity, in light of the Ministerial Progress Group on Second Stage Transfers’ view that the issue should be resolved before the second stage transfer of Glasgow’s housing stock.

Question reference: S2W-29702

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2006
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 17 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the budget for implementing its construction industry strategy has been in each of the last three years, also showing (a) actual spend and (b) outcomes.

The implementation of the strategyfor the construction industry, in line with the recommendations of the ModernisingConstruction Strategy Group, is being pursued by Scottish Enterprise and is an operationalmatter for them. It takes the form of funding for SE Construction Skills Actionplan, CSAP, (£35 million 2003-10) and the operation of the Scottish ConstructionForum. Scottish Enterprise has supplied the following update:

Construction Skills Action Plan(CSAP)

Spend

2003-04: £1,445,752.

2004-05: £2,658,705.

2005-06: £7,516,308.

Outcomes:

Provision of training.

Workforce development.

Employment creation support.

Capital investment infurther education college training infrastructure.

To date these activities haveachieved:

800 people into jobs.

436 adult modern apprentices.

15,797 existing workers trained.

383 construction managers undertakingtraining.

5,000 youth construction MAsin training.

1,480 new apprenticeship trainingplaces created in colleges.

Scottish Construction Forum

Spend

2003-04: £72,511.

2004-05: £213,383.

2005-06: 251,770.

Outcomes:

Fees and operating costs offorum.

Industry research and mapping.

Knowledge exchange seminars.

Construction demonstration projects.

Development support for ScottishConstruction Innovation and Excellence Centre.

Question reference: S2W-29407

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 14 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28963 by Peter Peacock on 31 October 2006, who it has commissioned to undertake the work to identify good practice in relation to school travel.

Question reference: S2W-29242

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has reached agreement with Glasgow Housing Association on the valuation methodology used to assess the price that individual local housing associations will be required to meet in respect of second stage transfer of housing stock.

Question reference: S2W-29240

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Deputy Minister for Communities on 16 March 2006 that both the Deputy Minister and Minister for Communities view 2006 as a pivotal year for second stage transfer (SST) of housing stock in Glasgow, whether the ministers still consider this to be the case and, if so, when the first SST in Glasgow will take place.

The Scottish Executive stillconsiders that this is a pivotal year for Second Stage Transfers (SST). The workof the Joint Team on financial issues will be important in providing a shared evidencebase to allow the key partners to consider how best to move forward with SST. Wewould like the first transfer to take place as soon as possible so that lessonscan be learned and the process can be refined before other transfers take place.

Question reference: S2W-29239

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has sought independent or external advice on the financial shortfall for second stage transfer (SST) of housing stock referred to in the “Financial Realities of SST” paper provided by Glasgow Housing Association in December 2005.

Question reference: S2W-29241

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that any second stage transfer of housing stock in Glasgow will have a financially neutral effect on Glasgow Housing Association and its operations, as referred to in Glasgow City Council’s first stage consultation document.

Question reference: S2W-29243

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that Glasgow Housing Association has exhausted all possible options to deliver second stage transfer of housing stock in the form originally promised by the Executive.

Question reference: S2W-29244

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Communities is confident that he has been kept fully appraised by Executive and Communities Scotland officials of the financial implications and complexities of delivering Glasgow’s second stage transfer of housing stock in the form originally promised by the Executive.