Chamber and committees

The data provided forquestion S2W-2141 are extracted from published information.

Estimated number ofdwellings in Scotland: Statistical Bulletin (Housing Series) HousingTrends in Scotland: Quarter ended 31 March 1992 (HSG-1992-5,SPICe bibliography number 29613) and Quarter ending 31 March 2003(HSG-2003-4, SPICe Bib. number 28820).

Right to buy sales data for Scotland:historical data are available on the Scottish Executive Housing Statistics referencesite in the data library section (website address:www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/housing/hsbref)and in the Statistical Bulletin (Housing Series) Housing Trends in Scotland: Quarter ending 31 March 2003 (HSG-2003-4, SPICe Bib. number28820).

Data for England and Wales areadapted from UK Housing Review 2002-03 (Wilcox, 2002). This is available in the SPICelibrary (Bib. number 27587).

Figures for public sectordwelling stock in Scotland are extracted from returns submitted to the Scottish Executive and are published annually in Housing Trends in Scotland. Theseinclude dwellings owned by local authorities, Scottish Homes and New Towns(when in existence). The figures for 1979 to 2002 are shown in the followingtable.

PublicSector Dwelling Stock in Scotland as at 31 March of Each Year

Year	Public Sector Dwellings
1979	1,024,758
1980	1,042,630
1981	1,042,396
1982	1,030,058
1983	1,007,564
1984	1,000,182
1985	988,337
1986	984,621
1987	969,725
1988	947,778
1989	909,393
1990	869,373
1991	838,004
1992	805,921
1993	775,849
1994	731,791
1995	715,689
1996	682,914
1997	650,935
1998	624,108
1999	577,632
2000	569,854
2001	552,815
2002	530,631

Note:

Figures are for calendaryears.

The following table (Table1) shows figures for right to buy, rent to mortgage and voluntary sales ofpublic sector dwellings, all of which were made under the right to buylegislation. This includes dwellings owned by local authorities, Scottish Homesand New Towns (when in existence). All years shown refer to calendar years.

Data on right to buy salesin Scotland are published in the quarterly trends housing seriesstatistical bulletin, which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centreor through the Scottish Executive website. These data can also be accessed through the Housing Statistics reference site in the datalibrary section (website address: www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/housing/hsbref).

Table 1

Sales in Scotland Under Right to Buy Legislation of Local Authority, New Town and ScottishHomes Stock: 1979-2002

Year	Number of Sales	Sales as % of Total Dwelling Stock	Sales as % of Public Sector Dwelling Stock
1979	1,018	0.05	0.10
1980	5,913	0.30	0.57
1981	10,545	0.54	1.01
1982	14,235	0.72	1.38
1983	17,877	0.89	1.77
1984	16,519	0.82	1.65
1985	14,925	0.73	1.51
1986	13,992	0.68	1.42
1987	18,988	0.92	1.96
1988	31,591	1.52	3.33
1989	38,943	1.85	4.28
1990	32,968	1.55	3.79
1991	23,007	1.07	2.75
1992	24,031	1.10	2.98
1993	20,062	0.91	2.59
1994	21,239	0.96	2.90
1995	16,680	0.75	2.33
1996	12,621	0.56	1.85
1997	16,526	0.73	2.54
1998	14,105	0.62	2.26
1999	13,315	0.58	2.31
2000	13,981	0.60	2.45
2001	13,169	0.56	2.38
2002	15,880	0.68	2.99

Source: DevelopmentDepartment Analytical Services Division (Housing Statistics).

Comparative figures for England and Wales areshown in Tables 2 and 3. These are adapted from UKHousing Review 2002-03 (Wilcox,2002).All stock figures are as at December of year shown. Local authority stockincludes New Town stock when in existence.

