Parliamentary questions
Sandra White
1,617 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
18 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when the report of the task force reviewing the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 will be published.
Answer · Peter Peacock: It had originally been envisaged that the independent task group would report to ministers by the end of 2002. However, as a result of a number of new licensing proposals contained in responses to the task group's consultation exercise and other issues minist…
17 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many properties have been demolished under the Glasgow housing stock transfer process to date and how many are expected to be demolished in total.
Answer · Margaret Curran: To date, no houses have been demolished as a consequence of the Glasgow housing transfer. The plan approved by Glasgow City Council on 20 December indicates that up to 14,000 units will be demolished during the first 10 years after transfer.
17 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the jobs of staff involved in the transfer of housing stock in Glasgow will be guaranteed in the Glasgow Housing Association Ltd, given revisions to the proposed staffing structure of Scottish Borders Housing Association.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The terms and conditions of all council staff affected by the Glasgow housing transfer will be protected through the Transfer of Undertaking (Protection of Employment) arrangements.
12 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the regeneration of Glasgow's Clyde waterfront conference held on 29 November 2002 which called for a single agency to co-ordinate riverside regeneration on the River Clyde.
Answer · Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive welcomes debate and discussion on the issues associated with the regeneration of the River Clyde. The Clyde Waterfront Working Group (CWWG) was established last year to look at how public agencies could work better at regenerating the U…
12 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it will make of any impact on river traffic when it considers whether to approve the proposed Finnieston Bridge.
Answer · Des McNulty: A planning application for this proposed development has been notified to the Scottish ministers and is currently being considered. All such matters will be taken into account before a decision is reached.
12 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it will give to any impact on navigation of the River Clyde into Glasgow city centre when it considers whether to approve the proposed Finnieston Bridge.
Answer · Des McNulty: A planning application for this proposed development has been notified to the Scottish ministers and is currently being considered. All such matters will be taken into account before a decision is reached.
12 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of land released for housing developments since May 1999 has come from sites formerly used as playing fields.
Answer · Des McNulty: This information is not held centrally.
6 Dec 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to address the issue of licenses granted to houses in multiple occupation that do not have planning consent.
Answer · Margaret Curran: Planning and licensing controls are for different statutory and policy purposes. In those instances, where the owner needs both a licence and planning permission, he or she has a legal duty to obtain each of them. Local authorities may wish to encourage Housi…
14 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the tenants of Glasgow Housing Association Ltd will be subject to the same regulations as other housing associations in respect of the uplift of bulk items of household refuse.
Answer · Margaret Curran: All registered social landlords are subject to the same arrangements in respect of the uplift of bulk items of household refuse.
6 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what further progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of The same as you?.
Answer · Frank McAveety: Significant progress has been made with all 29 recommendations of <I>The same as you?</I> review of services for people with learning disability. Particular milestones include the setting up of Learning Disability Change Funds with effect from April 2001, tot…
6 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children with learning disabilities are housed in supported accommodation as part of the Care in the Community Strategy in each local authority area, broken down by council ward.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not held centrally.
6 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has put in place to support families of former residents of Lennox Castle Hospital who have been resettled in the community.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Significant efforts have been made by NHS Greater Glasgow to provide full support for the former residents of Lennox Castle Hospital and their families. <P>From 1998 to April 2002 when the hospital closed, 351 patients were discharged, mainly to supported acc…
6 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has conducted into domestic abuse of young people with learning disabilities.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive has not commissioned any research into domestic abuse of young people with learning disabilities.
6 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children defined as having learning disabilities there are in each local authority area, broken down by council ward.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is not held centrally.
6 Nov 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it provides to the parents of children with learning disabilities outwith school hours.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive's aim is to give all children, including those with learning disabilities, the best possible start in life. The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 requires local authorities to provide and publicise a range and level of services appropriate t…
31 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what investment will be available for non-traditional build housing, such as multi-storey flats, following the transfer of Glasgow City Council's housing stock to Glasgow Housing Association Ltd.
Answer · Margaret Curran: It was made clear during the consultation process that every home with a long-term life would be fully modernised to the Glasgow standard within 10.5 years after transfer. Each Local Housing Organisation is in the process of producing a management and investm…
17 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the entire staff of the Western Infirmary in Glasgow will be transferred to Gartnavel General Hospital if the Western Infirmary closes.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This is a matter for NHS Greater Glasgow.
