Parliamentary questions

Andrew Wilson

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

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it can provide any residents of the Luggiebank area of the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth parliamentary constituency who have concerns about the potential environmental and personal impact of activities associated with a local plastic coating company and how open the process for …

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Executive is not aware of any environmental or public health issues concerning a plastic coating company in the Luggiebank area. If residents have any such concerns they should contact either the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's East Kilbride offi…

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what social amenities that it would consider to be appropriate and desirable for a population the si'e of that in the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth parliamentary constituency are missing from Cumbernauld town centre and what action it will take in respect of this matter.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive does not assess the social amenity requirements of individual areas. These judgements are primarily a matter for the relevant local authority, as is action to deal with any gaps in provision.

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the current condition of Cumbernauld town centre is acceptable; what action it has taken in respect of the town centre, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Answer · Des McNulty: These are matters for the owners of Cumbernauld town centre and North Lanarkshire Council.

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what specific reasons the proposals by the Cumbernauld Development Corporation for the redevelopment of Cumbernauld town centre have not been carried forward by North Lanarkshire Council.

Answer · Des McNulty: These are matters for North Lanarkshire Council.

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received about the redevelopment of Cumbernauld town centre; on what date and from whom each such representation was received; what the terms were of each representation, and what the outcome was and what the reasons were for its position in each case.

Answer · Des McNulty: Issues regarding the redevelopment of Cumbernauld town centre are matters for North Lanarkshire Council, who are presently considering two planning applications related to development of the town centre. These applications have generated three objections. The…

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations it has carried out on the redevelopment of Cumbernauld town centre; what the dates were of each such consultation; who was consulted; what the terms and scope were of each consultation, and what the outcome was and what the reasons were for its position in each case.

Answer · Des McNulty: The Scottish Executive has not carried out any consultations on the redevelopment of Cumbernauld town centre.

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many proposals have been submitted for the redevelopment of Cumbernauld town centre since its partial demolition; on what date each such proposal was submitted; to what local authority and by whom each proposal was submitted; how far each proposal has progressed in relation to plannin…

Answer · Des McNulty: These are all matters for North Lanarkshire Council as planning authority.

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has undertaken, or will undertake, to ensure that older people will receive fully independent financial advice prior to the proposed changes to the pension payment system.

Answer · Margaret Curran: None. Independent financial advisers are regulated by the Financial Services Authority; this is a reserved matter.

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Citi'ens Advice Bureaux, Age Concern Scotland or the banks are appropriate means by which pensioners may receive independent financial advice in relation to the proposed changes to the pension payment system and what the reasons are for the position on the matter.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Independent financial advisers and the companies they work for must be authorised by the Financial Services Authority; this is a reserved matter. Banks may only offer advice on their own products or services.<P>The Executive appreciates that, in the normal co…

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what issues have been identified with any of the systems proposed for the payment of pensions; whether any issues have a judicial aspect that may require the involvement of the Scottish Law Officers, and what action it has undertaken, or will undertake, to address each such issue.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive recognises that there could be practical difficulties in identifying pensions and social security benefits when paid direct into a bank account if enforcement by arresting monies in bank accounts is attempted. <P>In line with its commit…

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many persons of pensionable age live in the (a) Cumbernauld and Kilsyth and (b) Motherwell and Wishaw parliamentary constituencies.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Latest results from the 2001 Census, published by the Registrar General on 25 March show that the number of persons of pensionable age living in the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth parliamentary constituency is 9,167, and in the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency is …

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations it has had, or representations it has made, regarding proposed changes involving bank accounts to the pension payment system, detailing with whom each such contact was made and what the date, purpose and outcome was of each such contact.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Age Concern Scotland raised the change to direct payments at the December 2002 meeting of the Older People's Consultative Forum which is chaired by Mr Frank McAveety, Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care.<P>Following that meeting, Mr McAveety wrote t…

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any issues could arise for it from the proposed changes involving bank accounts to the pension payments system; whether any such issues would be either short or long term; what action it will undertake to address each individual issue, and, if there is a financial aspect to addres…

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive does not expect any issues in devolved areas to arise from the changes to payments of pensions. Pensions and benefits and banking are reserved matters.

17 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will undertake to ensure that all written questions submitted prior to the dissolution of the Parliament will be answered in full and made available to the public and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive will ensure that all written Scottish parliamentary questions lodged by 17 March (the last date for lodging parliamentary questions in this parliamentary session) will be answered by 31 March 2003. If, however, the information requested…

17 Mar 2003 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what action the Scottish Executive is taking to ensure that it has the full confidence of the business community.

Answer · Jack McConnell: We will build confidence in the business community through regular dialogue and by pursuing the right enterprise strategy for Scotland. We listen to business and their suggestions, as our important enterprise in education announcement earlier this week demons…

14 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for a wheelchair not being provided to a 12-year-old resident of the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth constituency suffering severe debilitation from Sever's disease in both feet and receiving treatment at Monklands Hospital.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This is an operational matter for Lanarkshire NHS Board. The board has undertaken to investigate this matter on receipt of written details from the member, with your constituent's consent.

