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: S2W-21648

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 12 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21248 by Patricia Ferguson on 12 December 2005, what efficiency savings sportscotland has already achieved and where these savings have been reallocated.

Sportscotland had undergone significant organisational restructuring in recent years to provide a more responsive service to client and partner groups. Sportscotland commissioned a report by KPMG with the specific objectives of identifying how it could deliver much stronger partnerships with its key partners with less bureaucracy. This led to sportscotland amalgamating their separate funding streams and consolidating their operations into their headquarters building at South Gyle.

As set out in the answer to question S2W-21248, under the Efficient Government initiative, sportscotland has been asked to deliver further efficiency savings of £200,000 by 2007-08.

Question reference: S2W-21979

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 12 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the funding for sports facilities announced on 20 December 2005 is Exchequer or lottery funding and over what period of time the funding will be made available.

The awards announced on 20 December were funded from sportscotland’s Building for Sport programme, which is a combination of Exchequer and Lottery funds. The awards made are set out in the following table. Recipients must be in a position to start the relevant project within one year of the offer of award date and complete the work within two years of the offer of award date. Further information on specific awards can be obtained from sportscotland direct.

Project	Location	Award (£)
Spartans Community Football Academy	Edinburgh	400,000
Greenfield Football Centre	Glasgow	200,000
Aulton Pavilion and Pitch Developments	Aberdeen	450,000
Bayhead Pitch Development Programme	Stornoway	115,920
Point Sport and Recreation Association	Nr Stornoway	139,000
Additional Changing Rooms and Referees Room	Livingston	153,455
Transition Extreme Sports Centre	Aberdeen	150,000
New Clubhouse Facilities	Edinburgh	125,000
East Lothian Yacht Club Equipment Project	North Berwick	33,500
Tennis Court Floodlighting	Nairn	11,000
Whinhill Junior Golf Practice Area	Greenock	29,400
Compendium Park	Glasgow	195,427
		£2,002,702

Note: Those projects in italics received Exchequer funds.

Question reference: S2W-21519

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2005
Current Status: Answered by Johann Lamont on 21 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21027 by Johann Lamont on 6 December 2005, how many applicants, broken down by local authority area, have had to wait for five months or more to have their central heating replaced under the central heating programme in each of the last three years.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

The information requested is not held by local authority area, but by main postcode area. The details are shown in the following table:

Area	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06
AB Aberdeenshire	659	625	350
DD Tayside	425	267	212
DG - Dumfries and Galloway	379	377	285
EH Lothian	1,095	671	379
FK Stirlingshire	173	239	147
G Glasgow	1,986	1,417	1,263
HS Western Isles	216	291	191
IV Highland	344	488	271
KA - Ayrshire	319	413	401
KW Orkney and Caithness	203	258	160
KY Fife	233	283	266
ML Lanarkshire	203	285	276
PA Renfrewshire and Argyll	707	559	489
PH Perthshire	257	211	152
TD Borders	219	241	140
ZE Shetland	65	105	61

Question reference: S2W-21029

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 21 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was informed by the Minister of State for Sport about his review of football governance and whether the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport will be participating in the review, given that Scottish football has its own independent status in world football.

The Minister for Sport at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport convened a meeting, under the auspices of the UK Presidency, to discuss corporate and social governance in football with a view to agreeing terms of reference for a review of corporate and social governance in football. I understand that agreement was reached at the meeting that UEFA will conduct a review and that it will consult its members (which include the SFA) and others in that process.

Question reference: S2W-21028

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 21 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with the Scottish Football Association and the Scottish Premier League regarding the forthcoming European meeting on football between the sports ministers of England, France, Germany, Spain and Italy and, if so, what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S2W-21520

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2005
Current Status: Answered by Johann Lamont on 19 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the length of time which applicants have to wait for their central heating system to be installed under the central heating programme; whether it has established any targets in this respect and, if so, what these targets are.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

Eaga is the managing agent contracted to deliver the central heating programme on behalf of the Scottish Executive. Monthly progress meetings are held between Eaga and Communities Scotland to consider performance in terms of progressing applications through to installation of heating systems. Specific targets are set for Eaga in respect of individual elements of the application process. However, no maximum waiting target has been set as there are many factors outwith Eaga’s control which have a bearing on the installation timetable. These factors include: upgrades of local electricity and gas infrastructure; planning permission; building warrants, and access delays.

Question reference: S2W-21484

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2005
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 19 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the current review of NHS eye care services will include consideration of the NHS spectacle voucher scheme and, in particular, the fact that of the scheme does not meet the full cost of prescribed spectacles.

Question reference: S2W-21249

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 12 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to set guidelines on how Exchequer funding is spent by sportscotland.

Sportscotland, like any other non-departmental public body, is subject to a number of guidelines and requirements regarding its Exchequer expenditure. These are set out in the Scottish Public Finance Manual.

The conditions governing how particular elements of the Exchequer funding should be spent by sportscotland are set out in the grant in aid letter issued to sportscotland by the Scottish Executive.

Sportscotland’s corporate plan, setting out longer term expenditure plans, is also subject to ministerial approval.

Question reference: S2W-21250

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 12 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Scottish Sports Council Trust Company spent on the provision of community sports facilities in each of the last five years; which facilities have been provided as a result, and how much each received.

Question reference: S2W-21255

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 12 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how sportscotland has supported and developed sport in 2004-05; which projects were recipients of the £14.4 million spent on supporting and developing sport at grassroots level, and how much each project received.