Parliamentary questions

Rhoda Grant

2,396 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

12 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out a risk assessment on the proposed fishing quota management and licensing system.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We have undertaken a regulatory impact assessment of our proposals to consider any impacts arising for businesses.

12 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out an economic impact assessment on the proposed fishing quota management and licensing system.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: Along with a standard regulatory impact assessment, a significant amount of additional economic research was carried out to help shape the quota and licensing proposals. This includes research on producer organisations, quota holding and inshore management.</…

12 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the legal advice it received when drawing up the proposed fishing quota management and licensing system.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government does not discuss the nature of any legal advice received, nor indeed whether legal advice has been sought in relation to any matter.

5 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether an analysis of the Devanha consortium was completed in 2008.

Answer · Alex Neil: Heriot-Watt University and DTZ were commissioned by the Scottish Government to carry out a monitoring and evaluation study of Devanha to run over the three year period of the programme. It draws on evidence collected through the monitoring and evaluation fram…

5 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide the names of consultants it contracted when setting up the (a) Devanha consortium and (b) Highland Housing Alliance consortium and a breakdown of the amounts paid to the consultants.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government did not contract with any consultants to establish Devanha Ltd. However, Devanha Ltd engaged the support of the Collaborative Working Centre (CWC) to provide guidance and support on the open-book procurement process. Brian Bur…

5 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of all costing benchmarks that were agreed with the Devanha consortium during the tendering processes for new housing developments and the extent to which the targets were met.

Answer · Alex Neil: The Devanha grant offer set a three person equivalent cost benchmark of £67,248, base dated March 2007. All projects agreed with the Devanha Consortium are assessed against this benchmark. The Devanha Consortium is operating an open-book contracting …

5 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19223 by Stewart Maxwell on 21 January 2009, whether the fact that no properties were built by the Devanha consortium in 2005-06 and 2006-07 resulted in an underspend in the Grampian region’s housing programme budget allocation and, if so, to where t…

Answer · Alex Neil: The Devanha Grant Offer was approved in March 2007, and so there were no properties built by the Devanha Consortium in 2005-06 or 2006-07. There was therefore no associated underspend.

3 Mar 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the value has been of (a) the formula capital allocation and (b) each allocation in real terms for NHS (i) Highland, (ii) Orkney, (iii) Shetland, (iv) Western Isles and (v) Grampian in each year since 2005-06.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20837 on 6 March 2009. 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/Apps2/B…

26 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in order to inform responses to the consultation, Investing in Affordable Housing: A Consultation, how it plans to ensure that the proposed concentration and streamlining of development and procurement under the lead development system would safeguard local expertise that is currently ha…

Answer · Alex Neil: The government''s current proposals are that associations set up development consortia and that this should be governed by a formal agreement. On page 25 of the consultation paper Investing in Affordable Housing: A Consultation it says; Consortium hea…

26 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in order to inform responses to the consultation, Investing in Affordable Housing: A Consultation, whether it will fully explain the basis on which it is assumed that lead developers will be better equipped than small rural housing associations in terms of identification of land and skil…

Answer · Alex Neil: The consultation Investing in Affordable Housing: A Consultation sets out the current proposal that; Lead developers will be established good performers and exemplars of good practice in procurement and investment. They will have strong connections an…

26 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in order to inform responses to the consultation, Investing in Affordable Housing: A Consultation, whether it will clarify how it plans to ensure that the proposed lead developers will secure private funding and develop efficient cash flows for developments in cases where their consortia…

Answer · Alex Neil: In the consultation Investing in Affordable Housing: A Consultation the Government has proposed developing guidance to support associations when setting up consortia and lead developer arrangements. This proposed guidance is intended to address questi…

26 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it plans to help housing associations overcome the situation that arises when the Scottish Government assumes a higher level of rent for the calculation of Housing Association Grant than private funders use when calculating mortgage for the same units, thus leaving a shortfall …

