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: S3W-20603

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 2 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the agreed date is for the relaunch of the Scottish Centre for Regeneration's website.

Question reference: S3W-20594

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 2 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on direct payments for people with learning disabilities in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008, broken down by local authority.

The information requested is in the following table:

Value of Self-directed Support (Direct Payment) Packages for People with Learning Disabilities, by Local Authority, 2007 and 2008

	Value of Direct Payments (£000)
	2007	2008
Aberdeen City	311	395
Aberdeenshire	317	534
Angus	54	50
Argyll and Bute	415	598
Clackmannanshire	18	4
Dumfries and Galloway	295	348
Dundee City	78	77
East Ayrshire	50	85
East Dunbartonshire	-	20
East Lothian	73	278
East Renfrewshire	-	-
Edinburgh	643	915
Eilean Siar	19	16
Falkirk	8	16
Fife	618	793
Glasgow	434	594
Highland	566	594
Inverclyde	5	8
Midlothian	28	32
Moray	158	115
North Ayrshire	43	54
North Lanarkshire	189	350
Orkney	13	6
Perth and Kinross	81	122
Renfrewshire	39	136
Scottish Borders	125	114
Shetland Islands	68	-
South Ayrshire	104	118
South Lanarkshire	104	122
Stirling	5	10
West Dunbartonshire	86	105
West Lothian	82	127
Scotland	5,029	6,736

Source: Self-directed Support (Direct Payments) Survey, Scottish Government.

Question reference: S3W-20597

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 27 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the most recent publication is of the Scottish Centre for Regeneration.

Question reference: S3W-20598

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 27 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the date of publication was of the most recent publication of the Scottish Centre for Regeneration.

Question reference: S3W-20599

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 27 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of the events organised by the Scottish Centre for Regeneration since May 2007.

Since May 2007 the Scottish Centre for Regeneration has organised 40 different events attracting 1,479 delegates. Details of these are contained in the following table:

Date	Event Title	Location	Number Attended
12-2-09	Town Centres and Local High Streets Learning Network launch	Stirling	118
27-1-09	Community Regeneration and Tackling Poverty Learning Network launch	Glasgow	134
19-1-09	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Falkirk	9
5-12-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Hamilton	17
1-12-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Glasgow	9
18-11-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Kilmarnock	11
10-11-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Musselburgh	16
3-11-08 13-1-09	Becoming a Learning Champion 2 day workshop	Aberdeen	10
27-10-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Kilmarnock	10
24-10-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Kilmarnock	11
21-10-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Leven	21
1-10-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Glasgow	14
25-9-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Aberdeen	8
9-9-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Clydebank	11
21-8-08 18-9-08	Becoming a Learning Champion 2 day workshop	Barrhead	9
25-6-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Glasgow	12
24-6-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Aberdeen	12
19-6-08	The same as who? “ 1 in 10 people with learning disabilities are in work	Glasgow	95
18-6-08	Fairer Scotland Fund: Networking event for Community Planning Partnerships	Edinburgh	85
28-3-08 8-5-08	Becoming a Learning Champion 2 day workshop	Glasgow	7
20-3-08	Community Regeneration “ How can it contribute to financial inclusion?	Glasgow	95
10-3-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Edinburgh	9
28-2-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Castle Douglas	4
28-2-08	Linking Sustainable Housing and Regeneration	Edinburgh	93
27-2-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Glasgow	12
20-2-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Inverness	7
13-2-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Dundee	12
8-2-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Dundee	7
22-1-08 pm	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Glasgow	10
22-1-08 am	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Glasgow	13
16-1-08 pm	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Edinburgh	7
16-1-08 am	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Edinburgh	11
24-1-08	Identifying Your Learning Needs workshop	Glasgow	9
24-1-08	Employability “ What can we learn from EQUAL?	Edinburgh	44
28-11-07	How to Develop Sustainable, Mixed Communities “ Lessons from outwith Scotland	Glasgow	88
20-11-07	Identifying and Mainstreaming Success “ lessons from Fife	Glenrothes	48
1-11-07	Working Together for a Healthier Scotland	Glasgow	160
23-10-07	Using Evidence to Help Plan Regeneration	Paisley	93
25-9-07	Making Best Use of Evidence in Outcome Agreements	Perth	29
26-6-07	Linking Neighbourhood and Local Strategic Planning for Regeneration	Perth	104
Total			1,473

Question reference: S3W-20480

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 26 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on what progress has been made towards equal pay since May 2007.

We know from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2008 that the gender pay gap for Scotland is currently 13.5%, based on the average (or mean) hourly earnings for full-time staff (defined as working over 30 hours per week). The median figure is nearly 11%. This shows a slight decrease in the pay gap from 2007 when equivalent figures were almost 15% and 12%.

If we compare the hourly earnings of women working part-time with those of men working full-time, the gap is just over 32% (based on the average or mean) and almost 35% based on the median. Again, this shows a decrease from 2007 when equivalent figures were 34.5% and 37.5%.

Scottish public bodies with more than 150 employees, including Scottish Government, were required to publish an equal pay statement that sets out their policy on equal pay between men and women by September 2007, and report against the statement - and review the statement - at least every three years. (specific public sector duty under the Gender Equality Duty). The first reports are due in September 2010.

One of the Scottish Government''s gender equality objectives is to tackle the gender pay gap/ work towards equal pay, as detailed in the Scottish Government''s Gender Equality Scheme and Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47696).

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/12114733/0.

The Scottish Government recognises that a key issue for understanding and tackling the pay gap is occupational segregation. The cross-directorate working group on occupational segregation published its report on the Scottish Government website in August 2008 and the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47697).

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/08/27101332/0.

Question reference: S3W-20602

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 13 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive where a report of the National Carers' Conference held on 27 January 2009 can be accessed.

I was delighted to have the opportunity to address this important conference. It was a very positive event which brought together carers and local and national policy makers. It empowered carers to have their say about the provision of local carer support, and enabled delegates to share examples of good practice in this vital area.

As the event organisers, Glasgow Caledonian University and the National Carer Organisations will be producing a report on the outcomes of this conference in due course. Once finalised, this report will be available on the Glasgow Caledonian website, which can be accessed via www.gcal.ac.uk.

Question reference: S3W-20200

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by Adam Ingram on 10 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive when its working group on clothing grants will report.

Question reference: S3W-20071

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the second-phase single outcome agreements will be based on the revised guidance issued in October 2008.

Question reference: S3W-20074

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an analysis of the interim reports of progress made in implementing first-phase single outcome agreements in April 2009.