Parliamentary questions
Kenneth Gibson
2,008 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which recommendations in Consultation on Young Runaways: Background Paper by the Social Exclusion Unit, published by the Cabinet Office it is considering for implementation with reference to running away.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The recommendations are helping to inform the work of the Working Group on Young Runaways and Children Abused Through Prostitution. We are keeping in close contact with progress on the Social Exclusion Unit project and will consider which of the emerging conc…
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to develop refuge provision for young people at risk of harm in accordance with section 38 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Local authorities already have powers under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 to provide short-term refuges for children. The need for flexible forms of refuge provision is one issue which will be considered by the Working Group on Young Runaways and Children …
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to issue guidance on the protection of children and young people abused through prostitution.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The working group hopes to reach initial conclusions by the autumn with a view to consulting on proposals by the end of the year.
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive who the members are of the Working Group on Young Runaways and Children Abused through Prostitution and when it next plans to meet.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Working Group on Young Runaways and Children Abused through Prostitution consists of a number of officials from across the Executive and representatives from: Barnardo's Scotland; Aberlour Child Care Trust; ChildLine Scotland; the Association of Chief Pol…
23 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the second report of the Housing Improvement Task Force to be published.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The intention is that the second report of the Housing Improvement Task Force should be published by spring 2003.
8 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to conduct research into the prevalence of low income or disadvantaged groups living in poor condition properties and to provide a breakdown of this data by housing sector.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The Executive has recently completed a review of existing data and research on owner-occupied households who have relatively low incomes including the implications for housing quality. This is available on the Housing Improvement Task Force website. In additi…
8 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to conduct research into the proportion of income used in households to make good "critical disrepair", as defined in Issues in Improving Quality in Private Housing: The first report of the Housing Improvement Task Force.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive is currently carrying out the field work for the 2002 Scottish House Condition Survey. This survey will provide a comprehensive picture of the extent of disrepair in Scottish housing and an estimate of the cost of necessary repair and i…
8 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the collection rate of fines due to Glasgow Sheriff Court was in the last year for which figures are available.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Information is not readily available in the form requested. In Glasgow Sheriff Court from 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 a total of £893,454 was remitted to the exchequer in payment of fines. This will in part relate to fines imposed in previous years.
8 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much in outstanding fines is due to Glasgow sheriff court in respect of each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Answer · Jim Wallace: Information is not readily available in the form requested. The amount of fines outstanding at Glasgow sheriff court or any sheriff court changes on a daily basis, as new fines are imposed and previously imposed fines are paid in whole or in part, or discharg…
1 May 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many suicides there were by (a) males and (b) females aged over 35 years in each year from 1991 to 2001.
Answer · Richard Simpson: The information requested is given in the following table.<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=493><TR><TD VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN=12 HEIGHT=17><P>Suicides, aged 35 and over, Scotland<SUP>1</SUP></TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="11%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=17><P>…
27 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much (a) non-Public Works Loan Board and (b) Public Works Loan Board debt in respect of housing Glasgow City Council (i) owes in total and (ii) repays annually through its Housing Revenue Account.
Answer · Margaret Curran: As at 31 March 2001, Glasgow City Council's total debt was £2,185 million, comprising £1,932 million Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) and £253 million non-PWLB. Around £900 million of the total debt is apportioned to the Housing Revenue Account but in line with…
27 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any debt write-off following transfer of Glasgow City Council's housing stock will include non-Public Works Loan Board debts for housing.
Answer · Margaret Curran: The arrangements for dealing with local authorities' residual housing debt following a whole stock transfer were set out in the answer to question S1W-18180 on 28 September 2001.
26 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much aggregate external finance would be received by Glasgow City Council in 2002-03 were it to receive a percentage increase in aggregate external finance equal to the average percentage increase in aggregate external finance of other local authorities that year.
Answer · Peter Peacock: Glasgow City Council would receive £962.22 million. The council with its financial settlement receives 23% above the Scottish average per head for 2002-03 and is 42%, 8% and 42% above Aberdeen, Dundee and Edinburgh's AEF respectively.
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what capital provision for equipment was (a) allocated and (b) spent in each NHS board area in each year from 1994-95 to 2000-01 inclusive, expressed in real terms.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Capital resources are not specifically allocated to individual NHS boards for the provision or replacement of medical equipment.<P>It is for individual NHS boards to determine annually the level of funding required for new and replacement medical equipment ta…
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the expenditure on secondary mental health services was in real terms in each of the last five years for which figures are available and what this represents as a percentage of the hospital and community health services budget in each of these years.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following table shows expenditure in real terms on hospital and community services for mental health between 1996-97 and 2000-01. The expenditure figures include resource transfer from health boards to local authorities. <P>Expenditure on Mental Health Se…
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive Scottish Executive how much aggregate external finance in total will be available for local authorities in 2002-03; what the share of aggregate external finance was for each local authority in 1996-97 to 2001-02 inclusive, and what the share for each local authority will be in 2002-03.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Finance Circulars for each year since 1996-97, detailing the Aggregate External Finance (AEF) allocations to local authorities, are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Finance Circulars and respective Bib. no's are listed).<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACIN…
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much capital debt was owed (a) by each local authority and (b) per capita in each local authority area on the most recent date for which figures are available.
