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-01842

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Mary Mulligan on 19 August 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on local authority housing, including repairs and new build, in each local authority area in (a) 1997-98, (b) 1998-99, (c) 1999-2000, (d) 2000-01, (e) 2001-02 and (f) 2002-03.

The information requested is shown in the following table.

Local Authority	1997-98 (£ million)	1998-99 (£ million)	1999-2000 (£ million)	2000-01 (£ million)	2001-02 (£ million)	2002-03 (£ million)
Aberdeen City	31.621	41.219	42.823	42.975	41.147	40.017
Aberdeenshire	15.239	14.380	17.811	18.526	19.051	16.261
Angus	12.069	11.638	11.731	12.562	13.211	14.061
Argyll and Bute	8.074	7.261	7.583	7.105	7.350	7.633
Clackmannanshire	5.519	6.106	6.992	6.947	7.174	6.583
Dumfries and Galloway	14.555	18.073	17.502	19.790	17.176	16.816
Dundee City	31.636	31.302	29.298	29.806	28.943	28.605
East Ayrshire	18.600	22.627	17.134	19.293	19.515	20.031
East Dunbartonshire	6.402	7.113	7.913	8.432	7.918	7.954
East Lothian	11.630	12.111	12.478	12.169	11.837	15.742
East Renfrewshire	5.035	4.369	4.846	5.538	5.642	5.885
Edinburgh, City of	47.944	50.264	51.742	47.149	45.499	44.644
Eilean Siar, Comhairle nan	3.242	3.358	3.427	3.553	3.566	4.056
Falkirk	23.743	27.519	30.710	31.887	33.036	35.205
Fife	39.253	52.441	49.187	47.607	51.865	51.664
Glasgow	118.173	126.689	125.170	133.239	171.464	175.026
Highland	18.423	19.742	20.155	23.925	27.069	24.028
Inverclyde	16.713	15.761	16.872	15.316	16.007	15.532
Midlothian	8.620	9.503	8.900	9.229	10.476	10.366
Moray	7.515	9.156	9.282	9.822	9.481	7.644
North Ayrshire	21.497	21.145	21.083	21.808	22.244	22.458
North Lanarkshire	70.717	61.954	63.545	64.290	63.781	66.136
Orkney	1.085	1.079	1.218	1.136	1.351	1.354
Perth and Kinross	10.612	10.674	11.542	14.464	12.363	12.453
Renfrewshire	29.198	29.723	30.442	29.059	29.737	28.807
Scottish Borders	7.452	8.095	7.954	7.999	7.472	6.403
Shetland	4.527	4.294	4.111	4.673	5.487	4.174
South Ayrshire	13.365	14.811	16.139	14.869	16.145	17.402
South Lanarkshire	38.061	41.419	44.508	45.346	49.142	52.366
Stirling	9.109	9.705	9.722	12.336	12.360	11.828
West Dunbartonshire	18.078	18.586	16.773	15.988	15.212	14.918
West Lothian	22.828	24.108	22.294	23.235	24.617	33.814

Notes: 1. Table includes capital expenditure on local authorities own housing stock and general repairs and maintenance funded from rental income.2. Information on local authority housing income and expenditure is published annually in the Scottish Executive Statistical Bulletin Housing Series.

Question reference: S2W-01787

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 August 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-468 by Cathy Jamieson on 10 June 2003, how many prosecutions have taken place under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 in each year since 1997 and how much was levied in fines.

The available information is given in the following table. The data for 2002 are not expected to be available until November 2003.Persons Proceeded Against and Fines Imposed for Offences Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (as Main Offence), Scotland, 1997-2001^1,2

	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Number of persons proceeded against	57	55	44	24	34
Number with charge proved	52	53	36	20	32
Total amount of fines imposed (£)	5,130	18,705	6,740	16,480	12,080

Notes:1. Excludes a small number of cases where the charge information available is not sufficiently detailed to identify the offence as being under the 1990 act.2. Includes companies.

Question reference: S2W-01793

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2003
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 19 August 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the amount of affordable housing available.

