- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce a right of appeal for objectors to a particular planning development which has been approved.
Answer
We have no plans at present to introduce such a right of appeal into the planning system.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any conflict of interest exists where a local authority is factor of property in an area where there is a mixture of tenanted and owner-occupied property.
Answer
Where a tenant has exercised his or her right to buy their council property, they should be allowed the full enjoyment and use of the house as owner. However, if ownership of the building is shared between the local authority and RTB owners, specific conditions may be put in place to cover arrangements for carrying out factoring services and repair and maintenance work. In general terms, such conditions may be required to ensure that all parties will pay their share of the costs towards any communal work carried out. The precise conditions of sale are a matter for agreement between the landlord and purchaser and it is for each party to satisfy themselves, in consultation with their legal advisors prior to completing the transaction, that all terms are reasonable. Any dispute over the conditions would normally be resolved by the Lands Tribunal for Scotland.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the availability of venture capital finance to small businesses.
Answer
The Scottish Executive keeps the financial needs of small business under continued review. I am very pleased that the change of status afforded to Scottish Equity Partners - formerly Scottish Development Finance, Scottish Enterprise's investment arm - has allowed the company to raise £80 million for a new Venture Capital Fund aimed at early stage and growth technology companies. This will provide access to equity funding for an increasing number of Scottish small businesses.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to assist local authorities in improving their planning systems.
Answer
In 1997 a Planning Audit Unit was set up within Planning Services Division of the Scottish Executive. Its initial purpose was to work with authorities to assist in securing improvements in the delivery of their development control service. As well as continuing to do this, it is now also working with authorities to improve their development planning functions.We also seek to keep national planning policy up to date. In November 2000 we published a revision of National Planning Policy Guideline 1: The Planning System. We will shortly be publishing a revision of Planning Advice Note 40: Development Control which will provide, inter alia, best practice advice on development control services.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to the report by the Federation of Small Businesses, Barriers to Growth and Survival, and, if so, when.
Answer
Officials in the Executive's Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department hosted a seminar on 7 December at which the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) gave a presentation on the report. This allowed the FSB representatives to discuss the findings with officials working on most of the subjects covered by the report. My officials will continue to meet regularly with the FSB.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the economic and social consequences will be of delaying the construction of the M74 Northern Extension until the completion of a public inquiry and what the cost of the inquiry will be.
Answer
If a public inquiry is necessary then that is part of the statutory process and is not a delay. It is not possible to estimate the cost of an inquiry until the scope of any objections to the scheme are known.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any conflict of interest exists where a local authority uses its own operatives to carry out repairs on owner-occupied property which it factors, rather than seek quotes on behalf of owners, given the factor's responsibility to act in the owner's best interest.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-12520.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities currently require tenants who are exercising their right to buy to take out a particular building insurance policy as a condition of buying their home and which of these authorities receive commissions from the insurance premiums generated.
Answer
Conditions attached to right to buy sales relating to insurance policies are a matter for local authorities and prospective purchasers to agree. Information on these matters is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its intention to end the "postcode lottery of care" as described by the Minister for Health and Community Care on 14 December 2000 (Official Report, col.1039) will result in services being equally available in all health board areas and, if so, when this will be achieved.
Answer
Our National Health: a plan for action; a plan for change, published on 14 December, sets out fully the range of measures which will be taken to develop and achieve strong national and clinical standards across NHSScotland.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce the number of student nurses who drop out of training colleges due to a perceived poor quality of clinical placements offered.
Answer
We have continually urged universities and NHS Trusts to work together to minimise the drop-out rate of student nurses and midwives, by addressing a range of issues including:
the preparation of the clinical mentors who support students during placements;
the timing, nature and support provided for students' early experiences of clinical placements;
course design to facilitate student progression through successive academic challenges and clinical experiences;
availability of student support services for nursing students.The discontinuation rate can most accurately be measured retrospectively, after each cohort has completed its programme of study. Figures calculated on this basis by the National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for Scotland, give evidence of an improvement over recent years.
