Parliamentary questions
Linda Fabiani
2,507 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
13 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost of site acquisition was per unit for sites developed in each year since 1980 by housing associations or co-operatives, or their agents, and funded in full or in part by (a) the Housing Corporation, (b) Scottish Homes and (c) Communities Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>The following table gives details of the average cost of site acquisition per unit for affordable housing construction approved through regist…
13 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost per unit was of sites developed in each year since 1980 by housing associations or co-operatives, or their agents, and funded in full or in part by (a) the Housing Corporation, (b) Scottish Homes and (c) Communities Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>The following table gives details of the average cost per unit for all housing construction approved through Registered Social Landlords by Co…
13 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many new-build units were developed in each year since 1980 by housing associations or co-operatives, or their agents, and were funded in full or in part by (a) the Housing Corporation, (b) Scottish Homes and (c) Communities Scotland.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>The following table gives details of the number of units approved through Registered Social Landlords by Communities Scotland, and its predece…
9 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will issue a planning advice note on affordable housing and, if so, what consultation will take place prior to its issue.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We are committed to issuing a Planning Advice Note (PAN) on affordable housing. We expect the PAN to issue early in 2005. </p><p>We do not normally carry out formal consultation on Planning Advice Notes, which set out advice and good practice rather than poli…
2 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many early retirement packages were granted to chief executives and officers at director level in each of the 12 local authorities which participate in the Strathclyde Pension Fund in each financial year since 1999-2000, showing the cost of such packages in each authority, broken dow…
Answer · Tavish Scott: The total numbers of early retirements in respect of all local government employers participating in the Strathclyde Pension Fund for the years 1999-2000 to 2003-04 are given below. However, it is not possible to break them down into specific local authoritie…
2 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate the reasons for the £34 million deficit in respect of the Strathclyde Pension Fund, as indicated in the Fund Actuary's report of 31 March 2004.
Answer · Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-12779, answered on 20 December 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliamen…
2 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many workers will be affected by the £34 million deficit in respect of the Strathclyde Pension Fund, as indicated in the Fund Actuary's report of 31 March 2004.
Answer · Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-12779, answered on 20 December 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliamen…
2 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address the £34 million deficit in respect of the Strathclyde Pension Fund, as indicated in the Fund Actuary's report of 31 March 2004.
Answer · Tavish Scott: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-12779, answered on 20 December 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliamen…
2 Dec 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the £34 million deficit in relation to the Strathclyde Pension Fund, as indicated in the Fund Actuary's report of 31 March 2004.
Answer · Tavish Scott: According to the fund actuary, no report was issued by them dated 31 March 2004in relation to the Strathclyde Pension Fund. An actuarial valuation of the fundis carried out on a triennial basis, the next valuation being due as at 31 March 2005. The previous v…
29 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many substantive answers to written questions each minister (a) gave in session one and (b) has given in session two and what the average number of working days was for the provision of such answers by each minister.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The number of substantive answers to written questions by each minister in session one and two is given in the A<i>udit of Written Scottish Parliamentary Questions</i> copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre. Details of those public…
26 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what input it has had into the audit by the Office of Fair Trading of the supermarket code of practice and whether it made any submission on behalf of farmers.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The audit into the operation of the supermarket code of practice is being carried out by the Office of Fair Trading, which is independent of ministers. Ministerial input into this audit would therefore be inappropriate before the results become available. Alt…
26 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the spread was of internal rates of return applied to equity funding components of PFI/PPP contracts entered into by it or its agencies in each of the last three financial years.
Answer · Tom McCabe: It is not appropriate to publish individual internal rates of return (IRR) relating to private sector contractors as this is commercially sensitive. Investors assess each project and its risk individually and attribute an IRR requirement accordingly. A direct…
26 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the spread was of interest rates applied to the loan funding component of PFI/PPP contracts entered into by it or its agencies in each of the last three financial years.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The only PPP contract which the Executive or its agencies has entered into in the last three financial years is the M77/Glasgow Southern Orbital (GSO) project which is funded using a bond. Information on the bond taken out by the PPP consortium, Connect M77/G…
24 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support will be provided in the (a) medium and (b) long term for organisations that are developing civic participation in public policy development, as envisaged and recommended by the Consultative Steering Group.
