- Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 29 October 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of school pupils has benefited from the extension of the free school meals scheme.
Answer
As yet there has been no extension to the free school meals scheme. There are two commitments in the concordat about extending entitlement to free school meals:
To extend entitlement to free school meals to all primary school and secondary school pupils whose parents or carers are in receipt of both maximum child tax credit and maximum working tax credit from August 2009, subject to the necessary legislation being passed. This will benefit approximately 44,000 pupils.
Local authorities will provide free school meals to all P1 to P3 pupils from August 2010, subject to the necessary legislation being passed. This will benefit approximately 118,000 pupils.
Scottish Parliament support for legislation to enable these extensions to the free school meals scheme will be required.
- Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 28 October 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will release the minutes of all funding decisions from May 2007 that were agreed in principle by the First Minister, subject to agreement by officials of a detailed proposal.
Answer
The 2007 Spending Review outcome, setting out key funding decisions, was agreed by the Cabinet and published in November 2007. The Budget Bill 2007 was scrutinised by the Parliament and its committees, and expenditure is reported on in a range of ways, for example in the Draft Budget, for 2009-10, reports to parliamentary subject committees and press releases. Individual spending decisions on particular issues within portfolios etc are taken by portfolio ministers within the overall context agreed by the Cabinet and set out in the Budget Act, with First Minister and other ministerial colleagues involved as appropriate, for example where cross-portfolio issues are involved. It would be impractical in terms of cost and time to attempt to identify every decision with spending implications in which the First Minister has been involved since May 2007.
- Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 October 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 28 October 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many adults living in families with an annual income of less than £16,000 have benefited from the reduction in prescription charges.
Answer
We estimate that around 600,000 adults living in families with an annual income of less than £16,000 will benefit from the reduction in prescription charges when they buy prescriptions. We do not know how many have benefited since the charge was reduced on 1 April 2008, as the annual income of people paying NHS prescription charges is not collected.
The Scottish Government''s commitment to abolish prescription charges in April 2011 will benefit everyone who pays for prescriptions.
- Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 October 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many indicators explicitly referring to tackling child poverty are included in single outcome agreements, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The Single Outcome Agreements (SOA) reflect the priorities and agreed outcomes for each council and include relevant supporting indicators and targets. Copies of all 32 SOAs which were agreed with local authorities on 30 June can be obtained via the Improvement Service website by following the link below:
http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,43/task,cat_view/gid,561/.
- Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 8 October 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many indicators explicitly referring to tackling homelessness are included in single outcome agreements, broken down by local authority.
Answer
Local authorities address homelessness through a wide range of approaches which will often extend beyond specifically housing issues. As such, there will be a number of indicators which local authorities would see as contributing to addressing and tackling homelessness. Each local authority single outcome agreement is published and available on the Improvement Service Website
www.improvmentservice.org.uk.
- Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 October 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15066 by Fergus Ewing on 3 September 2008, how organisations were made aware of the proposal to hold IslamFest and how they might express an interest in organising the event.
Answer
Individuals originally involved in the IslamFest proposal during the term of the previous administration subsequently formed the Scottish Islamic Foundation which is developing and delivering the IslamFest events. As part of this work the Scottish Islamic Foundation will engage with potential partner organisations and it is open to any organisation with an interest in this event to contact the foundation directly.
- Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 October 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15066 by Fergus Ewing on 3 September 2008, whether the decision by the First Minister to grant funding of £200,000 to the Scottish Islamic Foundation was made in writing.
Answer
The First Minister''s approval in principle of the funding for IslamFest, subject to agreement by officials of a detailed proposal, was minuted under normal procedures.
- Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 October 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15066 by Fergus Ewing on 3 September 2008, which organisations responded to the invitation to express an interest in the proposal to organise IslamFest.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-16022 on 2 October 2008. 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.
- Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 October 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-15066 by Fergus Ewing on 3 September 2008, how many times in 2007-08 the First Minister gave approval to a funding decision by the Equality Unit.
Answer
The First Minister routinely has sight of advice relating to significant initiatives.
- Asked by: Johann Lamont, MSP for Glasgow Pollok, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 25 September 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 2 October 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many indicators explicitly referring to violence against women are included in single outcome agreements, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The single outcome agreements (SOA) reflect the priorities and agreed outcomes for each council and include relevant supporting indicators and targets. Copies of all 32 SOAs which were agreed with local authorities on 30 June can be obtained via the Improvement Service website by following the link below:
http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,43/task,cat_view/gid,561/.
