Parliamentary questions

Alex Neil

3,059 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of the number of older people living in (a) absolute and (b) relative poverty and what the comparative figures were in (i) 1997, (ii) 1999 and (iii) 2003.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The information requested isavailable in the publication Scottish Households Below Average Income, 2004-05which is available either in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number39177) or on the Scottish Executive website at: <ahref=…

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the initial cost of construction was and estimated total lifetime cost to the public purse is for (a) Hairmyres Hospital and (b) Wishaw Hospital.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The initial construction costfor Hairmyres Hospital was £68 million and for Wishaw Hospital it was £121 million.The following tables show the annual payments over the period of the respectivecontracts. The aggregate of these annual payments however cannot be …

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) initial cost of construction, (b) buy-out cost and (c) total cost to the public purse was for (i) the Skye Bridge, (ii) Inverness Airport and (iii) West Lothian College.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The information required is setout as follows.(i) Skye Bridge(a) The total construction cost of the Skye Bridge projectwas £39 million, of which some £15 million was publicly funded. These figures areexpressed at 1991 prices.(b) The final…

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the (a) total and (b) business spend was on research and development in both cash terms and as a percentage of gross domestic product in 2006; how these figures compare with those for the United Kingdom, and what the comparative figures were in (i) 1997 and (ii) 1999.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Figures for 2006 are not yetavailable. The latest available data is shown in the following tables:Gross Expenditure onResearch and Development<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td nowrap valign=top>   </td…

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

Answer · George Lyon: Information on Scotland’s projectedfuture population for these years is available from the Government Actuary’sDepartment website through the following link:<ahref="http://www.gad.gov.uk/Population/index.asp?y=2004&v=Principal&dataCountry=scotl…

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its current estimate is of the ratio of workers to non-workers and what the comparative ratio was in 1997.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The latest data, taken fromthe Office for National Statistics labour market first release, on the ratiofor workers to non-workers at a Scottish level relates to the period ofSeptember to November 2006. The ratio of working age people in employment toworking a…

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average household income is in Scotland and what it estimates the average household income would have been if it had grown at the same rate as in the United Kingdom since May (a) 1997 and (b) 1999.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The following table presentsthe median weekly household income estimates for Scotland based on the Family ResourcesSurvey. Results have been presented using GB information as the Family ResourcesSurvey has only included Northern Ireland since 2002-03.T…

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are employed under the successor programmes to the New Deal, broken down by programme and age group.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: New Deal programmes stillexist so there is no successor to these programmes at present.

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimates are of the number of people who are (a) unemployed, (b) economically inactive and (c) economically inactive but fit and able to work.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The latest available data onthe composition of economic inactivity is for the period of July to September2006. The number of people who were unemployed in this period was 131,000. Thenumber of people of working age who were economically inactive was 641,000 o…

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of Scotland’s gross domestic product, expressed in (a) pounds sterling and (b) US dollars.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Based on the latest data available from the Office for National Statistics for the value of ScottishGross Value Added (GVA or GDP at basic prices), the Scottish GVA in 2005 was£86.3 billion, which is the equivalent of $157.1 billion at an exchange rate of1.81…

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the gross domestic product would be in Scotland (a) in total and (b) per capita had the growth of the Scottish economy matched that of the United Kingdom since May (a) 1997 and (b) 1999.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executivecannot provide estimates of GDP changes from a particular month, as requested,as data are not collected on a monthly basis. Annual GVA (gross value added) figuresare available on the Office for National Statistics website using the follo…

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of the number of children living in (a) absolute and (b) relative poverty and what the comparative figures were in May (i) 1997, (ii) 1999 and (iii) 2003.

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of net migration into Scotland it estimates is required to offset any population loss resulting from current projections of a birth rate below the replacement level required to maintain a stable population figure.

Answer · George Lyon: The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) publish the populationprojections for Scotland. In addition to the principalprojection, which uses assumptions considered to reflect current trends, GROSalso publish a series of projections reflecting different …

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of the number of homeless people, broken down by status.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The latest figures on homelessnessare published in the statistical bulletin Operation of the Homeless Persons legislationin Scotland: National and Local Authority Analysis 2005-06. Thisgives a full breakdown of the characteristics of applicant households and …

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of the number of people or families on local authority housing waiting lists.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-30466 on 19 December 2006. Information on waiting lists is collectedon an annual basis and there have been no updates since the most recent informationfor 2005-06 was published.All answers to writtenparl…

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest estimate is of the number of houses affected by (a) dampness and (b) condensation.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Scottish House ConditionSurvey for the year from October 2003 to September 2004 estimates that around 103,000households in Scotland (5%) live in dwellings showing signs of rising or penetratingdamp. The survey estimates that around 243,000 households (11%…

