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: S3O-06136

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 5 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact on Scotland’s manufacturing sector of the UK Government’s announcement of £2.3 billion in loan guarantees for the car industry.

Question reference: S3W-21347

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 4 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many hours of study per week qualify as full-time study for students applying for Education Maintenance Allowance to study for highers in (a) schools and (b) colleges.

Young people are required to attend non-advanced full-time courses, including highers, in order to be eligible to apply for an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). Within the school sector, full-time usually means at least 21 guided learning hours per week. In colleges, a course with at least 720 planned hours within one academic year qualifies as full-time.

There is a degree of flexibility around the number of hours making up a full-time course, particularly for vulnerable students who may require non-standard attendance patterns. Each student is required to sign a learning agreement which will contain conditions on attendance and agreed learning goals.

Question reference: S3W-20996

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 23 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to licensing boards on the content and implementation of codes of conduct or codes of practice for the holders of off-sales licences.

Question reference: S3W-20995

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 23 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive under what statutory provision licensing boards operate codes of conduct or codes of practice for the holders of off-sales licences.

Question reference: S3O-05881

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 February 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 12 February 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with NHS Ayrshire and Arran about hospital-acquired infections.

Question reference: S3F-01401

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Salmond on 29 January 2009

To ask the First Minister what discussions the Scottish Government has had with Scottish Enterprise about the impact of the recession on the manufacturing sector.

Question reference: S3O-05527

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 January 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that long-serving members of staff who have retired from the NHS after the introduction of Agenda for Change are receiving their full pension entitlements based on their revised salaries.

I can confirm that processes are in place to ensure that staff who have retired from the NHS after the introduction of Agenda for Change receive their full pension entitlements based on their revised salaries.

In such cases, health board payroll offices submit amended retirement forms to the Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA). Once SPPA receive all required information the retirement benefits are revised accordingly. SPPA then pay arrears of pension and additional lump sums as appropriate.

Both health boards and SPPA are working hard to ensure any revised retirement benefits are processed as quickly as possible.

Question reference: S3W-18940

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Jim Mather on 14 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average earnings were for (a) men and (b) women in full time employment in (i) Kilmarnock and Loudoun and (ii) Scotland on the last date for which information is available and in each of the last five years and what information it has on how this compares with figures for the United Kingdom.

The preferred source for earnings estimates is the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), which is carried out by the Office for National Statistics.

Tables 1 and 2 below show the median gross weekly earnings for full-time employees resident in Kilmarnock and Loudoun constituency, Scotland and the United Kingdom. The latest year for which data is available is 2008.

Table 1 “ Median Gross Weekly Pay (£) for Full-Time Employee Jobs¹of Males resident in selected Areas (2004-08).

Area	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Kilmarnock and Loudoun Constituency	460.4	453.1	467.1	482.3	526.3
Scotland	427.1	446.5	463.3	480.9	505.8
United Kingdom	460	471	484.3	498.3	521.2

Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics

Notes:

1. Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence.

2. The estimates are based on a sample survey, and as such, are subject to sampling error.

3. The methodology for the survey was changed and there is a discontinuity in the series. The results for 2006 to 2008 use the same methodology, but are not directly comparable with 2004 and 2005.

Table 2 “ Median Gross Weekly Pay (£) for Full-Time Employee Jobs¹of Females resident in selected Areas (2004-08).

Area	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Kilmarnock and Loudoun Constituency	336	368.8	424.6	452.3	487.4
Scotland	341	360.4	372.6	381	399.1
United Kingdom	356.7	371.4	383.3	394.8	412

Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Office for National Statistics.

Notes:

1. Employees on adult rates whose pay for the survey period was not affected by absence.

2. The estimates are based on a sample survey, and as such, are subject to sampling error.

3. The methodology for the survey was changed and there is a discontinuity in the series. The results for 2006 to 2008 use the same methodology, but are not directly comparable with 2004 and 2005.

Question reference: S3W-18943

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 7 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it issues to local authorities on the operation of a community wardens service.

Following the concordat between COSLA and the Scottish Government, the operation of each community warden scheme is now the responsibility of its local authority, having been piloted and developed by the Scottish Government in previous years. The Scottish Government does not seek to intervene in the running of individual schemes but maintains regular contact with the Scottish Community Wardens Network, which provides a forum for discussion of good practice.

The Scottish Government''s review of the national antisocial behaviour strategy is looking at the range of responses available for dealing with antisocial behaviour, including those related to the work of community wardens. More information on any recommendations relevant to community warden schemes will be available when the review reports to the Parliament early in 2009.

Question reference: S3W-18941

Asked by: Willie Coffey, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 12 December 2008
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 7 January 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence it has on how effective community wardens are in reducing antisocial behaviour.

An independent evaluation of community warden schemes was commissioned by the Scottish Executive and published on 23 March 2007. The evaluation, by GEN consulting, was broadly positive and found that there is some statistical evidence, much of it supported by anecdote and perception, that wardens are having a positive impact on antisocial behaviour in their target areas. The report is available on the Scottish Government website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/03/22104147/0.

Following the concordat between COSLA and the Scottish Government, the operation of each community warden scheme is now the responsibility of its local authority. Most local authorities have since undertaken a review of their services, or are in the process of doing so, in order to determine the most effective configuration of warden services and direct funding appropriately.