Parliamentary questions

Linda Fabiani

2,507 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

24 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25278 by Ms Margaret Curran on 22 May 2002, what percentage of homes provided in projects programmed to receive funding assistance from Communities Scotland will be for (a) ownership, (b) shared ownership and (c) affordable rent, broken down into Com…

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Mr Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:The percentage of homes provided in projects programmed to receive funding assistance from Communities Scotland in 2002-03 is as follows:Percentag…

24 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-25278 by Ms Margaret Curran on 22 May 2002, what percentage of homes provided in projects receiving funding assistance from Scottish Homes or Communities Scotland have been for (a) outright ownership, (b) shared ownership and (c) affordable rent, bro…

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Mr Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:The national percentage of homes provided in projects receiving funding assistance from Scottish Homes/Communities Scotland since 1989-90 is as follo…

24 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many paramedics (a) are required by the Scottish Ambulance Service at (i) minimum and (ii) full operating strength and (b) the service has currently.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: At 31 March 2002, the Scottish Ambulance Service had 750 paramedics against a total accident and emergency establishment of 1,791. One of the service's objectives is to have a paramedic on every frontline accident and emergency ambulance by March 2005. The se…

24 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take in respect of ambulance services in Lanarkshire given that, in the first nine days of July 2002, 25% of shifts in that area were not covered.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27866.

24 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last reviewed the necessary level of relief staff in ambulance stations.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This is an operational matter for the Scottish Ambulance Service. I can, however, advise you that the service regularly reviews its operational performance addressing all of the factors which influence that performance. These include demand on the service, st…

24 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulance paramedics have been trained in each of the last five years.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: In 1996-97, there were 332 paramedics working in the Scottish Ambulance Service. At 31 March 2002, this figure had increased to 750. This equates to an average of 83 technicians trained to paramedic level in each of the last five years.

24 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which staff grades within the Scottish Ambulance Service receive (a) enhanced or (b) overtime rates.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Overtime rates of pay are paid to ambulance frontline staff, paramedic technicians, operations room assistants, maintenance staff, driver/handymen and administrative and clerical staff within the Scottish Ambulance Service staff.

24 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why ambulance crews members are paid a single hourly rate, unlike other members of NHS staff.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Pay and conditions of service for ambulance service staff are negotiated and agreed by staff side representatives and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

24 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulance shifts are regularly covered by ambulances with a single crew member.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27875.

24 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is appropriate for attendance by an ambulance with a single crew member to be classified as a response for the purpose of response time statistics.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27875.

24 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is appropriate for an ambulance with a single crew member to attend emergency calls.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27875.

24 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it plans to give to the Scottish Ambulance Service and, in particular, to the ambulance service in Lanarkshire to help them to overcome any problems they currently face.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has provided the Scottish Ambulance Service with an allocation of £108.783 million for 2002-03, an increase of 7.4% on last year. The indicative allocations for 2003-04 and 2004-05 provide for further uplifts of 7.4% in each year. These…

22 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Crown Office intends to carry out a review of the case of Gordon Gibson.

Answer · Colin Boyd: Senior Officials from the Crown Office have met members of Mr Gibson's family to discuss with them their concerns about the outcome of the case against William Wilson. The Crown's approach to this case has been reviewed in the light of the concerns raised by …

22 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the Surjit Singh Chhokar, Chris Cawley and Gordon Gibson cases, the Crown Office intends to carry out a review into the law on trials with multiple accused persons.

Answer · Colin Boyd: Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service policy and practice in relation to multiple accused cases is kept under review and decisions in individual cases are guided by available evidence and the particular circumstances of the case. Any review of the law wo…

22 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the Surjit Singh Chhokar, Chris Cawley and Gordon Gibson cases, a Court of Appeal panel of judges has been appointed to review the law on trials with multiple accused persons and, if so, what the legal basis is of this review; what its terms of reference are, and what …

Answer · Jim Wallace: On 15 May 2002, three judges of the Court of Criminal Appeal referred an appeal (McKinnon, McKay and Norwood v Her Majesty's Advocate) to a Bench of five judges with a view to clarifying an aspect of the law of concert, which applies to situatio…

18 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the original answer to question S1W-24724 by Ms Margaret Curran on 20 May 2002, why the information given in that answer was incorrect.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The information given was incorrect as it was drawn from a dedicated database which was subsequently discovered to contain a number of administrative errors. The errors were identified by finance staff in Communities Scotland through routine checks as part of…

17 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it would have on social justice should Her Majesty's Government legislate so that benefits entitlement is linked to behaviour.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Entitlement to benefits is a matter reserved to the UK Government. Alongside the UK government, the Executive is committed to creating a fair and prosperous Scotland, and each administration has wide linked measures in place to improve social justice.

