Parliamentary questions

Mary Mulligan

707 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

22 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people registered as homeless are housed in private rented accommodation paid for by local authorities and what the average cost of such accommodation is, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: Private rented sector accommodation is used to address homelessness on both a temporary and more settled basis. The table below sets out the overall usage for 2007-08 as recorded via national homelessness statistics. Where a tenant is eligible for su…

14 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to introduce guidance for local authorities on housing renewal areas, as introduced by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government has been considering responses it received during a public consultation this summer on draft guidance to support the implementation of housing renewal areas, and other powers, under the 2006 act. Copies of all non-confidential response…

8 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many indicators in single outcome agreements specifically refer to the needs of homeless applicants requiring support because of an alcohol dependency, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: Local authorities take a wide range of approaches in addressing the health and support needs of homeless households. As such, there will be a number of indicators which local authorities would see as contributing to the support needs of homeless people with a…

8 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many indicators in single outcome agreements specifically refer to the needs of homeless applicants requiring support because of a mental health issue, broken down by local authority.

8 Oct 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what housing support measures are available specifically to assist veterans.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Government is taking forward the action set out in Scotland''s Veterans'' and Forces'' Communities: Meeting our Commitment, which was published in July this year. This can be found on the Scottish Government''s website at: <a hr…

25 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding will be available in 2009-10 to support first-time buyers.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The allocation of the 2009-10 Affordable Housing Investment Programme (AHIP) which includes support to first-time buyers will be announced nearer the time.

25 Sep 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money will be available in 2009-10 for the Homeowners Support Fund.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: At the end of June 2008 we announced a package of major reforms which included £25 million between 2008-10 to support the Homeowners Support Fund. £10 million has already been allocated in 2008-09 for Mortgage to Rent. The balance of the £25 million announced…

11 Sep 2008 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to make available further financial resources to existing Scottish Business Improvement District (BID) companies, such as the Enterprising Bathgate BID Company, to improve their viability and sustainability over the longer term.

Answer · John Swinney: The underlying philosophy of Business Improvement Districts is that they are self-sustaining. The BID levy is intended to ensure each BID Company has a stable and viable financial base. But it is open to them to supplement this in other ways and I understand …

27 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether secondary legislation to implement the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 will remove the need for people to make multiple applications to Disclosure Scotland.

Answer · Adam Ingram: The Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007 will significantly reduce the need for employees (paid and unpaid) to complete multiple disclosure applications. It introduces a membership scheme that people working with vulnerable groups will join. Th…

27 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, following the announcement by the Minister for Children and Early Years regarding new plans for vetting and barring adults working with children and vulnerable groups, what changes there will be to the system proposed in the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007.

Answer · Adam Ingram: There are no changes planned to the system of vetting and barring set out in the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007. Ministers are now considering the detailed analysis of a recent consultation on policy proposals for secondary legislation an…

27 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when changes to the system of vetting and barring adults working with children and vulnerable groups will be introduced.

Answer · Adam Ingram: Through the Protection of Vulnerable Groups (Scotland) Act 2007, the Scottish Government is implementing a strengthened and robust vetting and barring scheme that will ensure that those who have contact with vulnerable groups through the workplace do not have…

24 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to ensure that case files for children identified as being at risk follow the children when they move local authority areas, rather than staying with the local authority Social Work Department that created the files.

Answer · Jim Mather: The effective sharing of information is a critical element of the Scottish Government’s “Getting it Right for Every Child” agenda for change. This new approach to children’s services will allow for a single record to be created and jointly owned by all of tho…

16 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have included action to identify and assist young runaways in their draft single outcome agreements.

Answer · Adam Ingram: Single outcome agreements (SOAs) for 2008-09 have been agreed with all 32 councils and should all now be publicly available. All SOAs should reflect the priorities and agreed outcomes for each council and include relevant supporting indicators and targets. As…

16 Jun 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to identify and assist young runaways.

Answer · Adam Ingram: A national multi-agency working group has recently reported to ministers with a series of recommendations for strategic action relating to service provision for young runaways. The group identified the need for significant action in a number of areas includin…

1 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities made discretionary allowances to families who were struggling in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: This is a matter for local authorities and the information is not held centrally.