Answer · Peter Peacock: The following table shows the total and per capita amount of capital debt owed by each local authority and joint board as at March 2001:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=463><TR><TD WIDTH="51%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=33><P></TD><TD WIDTH="24%" VALI…
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much each parliamentary constituency received in lottery funding in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Answer · Elaine Murray: The information requested is given in the document <I>PQ S1W-24395: Lottery Funds to Scottish Parliamentary Constituencies for Years - 1999/2000, 2000/2001, 2001/2002</I>, a copy of which has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 20579…
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the number of (a) neurosurgery beds, (b) neurosurgery intensive care beds and (c) specialist neurosurgery staff.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: These are matters for local health care systems in the first instance, guided by advice from relevant professional bodies. Decisions on these issues will to some extent also depend on the work currently in progress on configuration of neurosurgical services a…
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many hectares of (a) contaminated, (b) derelict and (c) vacant land were reclaimed in each of the last three years and how many hectares of such land remain.
Answer · Margaret Curran: Figures from the Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey are provided in the following tables. Under the definitions used in the survey, all contaminated land is described as being derelict rather than vacant. The survey does not specifically require the tes…
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time was for cataract operations for the most recent period available in each NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The median waiting times for cataract removal, by NHS board of residence, for the year ended 30 September 2001, are given in the following table:<P>NHSScotland: Median Waiting Times<SUP>1</SUP> for Cataract Removal<SUP>2</SUP>, by NHS Board of Residence. Year…
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people died while on a waiting list for cardiac surgery in (a) 1998-99, (b) 1999-2000 and 2000-01 broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-3569 on 21 January 2000, which stated that 67 people died while on the waiting list for cardiac surgery in the year ending 31 March 1999. The information for 1999-2000 and 2000-01 is being collected, and …
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the current average waiting time is for (a) coronary artery bypass grafts and (b) other cardiac surgery, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The median waiting times for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts and Other Cardiac Surgery, by NHS board of residence, for the year ended 30 September 2001, are given in the following table:<P>Median Waiting Times<SUP>1</SUP> for Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts and O…
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many men diagnosed with prostate cancer in the years from 1991-92 to 1996-97 inclusive were still alive five years later, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Patients diagnosed in 1995 are currently the most recent period for which five year survival figures are available. <P>The following table show the number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer in each year from 1991 to 1995 inclusive and how many were still …
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many men (a) were diagnosed and (b) died from prostate cancer in each year from 1996-97 to 2000-01 inclusive, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The following table 1 shows numbers of cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in Scotland by year of diagnosis and NHS board area between 1996 and 1998, the most recent year for which cancer registration figures are available. Results are presented by calendar ye…
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the Warm Deal to allow cross subsidy within a given tenement and multi-storey block of flats in situations where the average grant per flat does not exceed the maximum amount of grant available.
Answer · Iain Gray: As with other grant schemes, the Warm Deal is kept under review. However, there are no plans to change the scheme in the way suggested in the question.
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why the maximum grant of #500 available under the Warm Deal is not index linked against inflation and whether it has any plans for it to be so linked.
Answer · Iain Gray: The grant maximum for the Warm Deal is kept under review but we believe the current maximum of £500 is adequate. The average grant awarded in 2001-02 was around £320.
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty's Government through the Inter-Departmental Group on Older People to reduce the council tax benefit taper which requires pensioners to pay 20p in every pound earned from their occupational or private pensions over the income support l…
Answer · Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues. The UK Ministerial Sub-Committee on Older People has replaced the Inter Ministerial Group on Older People and the Minister of State at the Scotland Office is a memb…
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty's Government through the Inter-Departmental Group on Older People to reduce the housing benefit taper which requires to pay 65p in every pound earned from occupational or private pensions over the income support level towards their re…
Answer · Iain Gray: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with UK Government ministers and departments on a wide range of issues, including housing benefit. It is for the Department for Work and Pensions to assess the impact of any possible changes to the housing benefit …
25 Mar 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) birth, (b) mortality and (c) life expectancy rates were for (i) males and (ii) females in each year from 1995-96 to 2000-01 inclusive broken down by NHS board area.
Answer · Richard Simpson: The latest available information is provided in the following tables:<P>Birth Rates<SUP>1</SUP> by Health Board Area, 1995-2001<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=576><TR><TD WIDTH="56%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN=4 HEIGHT=16><P></TD><TD WIDTH="44%" VAL…