17 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to propose legislation to ensure that its strategy on antisocial behaviour "meshes" with the Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27685.

17 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the recommendations made in the final report of the Homelessness Task Force, as supported by the Parliament, will form the basis of the Homelessness Bill when it is introduced.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Homelessness Bill will be based on the legislative recommendations contained in the final report of the Homelessness Task Force. The proposals to be taken forward in the bill were the subject of a recent Scottish Executive consultation exercise.

17 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the comments made by Malcolm Wicks MP in the House of Commons Standing Committee B on 11 July 2002 (afternoon), (Official Report, House of Commons, Standing Committee B, c 101), whether the Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill as amended in the House of Commons Standi…

Answer · Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27685.

17 Jul 2002 · Written Question

Answer · Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27685.

17 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any organisations external to it, including professional bodies and interest groups, have requested to meet Ministers to discuss the devolved implications of the Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill and, if so, how many such meetings have taken place or are scheduled to …

Answer · Margaret Curran: In June the Scottish branch of the Chartered Institute of Housing requested a meeting to discuss the devolved implications of the Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill, providing a detailed summary of their concerns about the bill. Given the UK Govern…

17 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26834 by Ms Margaret Curran on 11 July 2002, whether the Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill as amended in the House of Commons Standing Committee B will be consistent with the approach taken in Scotland to any devolved matters which may be…

Answer · Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27685.

17 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26834 by Ms Margaret Curran on 11 July 2002, what the devolved matters are which may be affected by the implementation of the Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27685.

17 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26231 by Ms Margaret Curran on 6 June 2002, what the implications of the amended Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill are for its devolved responsibilities.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Housing Benefit (Withholding of Payment) Bill was adjourned at the committee report and Third Reading stage in the House of Commons on 19 July and our understanding is that no time has currently been allocated for that adjournment. There are, therefore, a…

17 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24724 by Ms Margaret Curran on 20 May 2002, whether the monies indicated as underspends remain available for each social inclusion partnership to spend and, if so, whether it expects the monies in each case to be spent in the financial year 2002-03 i…

Answer · Hugh Henry: The underspends in the social inclusion partnership programme are subject to the End Year Flexibility arrangements. Within these constraints and subject to confirmation that the carry forward of expenditure is required, the underspends remain available for ea…

16 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24724 by Ms Margaret Curran on 20 May 2002, how the underspend or overspend was calculated in each case.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The underspend or the overspend reported in the answer given to question S1W-24724 was calculated by comparing the budget allocation with the outcome expenditure recorded for each Social Inclusion Partnership in a dedicated database of budget allocations and …

16 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24724 by Ms Margaret Curran on 20 May 2002, what auditing system it used to gather the information for that answer.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The information provided in the answer given to question S1W-24724 was derived from a dedicated database of Social Inclusion Partnership budget allocations and expenditure. Subsequently, Finance staff in Communities Scotland discovered through routine checks …

16 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24724 by Ms Margaret Curran on 20 May 2002, what auditing procedures it has put in place in respect of social inclusion partnership accounts.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Social Inclusion Partnership Fund grant expenditure is audited at a number of levels. At project level the accounts are subject to an annual audit by a qualified accountant. Where the council is the nominated partner, the council's management is responsible f…

16 Jul 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24724 by Ms Margaret Curran on 20 May 2002, how the spending of social inclusion partnerships is monitored.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The spending of Social Inclusion Partnerships is monitored by Communities Scotland, based upon quarterly financial returns submitted by grant recipients (usually local authorities) and annual reports made by each Social Inclusion Partnership.