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-16822

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the decisions on applications for funding to the Equality Unit from May 2007 that were approved in principle by the First Minister, subject to agreement by officials of a detailed proposal.

The application for funding to the Equality Unit that was approved in principle by the First Minister, subject to agreement by officials of a detailed proposal, is detailed in the answer to question S3W-16025 on 2 October 2008. The First Minister has an interest in every portfolio across government, and has sight of many applications which have funding implications. It would be impractical to attempt to identify all the applications which fall into this category since May 2007.

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/wa.search.

Question reference: S3W-16808

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 30 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive which voluntary organisations have been allocated monies from the current third sector funding package and how much they have received in each case.

The current Third Sector funding package provides £93.6m for the sector over three years. The package provides: investment funding for the sector through the Scottish Investment Fund (£30 million) and the Enterprise Fund (£12 million); activities to support enterprising behaviour and address barriers facing the sector as outlined in the Enterprising Third Sector Action plan (a number of these through competitive tendering and contracting), and direct support to third sector infrastructure bodies and specialist intermediaries providing services to third sector bodies.

The following grant funding figures are for 2008-09 and do not include the Scottish Investment Fund, or Enterprise Fund, which will be reported on separately, or funding which has been contracted for through competitive tendering, rather than allocated through a grant. Grants or funding allocated below £1,000 are also not included.

Third sector infrastructure bodies currently allocated grant funding during 2008-09 are as follows:

Organisation	Amount of Funding	Purpose
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)	£0.650 million	Core Funding (strategic partnership)
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)	£0.400 million	Developmental support to the CVS Network
Voluntary Action Lochaber	£0.010 million	Development of a national body for CVS network
Councils for Voluntary Service (CVS) Network	£3.850 million	Core funding, distributed through SCVO
Volunteer Development Scotland (VDS)	£0.940 million	Core funding, Millennium Volunteer Programme, support to Volunteer Centre networks and a secondment
Volunteer Centre Network	£3.751 million	Core funding, distributed through VDS
Voluntary Action Fund (VAF)	£1.220 million	Grant programme for grass-roots organisations
Local Social Economy Partnerships (LSEPs)	£0.350 million	Contribution to partnership activities
Social Firms Scotland	£0.090 million	Business development and support for emerging social firms
Development Trust Association	£0.075 million	Support the development of effective community development trusts.
International Network of Street Papers	£0.015 million	Supports new and emerging street papers and networks “ ultimate aim of alleviating poverty
Scottish Community Foundation	£0.155 million	Core funding

Third sector specialist services/intermediaries currently allocated grant funding during 2008-09 are as follows:

Organisation	Amount of Funding	Purpose
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)	£0.045 million	Development of skills infrastructure for third sector (strategic partnership)
Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO)	£0.141 million	Implementation of PQASSO quality standard for CVS Network; support for the development of interactive evidence library across third sector; mediation group; research on civil society and government, and dormant account consultation.
SenScot	£0.119 million	Support to new and emerging social enterprise networks
Scottish Social Enterprise Coalition (SSEC)	£0.161 million	To represent views of the social enterprise sector, hold the annual S2S trade fair and raise sector''s profile (strategic partnership)
Evaluation Support Scotland (ESS)	£0.114 million	Build sectors capacity to evaluate impact and effectiveness (strategic partnership)
Social Enterprise Academy (SEA)	£0.345 million	Provide training in leadership, management, procurement and business processes
Association of Chief Officers of Scottish Voluntary Organisations (ACOSVO)	£0.074 million	Networking and leadership development across third sector organisations (strategic partnership)
Social Investment Scotland	£0.285 million	Development of loan products for third sector and management of Scottish Investment Fund.
First Port	£0.170 million	Support for new/proposed social enterprises “ web resources, advice and exchange services
Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations (CEMVO)	£0.091 million	Capacity building support for new and emerging ethnic minority led social enterprises
Community Enterprise in Scotland (CEiS)	£0.121 million	Support for Social Enterprise World Forum, study trip to see European innovative social enterprises, business models report, and social ventures Scotland pilot
Good Company Magazine	£0.010 million	Scotland''s specialist publication dealing with social, co-operative and ethical business
Community Business Scotland Network	£0.004 million	Disseminating findings of workshops and research on improving the social accounting and audit process
Community Care Providers Scotland (CCPS)	£0.005 million	Sponsorship of CCPS conference 2008 which includes a focus on commissioning and procurement
Highland and Islands Social Enterprise Zone (HISEZ)	£0.020 million	Supporting development of social enterprises and aspiring social entrepreneurs
Forth Sector Development	£0.009 million	Social Return on Investment (SROI) dissemination project
Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA)	£0.010 million	Events for housing associations to support making the most of their potential for social enterprise
Older People for Older People - UHI	£0.033 million	Encouraging and supporting older people into social enterprise
The Wise Group	£0.002 million	Sponsorship of award at Wise Group 25^th Anniversary Gala dinner

