Sandra White

27 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases have been referred to the Health Professions Council by NHS bodies in Scotland since 1999.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Health ProfessionsCouncil (HPC) was established in July 2003. Since that time, 29 cases have beenreferred to the HPC from employers in Scotland.</p>

27 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive under what legal authority the Health Professions Council has arbitration rights in Scotland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The HealthProfessions Council is a corporate body which regulates various healthprofessions. It was set up, and given powers, including powers to hold hearingsin Scotland, by the Health Professions Order 2001.</p>

19 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much Glasgow Housing Association has spent under the central heating programme.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I have asked JamesHynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response isas follows:</p><p>Glasgow Housing Associationspent its full allocation of £20.63 million by March 2007. Nine thousand, onehundred and ninety central heating syst…

19 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been allocated to Glasgow Housing Association by Communities Scotland under the central heating programme.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I have asked JamesHynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response isas follows:</p><p>Under the CentralHeating Programme, Glasgow Housing Association was allocated £20.63 million in April2003.</p>

19 Nov 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Glasgow Housing Association has completed all installations under the central heating programme.

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: I have asked JamesHynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response isas follows:</p><p>Glasgow Housing Associationhas completed all its installations under the Scottish Government Central HeatingProgramme.</p>

14 Nov 2007 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it provides for the post office network in Scotland.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scotland Act reservesthe subject matter of the Postal Services Act 2000 to the UK Government. The ScottishGovernment’s powers to provide direct support to the Post Office network are thereforeextremely limited. Nevertheless, the Scottish Government contin…

5 Oct 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details of generated income and expenditure of culture and leisure trusts in each of the last three years, broken down by trust and type of income and expenditure.

Answer · John Swinney: The informationrequested is not held centrally.</p>

5 Oct 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to ring-fence the surpluses generated by culture and leisure trusts to ensure that funding raised is not used either directly or indirectly to fund local authorities’ core services.

Answer · John Swinney: There are no suchplans. Local authorities are distinct corporate bodies whose powers are set outin statute. They are responsible for organising and funding the delivery of theservices for which they are responsible.</p>

5 Oct 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that a culture and leisure trust’s funding surplus is reinvested in the local community.

Answer · John Swinney: Local authoritiesare distinct corporate bodies whose powers are set out in statute. They areresponsible for organising and funding the delivery of the services for whichthey are responsible in the way that they see fit.</p><p>Where a cultureand leisure trust …

5 Oct 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the independence of culture and leisure trusts.

Answer · John Swinney: In setting upculture and leisure trusts, local authorities are expected to ensure clearpublic accountability for public funds and the quality of local services, inkeeping with the statutory principles of Best Value, regardless of whether theyprovide these ser…

3 Oct 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the Climate Change Business Delivery Group next to report to the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The Climate ChangeBusiness Delivery Group is an independent group of leading business people. Scottishministers have actively encouraged its remit, to inspire Scottish businesses todo more to reduce emissions and to influence policy and practice on climate ch…

3 Oct 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how members of the public will be able to contribute to the development of a climate change Bill.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: A full public consultationwill be held prior to the development of a Scottish Climate Change Bill and allmembers of the public are encouraged to respond to the consultation.</p>

3 Oct 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation responses it has received on a climate change Bill.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: No responses havebeen received as the consultation on a Scottish Climate Change Bill has not yetbeen launched. The Scottish Government is currently meeting key stakeholders todiscuss the development of the consultation. The consultation on proposals for thebi…

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what land was acquired by Glasgow City Council for the building of the Clydeside Expressway and whether all such land was used in its construction.

Answer · John Swinney: This is an operationalmatter for Glasgow City Council.</p>

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether disused land originally earmarked for development can be held indefinitely without being developed.

Answer · John Swinney: The designation ofland for a particular type of development in a development plan, or the grantingof planning permission for a specific development proposal on said land does notcompel anyone to carry out the development. For example, as planning permissionru…

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how surplus local authority land can be reclassified as parkland.

Answer · John Swinney: The consultation draftof Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 11: Open Space and Physical Activity, publishedAugust 2006, indicates that local authorities should prepare an open space auditand strategy for their area, reflecting existing and future needs for open s…

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what schemes, grants or funding are in place to enable local residents to buy land that is earmarked for sale from local authorities.

