- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 12 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to allow local authorities to establish 100% publicly owned arms length companies to bring investment into public sector housing following the announcement by the Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions on 4 April 2000 that this would be permitted in England and Wales.
Answer
DETR's proposals for arms length companies have limited attraction in Scottish circumstances as there are no plans to relieve the companies of any debt burden, in the same way as we are doing for Scottish councils who move to community ownership. In addition, all borrowing by the proposed arms length companies will be subject to the normal controls on public expenditure and, consequently in Scottish circumstances, would be met from the resources available in the assigned budget.
We will of course continue to monitor how any proposals are taken forward by DETR.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 April 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 12 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce the incidence of accidental overdose of legally obtained prescription and over-the-counter medicines.
Answer
The Executive supports the aim of providing patients with full and useful information about prescribed and over-the-counter medicines. UK law now requires medicines to be supplied to consumers with specified information on the label and with an accompanying leaflet to ensure safe and correct use. There has therefore been a general move by manufacturers towards supplying medicines in packs which have patient information leaflets sealed into them.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional uniformed officers it estimates could be recruited by each police force during this financial year if police authorities were not required to pay non-domestic rates.
Answer
Following the abolition of Crown Exemption from non-domestic rates from 1 April 2000 police forces are liable to pay non-domestic rates for police properties. The Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) settlement for 2000-01 was increased to recompense in full the costs associated with the payment of rates. The effect of Crown Exemption on the police is therefore cost neutral and has no bearing on officer recruitment.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 9 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional uniformed police officers it expects will be recruited by each police force as a result of its announcement of an extra #8.9 million for the police.
Answer
The additional £8.9 million invested in the Scottish police will enable the recruitment of more than 300 extra police officers. Decisions on recruitment and deployment of staff are, however, matters for individual chief constables. After allocating £1 million to the Scottish Police College at Tulliallan for the training of the additional recruits the funds were distributed as shown in the table below. Also shown is the notional number of additional officers that could be recruited from the extra money available.
Police Force | Additional Funding £000 | Number of Additional Officers |
Central Scotland Police | 369 | 15 |
Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary | 233 | 9 |
Fife Constabulary | 435 | 17 |
Grampian Police | 676 | 27 |
Lothian and Borders Police | 1,442 | 58 |
Northern Constabulary | 423 | 17 |
Strathclyde Police | 3,710 | 148 |
Tayside Police | 612 | 24 |
| TOTAL FUNDING | 7,900 | 315 |
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 8 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that health boards encourage NHS staff to get vaccinated against influen'a next winter and in subsequent years.
Answer
Along with ministerial colleagues in the other UK Health Departments, I have asked the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to review its present advice on the immunisation of healthcare workers against influenza. We await the Committee's advice, which will help inform the arrangements we make in future years.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 8 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve the economic competitiveness of Glasgow.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is committed to supporting the Glasgow Alliance and the Joint Economic Strategy for Glasgow published by Glasgow Development Agency and Glasgow City Council as members of the Alliance in 1999. The main aim of that strategy is to build on Glasgow's distinctive qualities to develop a dynamic, internationally competitive economy which creates wealth and provides quality, sustainable work opportunities for all the residents of the city.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 8 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it holds on the percentage of pensioners who received council tax benefit in the last year for which figures are available.
Answer
Social security benefits including housing and council tax benefits are reserved matters and are the responsibility of the DSS.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take any action as a result of the Centre for Research and Social Trends' report, Attitudes to Voting Reform following the 1999 Scottish and Welsh Elections, published in April 2000.
Answer
No action is planned as a result of the report. With the exception of local government elections in Scotland, elections are a reserved issue under the Scotland Act. The Renewing Local Democracy working group, which the Executive appointed last summer, is looking at a range of issues relating to local government democracy including the electoral system. We look forward to receiving the group's report and considering its recommendations.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 7 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to enable local government to have a greater community leadership role and show increased openness and accountability to the public.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is keen to enhance the community leadership role of councils through the continuing development of community planning. Our commitment to the community planning process will be further demonstrated by the establishment of our Community Planning Task Force and by the wider package of post-McIntosh measures which we are progressing.
Openness, transparency and accountability are among the key criteria on which the Leadership Advisory Panel are assessing councils self-reviews of their policy development and decision-making processes. The panel and individual councils, working together, will ensure more open and accountable processes are developed across the country.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 7 June 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage local authorities to motivate and manage staff and manage the process of change in local government.
Answer
It is the responsibility of each of the local authorities, as employers, to ensure that they motivate and manage staff and manage the process of change in the best way possible. The Leadership Advisory Panel, which the Executive appointed to oversee the modernisation of council structures, is working with councils to help them prepare effectively for the effects of changes on staff.