Table 2

Sales in England Under Right to Buy Legislation of Local Authority and New Town Stock:1980-2001

Year	Number of Sales	Sales as % of Dwelling Stock	Sales as % of Public Sector Dwelling Stock
1980-85	518,490	-	-
1986	74,323	0.39	1.65
1987	84,799	0.44	1.93
1988	129,657	0.67	3.05
1989	141,054	0.72	3.46
1990	93,360	0.48	2.37
1991	51,591	0.26	1.34
1992	41,611	0.21	1.10
1993	41,368	0.21	1.12
1994	45,044	0.22	1.25
1995	33,961	0.17	0.97
1996	31,781	0.15	0.93
1997	39,875	0.19	1.20
1998	39,846	0.19	1.24
1999	50,435	0.24	1.65
2000	53,962	0.26	1.89
2001	50,421	-	-

 

Table3

Salesin Wales Under Right to Buy Legislationof Local Authority and New Town Stock: 1980-2001

Year	Number of Sales	Sales as % of Dwelling Stock	Sales as % of Public Sector Dwelling Stock
1980-85	44,317	-	-
1986	5,335	0.47	2.07
1987	5,541	0.48	2.19
1988	9,433	0.81	3.87
1989	12,526	1.06	5.40
1990	6,331	0.54	2.80
1991	3,402	0.29	1.55
1992	2,748	0.23	1.28
1993	2,750	0.23	1.30
1994	3,033	0.25	1.44
1995	2,291	0.19	1.11
1996	2,020	0.16	0.99
1997	2,562	0.21	1.27
1998	2,499	0.20	1.24
1999	3,357	0.27	1.70
2000	3,359	0.26	1.75
2001	3,215	-	-

 

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-2384 today. 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/search_wa.

In the last 10 yearslightning killed two people in Scotland, one each in 1995 and 1996.

The Scottish Executive’s response to the 148 responses received during the consultation on Assessingour children’s educational needs: the way forward? was published inFebruary 2002, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s ReferenceCentre (Bib. number 19469). Copies of all the responses are held in the Scottish Executive library.

The draft Education(Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill was published for consultation on 17 January 2003.There were 252 written responses received and copies are held in the Scottish Executive library. A composite report summarising both the written comments andthose made during the consultation events and follow-up meetings will bepublished when the bill is introduced to Parliament. Copies of the report willbe placed in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

The Scottish Executive has no current plans to issue guidance on how to avoid lightningstrikes as the Hazardous Installations Directorate within the Health and SafetyExecutive are the competent authority in this area and are responsible for theissue of all guidance. Guidance for protection against lightning can be foundon the Health and Safety Executive's website and in British Standard 6651:1992.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-33586 on 20 February 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.The position has not changed since then. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government about future meetings.

Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the "Stats 19" statistical report format. These returns cover only accidents in which one or more people were injured - they do not cover "damage only" accidents.The statistical system is not designed to provide the precise numbers of injury accidents at particular locations. However, estimates can be produced from the information in the "Stats 19" returns. The following table gives the numbers of injury accidents which are "at or within 20 metres of a junction" (including the relevant roundabouts), according to the "Stats 19" code for "Junction Detail".It should be noted that the statistics given are based upon the data which are held in the central statistical database and which were collected by the police at the time of the accident and subsequently reported to the Executive. They may differ from any figures which the local authority would provide now, because they do not take account of any subsequent changes or corrections that the local authority may have made to the statistical information, for use at a local level, about the location of each accident, based upon its knowledge of the road and area concerned.Approximate numbers of injury road accidents that have occurred at, or within 20 metres of, the specified roundabouts or junctions, as recorded in the central statistical database.

Year	Newbridge	Maybury	Gogar	Barnton
1992	8	2	9	6
1993	8	8	6	1
1994	5	8	9	2
1995	5	6	5	2
1996	6	1	7	6
1997	5	2	12	5
1998	8	2	6	6
1999	4	1	10	3
2000	4	3	3	2
2001	2	2	7	2

Note: Information for 2002 is not yet available.

The archive edition of the Official Report of meetings of the Parliament, committees and written answers from May 1999 to May 2000 is scheduled to be published on CD-ROM in August this year. The CD-ROM will be available to MSPs, others in the Parliament, partner libraries and the public.

The terms of this amnesty will not affect the discretion of the police to report persons to the procurator fiscal nor that of the procurator fiscal to take proceedings where there is evidence that a particular weapon has been used in the commission of a crime.