Answer · Tavish Scott: The Executive continues to support a range of different approaches to developing civic participation in public policy development. We consider every specific proposal for support on its own merits, in accordance with our principles, policy priorities, and the…
5 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the protocol between it and the Scottish Trades Union Congress on pay and conditions for privatised projects applies to the Reliance contract.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>No.</p>
2 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11076 by Cathy Jamieson on 1 November 2004, when the last category A release in error from a prisoner escort was before 1999.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>There is no record of a category A prisoner being released in error from a prisoner escort.</p>
2 Nov 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11076 by Cathy Jamieson on 1 November 2004, how many prisoners who would have been in category A had it not been abolished have been released in error from the custody of Reliance.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>It is not possible to say which, if any of our current prisoners might have been in the former category A since it does not exist. In…
29 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what analysis it has undertaken of the efficacy of its debtline pilot in Fife.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Independent consultants were contracted in 2002-03 by the Department for Trade and Industry to perform an evaluation of National Debtline, including the pilot call centre in Fife.</p><p>Their findings concluded that, due to low levels of demand for the Fife s…
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11075 by Cathy Jamieson on 19 October 2004, why the annual value for the public sector comparator is different from the figure which would be arrived at if the “net present value over seven years” was divided by seven.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>Expressing the public sector comparator as a net present value converts costs over several years into a single value in today’s money. This…
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11075 by Cathy Jamieson on 19 October 2004, whether the budgets for the police and for the prison service will be reduced by these amounts to take account of reduced responsibilities.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>The escorts contract was taken into account in the Spending Review 2004. Neither the police nor SPS had their budgets reduced as a re…
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many certificates it has issued to Reliance personnel under section 114 and Schedule 6 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>Four hundred and thirty-one.</p>
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10926 by Cathy Jamieson on 19 October 2004, how the costs which are not readily quantifiable were accounted for in the Reliance contract.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>These opportunity costs arise for the prison service when prison officers have to undertake escorts instead of their core role. The corresp…
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11075 by Cathy Jamieson on 19 October 2004, why the risk adjustment for the development of the new service was included in the Public Sector Comparator rather than in the costing for the contracting-out of the service.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>A risk adjustment was made to the Public Sector Comparator to the extent that risk would be no longer borne by the public sector under the …
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11075 by Cathy Jamieson on 19 October 2004, what the breakdown of staff costs was between police forces.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>Information on police costs was provided by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) as an all-Scotland figure. The ACP…
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11075 by Cathy Jamieson on 19 October 2004, whether the overheads of the police and the Scottish Prison Service will be reduced by these amounts as a result of the Reliance contract.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>The contract enables SPS and its partner agencies to redeploy resources, including by redeploying officers and the associated overhea…
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to S2W-10952 by Cathy Jamieson on 19 October 2004, whether there will now be a reduction in the monies paid to Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd and, if so, by how much.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>Yes there will be a reduction. The amount will be assessed once the escorts contract has been fully rolled out next year.</p>
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the commitment made on 16 September 2004 by the Deputy First Minister to ensure that all of Scotland is broadband enabled by the end of 2005 (Official Report c 10227) should be regarded as one of its targets.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Our commitment toensuring broadband access in every community in Scotlandis a commitment which we aim to achieve by the end of 2005. It is not appropriatefor this to be one of the formal Annual Evaluation Report targets, as these aretied in with the spending …
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many broadband connections have been made as a direct result of its pathfinder project.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: As yet, no broadband connections have been made as a direct result of the Pathfinder project.</p>
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will fulfil the commitment made by the Deputy First Minister on 16 September 2004 to ensure that exchanges not enabled for broadband by BT are enabled in a supplier-neutral and manner-neutral way (Official Report c 10227).
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive is committed to delivering broadband access to every Scottish community by end 2005. This is being taken forward by an open procurement exercise which is both supplier and technology neutral.</p><p>We will target those areas where BT are not ena…
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications of the dropping of the broadband target, as referred to in Annex B to Draft Budget 2005-06, are for the procurement process for ensuring that telephone exchanges not covered in the list of exchanges which BT is prepared to enable for broadband are so enabled.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the questionS2W-11569 answered on 26 November 2004. 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…