Third sector projects in the final year of three year grant allocations during 2008-09 or receiving transition funding at the end of their grant during 2008-09 are as follows:

Project/Organisation	Amount of Funding	Purpose
Project Scotland	£1.400 million	Support for the costs of youth volunteers
Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme (RSVP)/Community Service Volunteers (CSV)	£0.360 million	Support for senior and retired individuals to volunteer
World Presidency “ International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE)	£0.060 million	Support for period world chair of IAVE based in Scotland
CSV Give and Take	£0.040 million	Transition funding for refocusing the work undertaken through the Local Action Rural Project.
Scottish Business in the Community	£0.024 million	Senior Executive Programme - transition funding for refocusing the work undertaken through the programme.

Third sector pilot and other projects currently allocated grant funding during 2008-09 are as follows:

Project/Organisation	Amount of Funding	Purpose
Wise Group	£0.035 million	Recycling Pilot Project
Inspire (Partnership through life) Ltd	£0.094 million	Reopening of aluminium and steel recycling social enterprise

Credit unions which have currently received grant funding during 2008-09 from the Scottish Credit Union S.G.E.I fund:

Project/Organisation	Amount of Funding	Purpose
Greater Govan Credit Union	£0.011 million	For consolidation of their business over this financial period
Livingston Credit Union	£0.014 million	For consolidation of their business over this financial period

Project/Organisation

Amount of

Funding

Purpose

Greater Govan Credit Union

£0.011 million

For consolidation of their business over this financial period

Livingston Credit Union

£0.014 million

For consolidation of their business over this financial period

In all cases, the monies received to date are dependent on the submission of claims against relevant grant milestones outlined in the individual award letters.

Question reference: S3W-16809

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 30 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16025 by Fergus Ewing on 2 October 2008, on what date the First Minister’s approval in principle of the funding for IslamFest was minuted under normal procedures.

Question reference: S3W-16724

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Adam Ingram on 30 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of school pupils has benefited from the extension of the clothing grant scheme.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of school clothing grants in assisting families with the expenses involved in ensuring children have adequate and suitable clothing to take full advantage of local authority school education. We set up a working group in January 2008 to review the levels of support provided by school clothing grants, with a view to making recommendations to Scottish ministers on where improvements can be made to the system to best meet the needs of children and their families. The report from the working group is expected to be with ministers shortly and we will discuss the recommendations in the report with COSLA.

Question reference: S3W-16820

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 29 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16022 by Fergus Ewing on 2 October 2008, why partner organisations were not invited to be involved in the establishment of a group to take forward an IslamFest.

Question reference: S3W-16818

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 29 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16022 by Fergus Ewing on 2 October 2008, how individuals were invited to be involved in the IslamFest proposal.

Question reference: S3W-16824

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 29 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-16024 and S3W-16025 by Fergus Ewing on 2 October 2008, whether it considers that the First Minister routinely having sight of advice relating to significant issues is the same as the First Minister giving approval in principle to a funding application, subject to agreement by officials of a detailed proposal.

Question reference: S3W-16819

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 29 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive when it received written confirmation of the establishment of the Scottish Islamic Foundation.

Question reference: S3W-16817

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 29 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16022 by Fergus Ewing on 2 October 2008, whether it will list the individuals who were originally involved in the IslamFest proposal.

Question reference: S3W-16810

Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 29 October 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16025 by Fergus Ewing on 2 October 2008, whether it will release the minute that confirms the First Minister’s approval in principle of the funding of the IslamFest.