Parliamentary questions
Jackie Baillie
9,397 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
28 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the practice of placing housing offers subject to survey, which reduces the number of multiple house valuations, negates the need to introduce the single survey.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The offers subject to survey approach helps, in most cases, to address the issue of multiple valuations in the current buying and selling process. However, the approach also reduces the degree of certainty in the transaction process, which has been a key stre…
28 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will help to increase public awareness about the service standards that should be expected from property managers and factors.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: There are no specificservice standards that are laid down for property managers and factors, althoughthose that are members of trade or professional bodies are expected to comply withtheir respective codes of practice. The enforcement of such codes of practic…
28 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the increase in private letting agents who also provide property management services will have implications for the future of property management services.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: We do not hold informationon the number of private letting agents who also provide property management services.We understand that many firms have long combined these two roles. However, the landlordregistration scheme is intended to ensure that all letting a…
28 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce a national accreditation scheme for property managers.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-3661 on 6 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…
28 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what priority is given in the school curriculum to ensuring that all school pupils are taught about international development, including the work of charitable organisations such as Oxfam.
Answer · Maureen Watt: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-3702 on 10 September 2007. Allanswers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website,the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…
28 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that all school pupils are taught the millennium development goals as part of the school curriculum.
Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Governmentis committed to ensuring that all young people develop a knowledge and understandingof the world and Scotland’s place in it and that they are provided witha Scottish world view. We are working in partnership with Learning and TeachingSc…
28 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what contribution it is making to the eight millennium development goals agreed by the United Nations.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: The future directionof the Scottish Government’s International Development Policy - and the way in whichthe increased International Development Fund is distributed - will be informed bythe expert views of Scotland’s Aid Agencies. This will ensure it is focuse…
28 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will actively support the promotion and development of fair trade.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: As stated in the answerto question S3W-2899 on 7 August 2007, this Scottish Government is committed toTrade Justice and will continue to support the drive to make Scotland a Fair Tradenation, based on meaningful and substantial measures. We will do this throu…
28 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will work with aid agencies in Scotland.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: I met with the Networkof International Development Organisations in Scotland and the Scotland-Malawi Partnership on 23 August 2007 to invite them to contribute to the discussion on thefuture of our International Development Policy. As stated in the answer to …
28 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consult the Department for International Development on the additional countries to benefit from assistance from the overseas aid budget to ensure that efforts are complementary and properly targeted.
Answer · Linda Fabiani: I wrote to the Secretary of State for International Development on 6 July 2007 congratulating him on his appointment; confirming that I look forward to developing a constructive working relationship on international development matters, and expressing the hop…
28 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the announcement by the Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture on 23 August 2007 regarding the level of the overseas aid budget fulfils the commitment outlined in The First 100 Days of an SNP Government that the aid budget would be increased by 100% in…
Answer · Linda Fabiani: Our commitment states We will convene a meeting of Scotland''s aid agencies to ensure Scotland''s overseas aid policy meets the needs of those in greatest need of support and in our first Budget for Scotland the SNP will increase Scotland''s International Dev…
28 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the announcement by the Minister for Europe, External Affairs and Culture of 23 August 2007 regarding the level of the overseas aid budget means that the fund will be increased to £9 million from 2008-09 and, if not, what the profile of the funding increase will be for each year u…
Answer · Linda Fabiani: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-3642 on 4 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…
28 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Lord Advocate considers that the Bill published as Annex B to the White Paper, Choosing Scotland’s Future: A National Consultation, is within the legislative competence of the Parliament, in light of the decision of the Court of Session in Whaley v Watson 2000 S.C. 340.
Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The practice ofsuccessive governments, reflected in the Scottish Ministerial Code and theprovisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, is that the fact and content of legal advice is notrevealed.</p>
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take in the next four years to promote sharing power equally between men and women in all areas of life, in line with the Equal Opportunities Commission’s Gender Agenda targets.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-3626 on 6 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website the search facility for which can befound at: <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/w…
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take in the next four years to provide equal access for men and women to justice and safety, in line with the Equal Opportunities Commission’s Gender Agenda targets.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-3626 on 6 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take in the next four years to modernise public services so that they respond to men and women’s needs and meet the Equal Opportunities Commission’s Gender Agenda targets.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-3626 on 6 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take in the next four years to give better support to families to meet the Equal Opportunities Commission’s Gender Agenda targets.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-3626 on 6 September 2007. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facilityfor which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.…
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take in the next four years to close the income gap between men and women to meet the Equal Opportunities Commission’s Gender Agenda targets.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: We welcome the wide-ranging10-year targets for each of the goals within the Equal Opportunities Commission’sGender Agenda, which was made publicly available on 23 August 2007.</p><p>As required by the Gender Equality Duty, which came intoforce in April 2007, …
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why only 3.9% of sexual assault cases result in a conviction for the offender and what measures it will take to ensure that more sex offenders are convicted.
Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The availablestatistics on court proceedings and recorded crime cannot be combined in anymeaningful way to derive rates of conviction. However, the available statisticsdo illustrate that the conviction rate for rape, in particular, is very low.</p><p>The pros…
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to reduce the (a) part-time and (b) full-time gender pay gap.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: As required by theGender Equality Duty, which came into force in April 2007, the government has publishedits Gender Equality Scheme, setting out the government’s high-level objectives fordelivering on gender equality. These include an objective to continue ou…
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will take to ensure that one in five women in Scotland do not suffer domestic abuse.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Governmentis committed to tackling violence against women and within that domestic abuse.We have committed £8.6 million of funding to cover a range of issues in 2007-08and we will build on the work which has been undertaken to date in Scotland. W…
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what contribution students from England, Wales and Northern Ireland make towards Scottish university education and what implications the agreement recently signed with the Northern Ireland administration will have for this.
Answer · Fiona Hyslop: Students domiciledin England, Wales and Northern Ireland are liable for a tuition fee of £1,735 peryear for general degree courses and £2,760 for medical courses. There are currentlyno plans to change this and no agreement in this area has been signed.</p>
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to develop a package of national measures to promote positive attitudes towards disabled people.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Governmentis aware of the calls for national measures to promote positive attitudes towardsdisabled people which were made in the Equal Opportunities Committee’s DisabilityInquiry Report<i> Removing Barriers and Creating</i> <i>Opportunities</i> …
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will help to address income inequality between disabled and non-disabled people.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Governmentis committed to creating a fairer, wealthier Scotland and will work towards this end through delivery of its five strategic objectivesand overarching purpose. It will help to address income inequality between disabledand non-disabled pe…
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to honour its commitment to social justice and social inclusion improvements with regard to disabled people.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Governmentwill take forward its commitment to improved social inclusion for disabled peoplethrough the delivery of its five strategic objectives and overarching purpose, whichcommit all public services to creating a fairer Scotland with opportuni…
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make changes to the infrastructure of the direct payments scheme and to further encourage local authorities to support them.
Answer · Shona Robison: New national guidanceon self-directed support which issued in July tasks local authorities with developinglocal infrastructures and is designed to increase uptake. This can be accessed on<a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/181224">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/1…
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to promote and improve funding for disabled access improvements to public and private buildings.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: Under the DisabilityDiscrimination Act 1995 (DDA), service providers and public authorities are requiredto make reasonable adjustments to allow access for disabled people. The ScottishGovernment will ensure that the services that it provides, and the public f…
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it measures performance in respect of the promotion of independent living for disabled people.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The public sectorduty to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people, which came into forcein December 2006, provides an opportunity for public bodies to focus on the needsof disabled people and develop work on independent living. The duty also provid…
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publicise more widely the funding resources available for disabled individuals and representative groups.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Governmentis committed to equality of opportunity for disabled people and is keen to ensurethat disabled people and disability organisations receive support and informationthat meets their needs.</p><p class=MsoPlainText>Wecurrently support the w…
24 Aug 2007 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is planning to improve current levels of consultation with disabled persons’ groups when making future decisions that shape relevant policy areas.
Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Governmentis committed to consultation and engagement with disabled people. We currently funda number of national disability led organisations to assist us with this. We regardthis as an important feature of our work and will want to continue to …