Question reference: S2W-01779

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2003
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 19 August 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how much private investment (a) housing associations or co-operatives for rented housing, (b) housing associations or co-operatives for low-cost home ownership and (c) other housing providers grant-funded by Communities Scotland attracted in real terms in each year from 1992-93 to 2002-03.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:The amount of private investment in real terms, using current (2003) prices, attracted by housing associations or co-operatives for rented housing; housing associations or co-operatives for low-cost home ownership housing, and other housing providers as a result of grant funding by Communities Scotland from 1992-93 to 2002-03 is as follows:Private Investment in Real Terms at 2003 Prices as a Result of Communities Scotland Grant Funding (1992-93 to 2002-03)¹

	HA Rent	HA LCHO	Other Providers
1992-93	45.7	35.9	89.4
1993-94	51.4	42.1	97.9
1994-95	62.4	39.8	129.1
1995-96	65.7	77.8	109.4
1996-97	58.2	51.5	117.4
1997-98	55.0	30.6	73.8
1998-99	71.3	23.5	81.7
1999-2000	103.1	12.5	102.2
2000-01	115.5	8.3	53.9
2001-02	112.3	12.1	7.0
2002-03	93.5	3.3	36.3

Note:1. Converted using ONS RPI price series.

Question reference: S2W-01778

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2003
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 19 August 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how much Communities Scotland invested in (a) urban and (b) rural housing in each year from 1996-97 to 2002-03 in real terms and what its planned investment is in (i) 2003-04 and (ii) 2004-05.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:The amount of investment in real terms, using current (2003) prices, by Communities Scotland in urban and rural housing from 1996-97 to 2002-03 and planned investment in 2003-04 and 2004-05 is as follows.Communities Scotland's Investment in Real Terms at 2003 Prices in Urban and Rural Areas (1996-97 to 2004-05) (£ Million)¹

	Urban	Rural
1996-97	278.9	66.0
1997-98	184.2	47.0
1998-99	173.4	40.5
1999-2000	175.0	45.9
2000-01	173.7	47.4
2001-02	171.1	54.5
2002-03	164.8	50.4
2003-04	175.8	59.1
2004-05 ²	Not Known	Not Known

Notes:1. Converted using ONS RPI price series.2. Programme for 2004-05 to be agreed in late 2003.

Question reference: S2W-01780

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2003
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 19 August 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what the administration costs of (a) Scottish Homes and (b) Communities Scotland have been in each year since 1998-99.

Question reference: S2W-01641

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 July 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 14 August 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Environment and Rural Development will reply to my letter of 12 June 2003 regarding my constituent, Mr G Stephen of Fraserburgh.

Question reference: S2W-01606

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 21 July 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 14 August 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take prior to the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council in December 2003 to ensure that the share of North Sea herring allocated to Divisions IVc and VIId is reduced to align with the distribution guide proportion recommended by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.

Question reference: S2W-01465

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 July 2003
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 August 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what grant aid is available to assist with business diversification and non-fishing-related new business start ups in fishing industry-dependent areas.

Within the ScottishEnterprise area the business gateway provides a single brand forbusinesses allowing easier access to a consistent range of services gearedtowards potential business start-ups and growing businesses. There arestandard/core programmes available through all outlets providing focussed andhigh quality support to customers. This could include, for example, ane-commerce grant to all new start companies which offers a 50% grant to amaximum of £500 as a contribution towards the costs of computer equipment etc.

In the Highlands andIslands enterprise area, the local enterprise companies (LECs) act as a singleaccess point to information and advice on the range of services available tonew and growing businesses.

Additional services may alsobe available at local level on a discretionary basis. Much will depend on thespecific business needs. The support programmes are not automatic and will bedependent on the specific support criteria and whether the project iscommercially viable. Decisions on the provision of support for individualprojects are entirely a matter for the enterprise networks.

Asoutlined in the partnership agreement, steps are in hand to further improve supportmeasures through the introduction of anew business start up fund.

Question reference: S2W-01321

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 July 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 5 August 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what research is currently being undertaken into ways of reducing the numbers of, or eliminating, midges that bite humans.

	Scottish Homes(£000)	Communities Scotland (£000)
1998-99	30,105
1999-2000	30,522
2000-01	27,408
2001-02	20,250	9,328 (5 months)
2002-03	6,564	24,554