Parliamentary questions
Linda Fabiani
2,507 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
5 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the position of non-fully-mutual housing co-operatives in relation to the withdrawal of section 54 of the Housing Act 1988.
Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>A working group wasestablished to examine the financial impact on the housing association sectorof the withdrawal of section 54. The wo…
4 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many housing associations and co-operatives received grants under section 54 of the Housing Act 1988 in (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2001-02 and what the total cash value of such grants was in each year.
Answer · Margaret Curran: <div class=Section1><p>I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>In 2000-01 105 housingassociations and co-operatives received section 54 tax relief grants at a costof £5.0 mill…
4 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many non-fully-mutual housing co-operatives have applied to alter their status to become a housing association or a fully-mutual housing co-operative since 1 May 1999 and, of these, how many have made such a change, giving dates of application and change of status in each case.
Answer · Margaret Curran: <div class=Section1><p>I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>Two non-fully-mutual housingco-operatives have altered their status to become housing associations – one inMarch…
4 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many registered non-fully-mutual housing co-operatives there are.
Answer · Margaret Curran: <div class=Section1><p>I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>There are 15 non-fully-mutualhousing co-operatives registered with Communities Scotland.</p></div>
4 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any communications from any organisation regarding the effect the withdrawal of section 54 of the Housing Act 1988 may have on non-fully-mutual housing co-operatives and, if so, from which organisations such communications have been received.
Answer · Margaret Curran: <div class=Section1><p>I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>There has been communicationfrom the Scottish Community Ownership Forum which voiced its concern over thewithdra…
4 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current status is of the Modernising Construction initiative and how this initiative will relate to the recent formation of Construction Excellence as a UK body.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1813 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, thesearch facility for can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa">htt…
4 Aug 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-27752 by Iain Gray on 15 August 2002, what the current status is of the Rethinking Construction Panel and the Core Industry Group.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Modernising Construction Strategic Group, involving industry, clients and government, was formed in October 2002 and has been facilitated by Scottish Enterprise. The group has finalised a three-year strategy paper for improving the industry, which was pre…
24 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Secretary of State for Scotland was consulted before the decision was made not to grant a public inquiry on the Robin Rigg wind farm.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Secretary of State for Scotland was not consulted about what is a devolved matter.
22 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what role it plays in promoting the export of electricity and what percentage of the electricity generated in Scotland has been exported in each of the last four years.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The electricity industry is of considerable importance to Scotland and we keep closely in touch with the Department of Trade and Industry, the regulator Ofgem and Scottish generators to ensure that Scottish interests are fully taken into account in GB electri…
22 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its fire services bill.
Answer · Hugh Henry: A consultation paper containing our legislative proposals will be published in the autumn. We plan to introduce the bill early in 2004.
22 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any involvement it has in the treatment of asylum seekers at the Dungavel House immigration removal centre is compatible with its duties and responsibilities under the European Convention on Human Rights and the Human Rights Act 1998 as incorporated into Scots law.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The management and operationof Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre is the responsibility of the HomeOffice. Scottish ministers are responsible for ensuring our actions arecompatible with the ECHR and the Human Rights Act 1998 as incorporated intoScots l…
22 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24490 by Ms Margaret Curran on 13 May 2002, what meetings it has had with Her Majesty's Government regarding the fingerprinting and photographing of visitors to the Dungavel House immigration removal centre and what the outcome of any such meetings w…
Answer · Margaret Curran: The management and operation of Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre is the responsibility of the Home Office. I have not had any meetings with the Home Office regarding this issue.
16 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33593 by Mr Jim Wallace on 10 February 2003, who represents it on the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions and which meetings it has attended in the last two years.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Deputy First Minister represented the Scottish Executive when it joined the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) at its General Assembly in September 2002. The next General Assembly of the CPMR, at which the Deputy Minister for Finance, Public…
16 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32594 by Iain Gray on 31 December 2002, whether tertiary education is subject to liberalisation under the General Agreement on Trade in Services, and, if so, whether it has undertaken, or will undertake, an assessment of any implications for tertiary…
Answer · Jim Wallace: The European Commission's initial offer submitted to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) under the current round of negotiations for the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) proposes no new commitments for the education sectors. The initial offer was …
16 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32596 by Malcolm Chisholm on 31 December 2002, whether any assessment has now been made of the legal implications of the BetterCare Group Ltd ruling on the impact and operation of the General Agreement on Trade in Services.