17 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds will be available at the Beatson Oncology Centre following its transfer to the site at Gartnavel General Hospital.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Dr Adam Bryson, the Interim Director of the Beatson Oncology Centre, advises me that, as plans stand, there will be 271 beds at the new Cancer Centre at Gartnavel General Hospital. The bed complement will include 209 in-patient beds and 62 day beds. Some 42 o…
17 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to building a fully staffed and equipped dedicated cancer hospital in Glasgow.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Regional Cancer Centre at Gartnavel General Hospital will provide the vast majority of services that a dedicated cancer hospital would provide, with the advantage of being on the same site as a general hospital and access to its resources. The services pl…
17 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration was given in the Glasgow acute services review to providing services to cope with major incidents, such as terrorism, with particular regard to the proposed reduction of accident and emergency units (A&E) from five to two.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This is primarily a matter for Greater Glasgow NHS Board, which has a dedicated Emergency Planning Officer in place with the responsibility to co-ordinate a Major Incident Plan with partner agencies including local authorities and neighbouring NHS boards. The…
17 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many wards are closed at weekends in each hospital in the Greater Glasgow NHS Board area due to staff shortages.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS Greater Glasgow has confirmed that no wards in any of its hospitals are closed at weekends due to staff shortages.
17 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29695 by Ms Margaret Curran on 1 October 2002, what action it will take to address the funding gap in the Glasgow housing stock transfer proposal, referred to in the Glasgow Housing Stock Transfer Project Plan Review of 2 September 2002 by Currie and…
Answer · Margaret Curran: The Executive does not normally comment on the contents of such reports.
16 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many properties owned by Glasgow City Council were due to be transferred to the Glasgow Housing Association Ltd on the date the stock transfer ballot was held and how many properties are now currently expected to be transferred.
Answer · Margaret Curran: Glasgow City Council's housing stock at the time of the ballot was 83,687. It is currently projected that somewhere between 81,000 and 82,000 houses will transfer to the Glasgow Housing Association.
16 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that there is adequate provision of social work services in Glasgow to enable the childrens panel system to operate effectively.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Glasgow will receive £975.3 million in total revenue grant this year. Of this, £4.21 million of unhypothecated grant has been allocated from the Children's Services Development Fund and £3.2 million has been allocated from the Surestart programme.<P>Glasgow w…
16 Oct 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many tenants organisations have withdrawn from the Glasgow housing stock transfer since the ballot on stock transfer was held.
Answer · Margaret Curran: Two tenants organisations have withdrawn from the transfer process since the ballot, a further 67 tenants groups continue to work closely with others in taking the process forward.
2 Oct 2002 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure that there are adequate transport links to the new accident and emergency departments proposed under the acute services review in Glasgow.
Answer · Frank McAveety: During September and October of 2001, Greater Glasgow NHS Board carried out a survey of attendances at adult accident and emergency units. The data collected over that period indicated that the number of patients who used public transport to attend accident a…
24 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in each local authority area (a) made an application to and (b) received assistance from the central heating installation programme in each year since the programme started.
Answer · Hugh Henry: I cannot answer (a). Firstly, because local authority and housing association tenants do not apply to take part in the central heating programme: eligible households are identified by their landlords who also arrange the schedule of works. Secondly, because d…
24 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in each local authority area (a) made an application to and (b) received assistance from the Warm Deal scheme administered by local authorities in each year since the scheme started.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Local authority tenants are not required to apply for a grant under the Warm Deal as administered by their landlords. The authorities identify the dwellings which can benefit from the Warm Deal and arrange the programmes of work. The new Warm Deal was introdu…
24 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in each local authority area (a) made an application to and (b) received assistance from the Warm Deal scheme administered by Eaga Partnerships (Scotland) in each year since the scheme started.
Answer · Hugh Henry: Information on the Warm Deal as administered by local authorities is collected by authorities on a local authority basis, as set out in my answer to question S1W-29847 today. However, information on the Warm Deal as administered by Eaga is not collected by lo…
20 Sep 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to address the funding gap in the Glasgow housing stock transfer proposal as reported in The Herald on September 2002.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The Executive does not normally take action on the basis of newspaper reports.