Answer · John Swinney: The Big Lottery Fundprovides money for community led groups to acquire or develop assets (includingland), for their own use, through its Growing Community Assets programme. Furtherdetails can be obtained from the Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund.</p>

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance or laws there are for the protection of wildlife and local ecology in the process of selling local authority land for development.

Answer · John Swinney: NationalPlanning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 14: Natural Heritage (published 1999) sets outgovernment guidance on how policies for conservation and enhancement of Scotland’s natural heritage should be reflectedin land use planning. It explains how planning author…

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration must be given to local residents’ views before adjacent land is sold by local authorities for development purposes.

Answer · John Swinney: Local residentshave the opportunity to express their views on land to be sold for developmentthrough the local plan consultation process. All comments received as part ofthis process are made public.</p>

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any limit is applied to the length of time that disused land may be held in local authority road accounts.

Answer · John Swinney: Local authoritiesare required constantly to review assets that are used in the course of deliveringpublic services. Assets which are no longer required for operational purposes mustbe reclassified by local authorities as surplus to requirements and revalued. …

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether land that has been held in local authority road accounts and subsequently becomes surplus to requirements must undergo reclassification before being sold to developers.

Answer · John Swinney: Land which is no longerrequired for operational purposes must be reclassified by local authorities as surplusto requirements and revalued, usually at market value. Any disposal at less thanthe best consideration that can reasonably be obtained currently requi…

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether land designated or considered as greenspace has protection against development.

Answer · John Swinney: National PlanningPolicy Guideline (NPPG) 11: Sport, Physical Recreation and Open Space sets out howplanning authorities should plan for and protect open space. NPPG 11 is currentlyunder review and will shortly be replaced by Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 11:…

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether local residents can apply to have areas of disused land considered as greenspace.

Answer · John Swinney: Planning authoritiesconsider the appropriate use of land within their area at each review of the developmentplan. As part of the review process there are formal opportunities for local residentsand other members of the public to make representations and the p…

28 Sep 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the criteria are for land to be designated as greenspace.

Answer · John Swinney: Policy on open spaceis set out in National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 11: Sport, Physical Recreationand Open Space, which indicates that planning authorities should, in their localplans, identify existing sports facilities, parks, open spaces, pitches a…

26 Sep 2007 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many good neighbour agreements have been entered into by developers, councils and communities since the Planning etc. (Scotland) Act 2006 came into force and how compliance with this provision is being monitored.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: At present, noGood Neighbour Agreements have been entered into in Scotland. This is because the relevant provisions of the Planning Etc (Scotland) Act are not yet in force.</p>

19 Sep 2007 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that healthy living centres throughout Scotland receive the necessary funding to continue to operate when funding received from the Big Lottery Fund comes to an end in 2008.

Answer · Shona Robison: Healthy Living Centresare organisations embedded in the communities they serve and meeting local needs.Decisions on maintaining funding are therefore made by local funding partners suchas local authorities and health boards, based on relevant local criteria.<…

13 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has acted on its support for EOC Scotland’s 2005 action plan to end pregnancy discrimination in Scotland through the provision of a written statement of maternity rights and employer responsibilities to every pregnant woman, with a tear-off section to give to her employer and, …

Answer · Stewart Maxwell: The Scottish Governmentliaised closely with the then Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) - now the Departmentfor Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) - over the draftingof the “written statement”, which took the form of a leaflet, entitled <i…

9 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to address the situation of supply teachers who cannot have their situation reviewed as they have not had the necessary one year’s continual service.

Answer · Maureen Watt: This is a matter forthe local authority. Under the terms of the Agreement, <i>A Teaching Professionfor the 21st Century</i>, procedures for the recruitment and deployment of teachingstaff are devolved to local authority responsibility.</p><p>The Scottish Nego…

9 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it intends to take to ensure that teachers in their probation year under the alternative route find full-time employment.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The Scottish Executivecarries out a teacher workforce planning exercise with the aim of broadly balancingthe supply and demand for teachers. During the Smarter Scotland debate on 20 Junewe announced additional funding of £9 million that will enable local auth…

9 Aug 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued on best practice regarding the employment of supply teachers.

Answer · Maureen Watt: The employment ofsupply teachers is a matter for local authorities and we have not issued guidanceon this issue.</p>