10 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many new homes were (a) started and (b) completed in each year since May 1999, broken down into (i) private sector, (ii) public sector and (iii) housing association.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The number of new dwellings startedand completed since 1996 is published in the Housing trends in Scotland: quarterending 30 June 2006 bulletin (tables 6 and 7). This is available on-line in the publications sectionof the housing statistics branch reference s…

9 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28342 by Patricia Ferguson on 9 September 2002, whether it will list any feudal superiorities in Scotland owned by Prince Charles, Duke of Rothesay, in his role as the Prince and Steward of Scotland, as referred to in Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1…

Answer · Johann Lamont: The feudal system of landtenure in Scotland was brought to an end on 28 November 2004 when theAbolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 was fully brought into force. On thatdate, all superiority interests in land were extinguished. Section 58 of the…

9 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Sewel or legislative consent motions it has lodged in each year since May 1999.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The information requested isavailable online at: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/legConMem/index.htm">http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/legConMem/index.htm</a>.

9 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28367 by Mr Jim Wallace on 9 September 2002, how many Scottish judges are currently members of the Privy Council and whether it will list them.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The total number of Scottishjudges, including retired judges, is 23. The names in alphabetical order are listedas follows.The Rt Hon Lord AbernethyThe Rt Hon Lord Cameron of Lochbroom*The Rt Hon Lord Coulsfield*The Rt Hon Lord Cull…

9 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5062 by Patricia Ferguson on 19 January 2004, what subsequent discussions it has had with Her Majesty’s Government on any modifications of the Schedule of reserved matters under section 29(2) of the Scotland Act 1998 and what any such modifications w…

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive is inregular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, includingissues relating to legislative competence where appropriate.Schedules 4 and 5 to theScotland Act 1998 have been amended by a series of Orders made un…

9 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all changes that have been made since May 1999, or are in the process of being made, to Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I refer the member to thequestion S2W-30852 answered on 1 February 2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website the search facility forwhich can be found at: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.…

9 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the membership of the Judicial Committee responsible for resolving any dispute between the Scottish Parliament and the Westminster Government in respect of the former’s exercise of its powers under the Scotland Act 1998.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The membership of the JudicialCommittee of the Privy Council is available on the Privy Council website, accessibleat <a href="http://www.privy-council.org.uk/">www.privy-council.org.uk</a>.

9 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in which European Council meetings Scottish ministers have participated since May 1999, detailing the names of the relevant ministers, the subjects discussed and decisions taken in each case.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Details of Scottish Executiveministerial attendance at European Union Council of Ministers meetings are availableon the Scottish Executive website at:<ahref="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/International-Relations/Europe/Page6">http://www.…

9 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in which European Council meetings since 1999 Scottish ministers have led the UK delegation, as defined in Article 146 of the Maastricht Treaty, detailing the names of the relevant ministers, the subjects discussed and decisions taken in each case.

Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to theanswers to questions S2W-23043 on 2 March 2006, and S2W-30519, on 16 January 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:<ahref="h…

9 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an up-to-date list of the cross-border public authorities as defined in the Scotland Act 1998.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scotland Act 1998 (Cross-BorderPublic Authorities) (Specification) Order 1999 (S.I.1999/1319) sets out the cross-borderpublic authorities as specified under section 88 of the Scotland Act 1998. A copyof this order can be found in the Scottish Parliament I…

9 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list any dates and times when any one of the three accident and emergency (A&E) units in Lanarkshire have been unable to accept any more patients or when they have referred patients to other A&E units in each of the last 12 months, also indicating for how long on each occa…

Answer · Andy Kerr: This is a matter for NHS Lanarkshire.The information requested is not held centrally.

9 Jan 2007 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list any donations, subscriptions and other payments made by it and its agencies to the CBI and other business lobbying organisations during the current and last financial years.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: On the basis of information heldon the Scottish Executive Accounting System, including the last and current financialyear to date, I can confirm that monies were paid to the CBI, Scottish Chambersof Commerce, Federation of Small Businesses, Institute of Direc…

21 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a substantive answer to my question S2W-29639 which was due for answer on 20 November 2006.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The answer to question S2W-29639was provided on 22 December 2006.All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facilityfor which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.se…

21 Dec 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-30419 by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 December 2006, how Glasgow Housing Association has spent the £50,000,000 that it claimed from the Contingent Efficencies Grant.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) has spent the ContingentEfficiencies Grant funding it has claimed so far on delivery of itsbusiness objectives as set out in its Business Plan. GHA is currentlyconsulting on its draft 30-year Business Plan for 2007-08 (availa…