14 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what specialist paediatric services are available for sufferers of Sever's disease in (a) Scotland and (b) the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth constituency, detailing the level of service each individual unit can provide.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is available from NHS boards and trusts whose responsibility it is to ensure that there is a range of services in place that best meets the needs of their local population.

13 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what appeals processes will be available to homeowners in the Ainslie Road and Macclehose Road area of the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth constituency should they consider that any proposed or offered level of compensation is inadequate and how an appropriate level of independence will be assure…

Answer · Margaret Curran: Should North Lanarkshire Council purchase the flats at Ainslie Road and Macclehose Road under Part IV of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 the compensation will, in each case, be determined by the District Valuer and any dispute as to the amount of compensation…

13 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33679 by Margaret Curran on 18 February 2003, what the latest date is by which the discussions concerning compensation to homeowners in the Ainslie Road and Macclehose Road area of the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth constituency will be completed

Answer · Margaret Curran: The timetable for discussions concerning any compensation to homeowners in the Ainslie Road and Maclehose Road area of Cumbernauld is a matter for North Lanarkshire Council to determine.

13 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33681 by Margaret Curran on 21 February 2003, when the affected properties in the Ainslie Road and Macclehose Road area of the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth constituency were constructed; what each of the identified defects in construction was, detailing t…

Answer · Margaret Curran: Our understanding is that the properties in question were built in the 1960s.<P>Details of the defects and their impact on the relevant properties are set out in reports by A.J. Balfour & Associates, dated October 2000 and the Structural Partnership, date…

13 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33682 by Margaret Curran on 21 February 2003, whether there is any section of legislation that would prevent North Lanarkshire Council, either itself or with other bodies, paying compensation at the level that property values would now be had the def…

Answer · Margaret Curran: As I indicated in the answer given to question S1W-33682, any compensation paid by North Lanarkshire Council will need to be in accordance with the relevant statutory provisions. If it decides to use the compulsory powers available under Part IV of the Housin…

13 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33682 by Margaret Curran on 21 February 2003, whether it will detail each stakeholder that North Lanarkshire Council is consulting.

Answer · Margaret Curran: It is for North Lanarkshire Council to decide which bodies and persons it may wish to consult, taking account of any statutory requirements.

13 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been asked by any party to provide financial assistance towards any compensation scheme for the homeowners of properties in the Ainslie Road and Macclehose Road area of the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth constituency and, if so, which parties made such requests, when and what its …

Answer · Margaret Curran: The North Lanarkshire Council has asked the Scottish Executive to assist with the costs that would be involved should they proceed with a scheme to acquire and demolish the flats at Ainslie Road and Macclehose Road and rehouse the residents or provide assista…

13 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates, and with whom, it has held discussions regarding the payment of compensation to homeowners of properties in the Ainslie Road and Macclehose Road area of the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth constituency.

Answer · Margaret Curran: On 4 March 2002 the then Minister for Social Justice, Iain Gray, met with Cathie Craigie who is the constituency MSP, North Lanarkshire Council and the local owners' association, AMAG, on the problems associated with the flats at Ainslie Road and Macclehose R…

12 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33691 by Lewis Macdonald on 25 February 2003, what body will be responsible for carrying out the performance impact studies and issuing of regulatory dispensations for each rail project and what impact a negative study or non-issue of such dispensati…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Network Rail in partnership with the promoter are responsible for assessing the impact on operational performance of rail projects. Together, they agree bilaterally on the impact of projects and submit their calculations to The Office of the Rail Regulator (O…

3 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency have been (a) refused and (b) provided with heating systems under its Central Heating Installation Programme in each year since the programme became operational.

Answer · Des McNulty: Eaga do not collect statistics on the number of applications refused. They collect cumulative statistics on the number of installations by main postcode area, not constituency area. The main postcode area covering Motherwell and Wishaw is ML. Eaga tell us tha…

3 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth constituency have been (a) refused and (b) provided with heating systems under its Central Heating Installation Programme in each year since the programme became operational.

3 Mar 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why a 96-year-old resident in the Cumbernauld and Kilsyth constituency, whose home has two 40-year-old storage heaters, in the living room and hallway, that were described in representations by North Lanarkshire Social Work Department as leaving the hallway "like a fridge", has been refus…

Answer · Des McNulty: Eligibility for the Central Heating Installation Programme is dependent on a number of factors, including whether there is any form of heating in the house already. In September 2002 the Scottish Executive announced that the programme would be extended from A…

27 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-34019 by Iain Gray on 24 February 2003, whether the estimate that individual learning account fraud occurred in around 3% of training providers, given by the then Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning to the Enterprise and Lifelong…

Answer · Iain Gray: The 3% estimate given by my predecessor in April 2002 was based on the results of validation fieldwork carried out between January and March 2002. The further validation work carried out since March 2002 indicates that the 3% quoted last April remains a reaso…

27 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-34021 by Iain Gray on 24 February 2003, how many claims for monies owed under the individual learning account scheme are still being investigated; how many learning providers are involved, and how much is outstanding in each case whilst the validatio…

Answer · Iain Gray: A number of learning providers either remain under investigation by the Scottish authorities or, in respect of certain learning providers based in England, have been referred to the Department for Education and Skills' Special Investigations Unit. Search warr…