Answer · Jim Wallace: The regulation of international trade is a reserved matter and as such the UK Government take the lead in this matter. Scottish Executive officials are, however, keeping in regular contact with Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) colleagues regarding GATS …
16 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-33605, S1W-33606, and S1W-33607 by Mr Frank McAveety on 14 February 2003, whether it has reflected further on any implications of the BetterCare Group Ltd ruling and, in particular, whether the ruling will have any implications for the provision of…
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Bettercare Group Ltd ruling implies that the Competition Act 1998 may apply to public bodies in certain circumstances, for example where they purchase services. The Competition Act is intended to prohibit agreements between undertakings which are anti-com…
16 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-34129 by Ms Margaret Curran on 4 March 2003, whether every local authority now has a publicly available register of interests of social inclusion partnership board members.
Answer · Margaret Curran: Of the 24 local authorities that act as grant recipient for Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIP), 22 have confirmed that registers of interests of SIP board members are available for public inspection. Renfrewshire and Perth and Kinross Councils have intimated…
16 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-34693 by Ms Margaret Curran on 25 March 2003, why it has no plans to publish the results of the review by Communities Scotland of financial procedures and practices in relation to the Social Inclusion Partnership Fund (SIP Fund).
Answer · Mary Mulligan: The review referred to was an internal exercise aimed primarily at improving internal programme management. As a result of the review minor changes were introduced to the terms and conditions of SIP Fund grant from 1 April 2003. <P>The current terms and condi…
16 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-34650 by Ms Margaret Curran on 26 March 2003, when discussions between it, the two local authorities, Communities Scotland and the enterprise network on the allocation of funding for accelerating land renewal in Glasgow and North Lanarkshire will be …
Answer · Margaret Curran: An announcement on the specific allocations of funding from the vacant and derelict land fund to Glasgow and North Lanarkshire will be made in due course.
16 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33593 by Mr Jim Wallace on 10 February 2003, whether its representation in the UK delegation to the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe has changed as a result of ministerial changes.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has not yet decided on any changes to its representation on the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE) following recent ministerial changes. The Scottish Executive will, of course, advise the Parliament in due cour…
16 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has consulted the Scottish Police Federation on its plans for community wardens.
Answer · Margaret Curran: As part of the consultation process, meetings were held with a number of key stakeholders, including the Scottish Police Federation.
16 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30119 by Ms Margaret Curran on 11 December 2002, whether it has a working definition of a deprived area.
Answer · Margaret Curran: <div class=Section1><p>I refer the member to theanswers given to questions S1W-30119 and S1W-29338 on 30 September 2002. Allanswers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament'swebsite, the search facility for can be found at:</p><p><ah…
16 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29654 by Cathy Jamieson on 1 October 2002, what effective market access for foreign service providers under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) it considers appropriate for the education service.
Answer · Peter Peacock: In the last GATS negotiation round (concluded in 1995 in Uruguay) the UK agreed to open privately funded education services in primary, secondary, higher and adult education to international competition. In the present GATS negotiation round, the European Com…
16 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30144, whether it will make representations to HM Treasury seeking the writing off of all capital housing debt of local authorities.
Answer · Margaret Curran: No. As stipulated in the answer given to S1W-30144, HM Treasury has already made it clear that resources to deal with local authorities housing debt would only be made available following a housing stock transfer.
16 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30144 by Ms Margaret Curran on 15 October 2002, whether, if it had the resources available within its budget, it would write off the capital housing debt of a local authority if the authority and its tenants, in light of local circumstances, decided …
Answer · Margaret Curran: The latest estimate of council housing debt is around £2.3 billion. We do not believe it would be a responsible use of the Executive's budget to apply any additional resources that may be obtained to repay this debt.
16 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24495 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 17 April 2002, whether it will now carry out research to determine what percentage of student debt is a consequence of the introduction of the student loans system.
Answer · Jim Wallace: We plan to commission a survey of the income and expenditure of Scottish students to take place during academic year 2003-04.
16 Jul 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff currently work in its Constitutional Policy Unit.
Answer · Patricia Ferguson: Three full-time and two part-time members of staff currently work in the Executive's Constitutional Policy Unit.
14 Mar 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when substantive answers to questions S1W-32778, S1W-32779 and S1W-32780 will be given.
Answer · Margaret Curran: All three questions were substantively answered on 24 March 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_…
14 Mar 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-34130 by Ms Margaret Curran on 4 March 2003, whether it will publish the results of the review by Communities Scotland of financial procedures and practices in relation to the Social Inclusion Partnership Fund.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The review is part of the routine business of Communities Scotland. There are no plans to publish the results.
14 Mar 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has carried out into the ownership history and current tenure of former right-to-buy homes.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive study <I>Evolving the right to buy: evidence for Scotland</I> included a review of existing research on the resale of former right to buy properties. It was published in 2000 and is available from the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib.…