1 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive under what circumstances local authorities are able to make discretionary allowances to families who are struggling financially.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The power to advance wellbeing contained in section 20 of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 allows local authorities to make payments to individuals or groups; this could include families and may include families who are struggling financially, depend…

1 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide central grant funding to advice agencies other than citizens advice bureaux to deliver a specialist advice and information service to kinship carers.

Answer · Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government has no plans to provide central grant funding to any advice agencies other than to Citizens Advice Scotland to deliver a specialist service for kinship carers.

1 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether all kinship carers will receive the same allowance regardless of which local authority area in which they live.

Answer · Adam Ingram: The concordat between Scottish Government and COSLA included a commitment to pay approved kinship carers of looked after children a weekly allowance, at a rate equivalent to that paid by the local authority to their foster carers, with a deduction made for ch…

1 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to take any action to allow kinship carers looking after children who have a residence order to access funding equivalent to that available to foster carers.

Answer · Adam Ingram: Payment to kinship carers looking after children who have a residence order is a matter for the local authority to determine. Local authorities have discretionary powers to make payments to families in need. Once the Citizens Advice Scotland''s advic…

1 May 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has made available to local authorities to pay for kinship carers.

Answer · Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government and COSLA have agreed that sufficient resources have been included within the total financial settlement for local authorities to meet this commitment to pay a weekly allowance to approved kinship carers of looked after children at the…

1 May 2008 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has invested in housing in the Linlithgow parliamentary constituency in the last year.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: In the financial year 2007-08, the Scottish Government invested a total of £0.405 million into affordable housing in the Linlithgow parliamentary constituency, from the Affordable Housing Investment Programme.

28 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions ministers have had with sheriffs about how to address the breaching of contact orders.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The Minister for Community Safety wrote to the president of the Sheriffs'' Association in March 2008 requesting a meeting to discuss family law issues, including the enforcement of contact orders.

28 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many child contact centres there are; where they are, and how they are funded.

Answer · Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government is aware of 38 child contact centres across Scotland. Details are in the following table. The Scottish Government provides core funding for the 13 local family mediation service providers which they can use to provide child contact cen…

28 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive which child contact centres ministers have visited.

Answer · Adam Ingram: Ministers have not yet had the opportunity to visit a child contact centre but discussions are on-going with Relationship Scotland to arrange a visit to their Eliburn centre in the near future.

16 Apr 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it encourages local authorities to make school buildings available for community use.

Answer · Maureen Watt: Local authorities'' and COSLA''s commitment to making school buildings available or better available for community use is already well documented. The recent Audit Scotland report Improving the school estate indicated that many schools are providing c…

21 Feb 2008 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to support people with epilepsy.

Answer · Shona Robison: With Epilepsy Scotland, we have been encouraging the development of Managed Clinical Networks for epilepsy services. These provide the integration of services highlighted by Audit Scotland in its 2007 report on long-term conditions. NHS Quality Improv…

17 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met library organisations in Scotland and what issues were discussed.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: The Scottish Governmentfunds the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish Library and InformationCouncil by way of support for the library sector. Officials meet the National Librarianand the Director of the Scottish Library and Information Council regul…

17 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has held with library organisations in Scotland on National Year of Reading 2008.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: None. Library provisionand education are devolved matters, including issues connected with reading andliteracy. The National Year of Reading 2008 is an initiative in England funded bythe Department for Children, Schools and Families and led by the National Li…

17 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to be part of National Year of Reading 2008 launched by Prime Minister, Gordon Brown MP, on 8 January 2008 and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Answer · Linda Fabiani: No. The National Yearof Reading 2008 is an initiative in England funded by theDepartment for Children, Schools and Families and led by the National Literacy Trustand the Reading Agency. In Scotland, activities to promote reading and literacyare delivered thro…

14 Jan 2008 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the schools that are no longer available for community use following refurbishment or rebuilding using PPP funding.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The management of school buildingsis the responsibility of the local authorities, shared, where appropriate, withother partners. The Scottish Government continues to encourage authorities to assessthe need and demand for community access to school facilities …