- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 2 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12051 by Angus MacKay on 8 February 2001, why it has no full-time staff based in East Renfrewshire, Midlothian and North Ayrshire and whether it has any plans to disperse jobs to these areas.
Answer
The location of staff is determined by a range of factors. Staff of the Rural Affairs Department, for instance, provide a range of services to the agricultural community from offices around Scotland. The location of these offices relates to the efficiency and effectiveness of the service provided rather than to local authority boundaries.Last December I announced to Parliament that detailed reviews of the Edinburgh operations of six public bodies would be undertaken to individual timetables based on lease breaks and other operational factors. The reviews will determine the most efficient and effective locations for the work concerned. No specific areas of Scotland will be targeted and equally no areas will be ruled out.I also announced at that time that the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and the Scottish Social Services Council would not be located in Edinburgh. Malcolm Chisholm announced on 6 March that the national offices of these two new bodies will - if the Parliament passes the necessary legislation to enable them to be established - be located in Dundee. In addition there will be 5 further regional offices for the Commission. The locations being considered are the Inverness area, the Aberdeen area, the Paisley area, the Hamilton/East Kilbride area and East Lothian. Decisions on regional offices for the Commission will be announced shortly.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 2 May 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-12169 by Mr Jack McConnell on 6 March 2001, why current expenditure per pupil fell in Glasgow by #72 between 1996-97 and 1998-99 in real terms.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not plan local authority expenditure in detail. The authorities make their own spending decisions, including the allocation of resources to the various services for which they are responsible.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answer expected on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to merge any non-departmental public bodies in 2001 and, if so, which ones.
Answer
Answer expected on 25 January 2001
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answer expected on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to abolish any non-departmental public bodies in 2001 and, if so, which ones.
Answer
Answer expected on 25 January 2001
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 26 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any information to suggest that the Glasgow housing stock transfer ballot will be delayed beyond November 2001.
Answer
Glasgow City Council has responsibility for the timing of the ballot.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 26 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many midwives who qualified in 2000 have found employment in the profession.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 26 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive under what circumstances it would seek to use the income tax varying power to (a) raise or (b) lower the basic rate of income tax.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has undertaken not to use its tax varying power to increase income tax during the current Parliament. Our draft budget for 2002-03 is based on the current rate of basic tax.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 26 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students have dropped out of (a) further and (b) higher education in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.
Answer
Data for all students undertaking further and higher education at higher education institutions and who leave before completion each year for which information is available is provided in the table:Students in Higher Education Institutions in Scotland 1994-95 to 1999-2000Leaving course and level
| Left before completion | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 |
| Higher education | 3,809 2.6% | 5,844 3.8% | 7,160 4.2% | 7,808 4.4% | 8,048 4.4% | 7,533 4.0% |
| Further Education | 17 5.9% | 60 24.6% | 30 7.2% | 29 7.9% | 10 3.0% | 18 18.3% |
Source : Higher Education Statistics Agency
Performance Indicators published annually by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council for higher education institutions in Scotland provide a projection of the numbers who start a full-time first degree course and do not obtain an award or transfer to another institution. For those starting in 1996-97 this was 17%, while in 1997-98 this was 16%.Data is not available for those undertaking further or higher education at further education colleges.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 April 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 26 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the IT project for people with learning disabilities implemented by Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council at its Westfield Resource Centre can be implemented by Scottish local authorities.
Answer
The West Vale Resource Centre for people with learning disabilities, run by Knowsley Council Social Services, has developed an IT project for around 60 service users who attend the centre. The project has demonstrated significant benefits for people with learning disabilities, including increased self-esteem, improved communication and IT skills and improved employment opportunities. IT training takes place at the resource centre.The review of services for people with learning disabilities, The same as you?, recommends that local authorities and health boards should develop more modern, flexible and responsive day care services which support people in the community through lifelong learning and employment.Many people with learning disabilities already take part in educational activities within day centres and in further education. There are examples already in Scotland of IT skills projects for people with learning disabilities, based in further education colleges.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 30 March 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 25 April 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many retailers were prosecuted in Scotland under the Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991 in the period 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000 and how this compares with the equivalent figure for England and Wales.
Answer
The available information is for calendar year 1999. During that year no persons were proceeded against in Scottish courts where the main offence was under the Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991. The corresponding figure for persons proceeded against in England and Wales was 136.