Answer · Alex Neil: Scottish Government does not prescribe the actual rents a Registered Social Landlord (RSL) should charge, but for appraisal purposes we assume a benchmark rent in our grant calculation as we have a responsibility to ensure public money is used in the most eff…

12 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what capital charge is levied on the budget of Forestry Commission Scotland per hectare of forest land.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Capital charges are not levied on a hectarage basis, but on the value of assets shown on a department''s balance sheet. The charge is 3.5% of the average value over an accounting period. Capital charges for the national forest estate amounted to £23.4 million…

11 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) initial revenue and (b) capital allocations have been to NHS (i) Highland, (ii) Orkney, (iii) Shetland, (iv) Western Isles and (v) Grampian in each financial year since 2004, also expressed in real terms.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: Details are as follows: £ Million <table border=0 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 width=649 > <thead> <tr > <td nowrap rowspan=2 valign=bottom > </td> <td width=110 nowrap…

11 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that section 50 of the Children Act 1975 has been successfully implemented.

Answer · Adam Ingram: It is a matter for each local authority to ensure that the discretionary powers available to it under section 50 of the Children Act 1975 are used effectively and in accordance with both its statutory duties and also its local policies and priorities.

11 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the purpose is of section 50 of the Children Act 1975.

Answer · Adam Ingram: In addition to other relevant statutory powers and duties of local authorities, Section 50 of the Children Act 1975 provides a discretionary power to a local authority to make financial payments for the maintenance of a child to a person caring for the child.…

5 Feb 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-20102 by Shona Robison on 4 February 2009, whether it considers that ending direct payments for new applicants would be consistent with the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002.

Answer · Shona Robison: Local authorities have a duty under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to assess the community care needs of people and decide, in the light of the assessment, whether they should arrange any services, and if so, which services. Since June 2003, local author…

28 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the effect will be of the withdrawal of direct payments in the Orkney Islands council area.

Answer · Shona Robison: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-20102 on 4 February 2009. 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/Apps…

27 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the respondents who were reported, in the analysis and summary of responses prepared by its Social Housing Division, as having given neutral/not stated responses to proposals in its 2008 Housing Association Grant consultation paper on (a) the annual rate of increase i…

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: Copies of all the non-confidential responses received to the 2008 Housing Association Grant consultation and the subsequent report by Social Housing Division are posted on the Scottish Government website: <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/B…

23 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the effect will be of the withdrawal of direct payments in the Orkney and Argyll and Bute council areas.

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the retention and expansion of the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: We will give very careful consideration to future arrangements for determining the pay and conditions of service of agricultural workers in Scotland as part of the review of the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board.

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what decisions have been made following the Agricultural Wages in Scotland: The Scottish Agricultural Wages Board consultation.

Answer · Richard Lochhead: No decision has yet been taken on the future of the Scottish Agricultural Wages Board.

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the decision of Orkney Islands Council not to approve new applications for direct payments due to budgetary constraints.

Answer · Shona Robison: Officials have been in touch with Orkney Islands Council to clarify the position. Orkney has made clear that there is no intention to withdraw existing direct payments. The waiting list for direct payments is regularly reviewed and applications are a…

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in the event of an employee of Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) not taking up an offer of job transfer under the transfer of undertakings (protection of employment) regulations (TUPE) under the proposed plans to lease up to one quarter of the most commercially-viable, publicly-owned fo…

Answer · Michael Russell: If any employee expressed a preference to remain with Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS), rather than transfer under the TUPE regulations, FCS would make every effort to find the employee an alternative role.

22 Jan 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in the event of an employee of Forestry Commission Scotland not taking up an offer of job transfer under the transfer of undertakings (protection of employment) regulations (TUPE) under the proposed plans to lease up to one quarter of the most commercially-viable, publicly-owned forests,…

Answer · Michael Russell: The Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) (TUPE) regulations do not provide for an offer of job transfer “ employees are transferred automatically under the regulations. However, Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) would ensure that it made every…