Mrs Lyndsay McIntosh

19 Feb 2003 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the provision of crematorium facilities.

Answer · Mary Mulligan: Legislation on the provision and operation of crematoria in Scotland is set out in the 1902 and 1952 Crematorium Acts and the Cremation (Scotland) Regulations 1935. Under these acts, local authorities have responsibilities for authorising any new crematoria.

18 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of registered charities qualify under the Hardship Fund for assistance with water rates.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-34133 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at <A HREF="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/searc…

18 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether South Lanarkshire Volunteering Enterprise will qualify as a registered charity under the Hardship Fund for assistance with water rates.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Water Industry Hardship Fund was established to assist organisations that are not eligible to be exempted from water and sewerage charges under the Water and Sewerage Charges (Exemption) (Scotland) Regulations 2002, but which can demonstrate that they are…

12 Feb 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research was undertaken to ensure best value in encouraging growth in the credit union and community banking movement.

Answer · Des McNulty: The aim of the Scottish Executive's support for credit unions is to remove barriers to credit union growth and ensure credit unions have access to support and development services. To date, the Executive's funding is providing support through compliance train…

9 Jan 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans are in place to protect people and counter any terrorist threat to the transportation by rail of nuclear material to nuclear plants.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: These are reserved matters, although the Scottish Executive is closely involved in the government response. It is not government policy to disclose details of security measures taken in response to existing or new threats.

30 Oct 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it will make available to the 18 clients currently being offered one-to-one counselling and the 18 clients currently being counselled over the telephone by Facilitate (Scotland) in the light of the decision by judicial factors to close the offices of Facilitate (Scotland).

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: An interim Judicial Factor has been appointed to manage the affairs of Facilitate (Scotland). <P>If a decision were made to close the charity, then any closure would have to be made in an orderly fashion. The Scottish Charities Office has already made the Fac…

5 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to support vulnerable pre-school children.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: We want to ensure that every child has the best possible start in life. Through programmes such as Sure Start Scotland and Starting Well we are providing a wide range of support to vulnerable and deprived families with pre-school children. This includes paren…

5 Jun 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to introduce new measures to protect vulnerable pre-school children.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: We are continually looking at ways to protect vulnerable children and young people.<P>The current review of child protection is due to report in the summer and is expected to make recommendations to assist in reducing abuse and neglect, as well as improving s…

27 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the budget provision is for housing repair and improvement grants in the current and future financial years and how much has been spent in the current year.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Since April 1996 the amount set aside for improvement and repair grants has been for each local authority to determine. No expenditure figures are yet available for the current year, 2002-03. The latest confirmed figure available for expenditure on statutory …

24 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who will meet the costs of any independent repairs assessment and legal fees incurred by the borrower in relation to the mortgage to rent scheme.

Answer · Margaret Curran: This is one of the issues which will be considered by the recently appointed co-ordinator in consultation with a working group to be established to advise on the scheme.

24 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the mortgage to rent scheme will deal with a defaulting debtor who is party to a shared ownership scheme.

Answer · Margaret Curran: There was no provision for defaulting debtors in shared ownership housing in the draft scheme which was issued for consultation last year. We may wish to review this, in due course, in the light of experience of the initial operation of the scheme.

24 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are currently assisted by mortgage rescue schemes and how many it is anticipated will be under the mortgage to rent scheme.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Information on the number of people currently assisted by mortgage rescue schemes run by other agencies is not known. It is too early to say how many people might be helped under the Executive-sponsored mortgage to rent scheme since this will depend on the nu…

24 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how the mortgage to rent scheme interacts with sheriff courts.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The mortgage to rent scheme is an administrative rather than a legal scheme. It is not intended that there should be any formal link between this scheme and the involvement of sheriff courts in repossession actions.

24 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether compliance with the mortgage to rent scheme is compulsory for lenders.

Answer · Margaret Curran: There are no plans to make the mortgage to rent scheme compulsory for lenders.

24 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many mortgage rescue schemes are currently in place.

Answer · Margaret Curran: We are aware of the existence of a small number of mortgage rescue schemes currently run by social landlords and local authorities, although the precise number is not known.

24 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any guidance from sheriffs was sought when formulating the policy for its mortgage to rent scheme and, if so, what this guidance was.

Answer · Margaret Curran: It is not normal practice to ask sheriffs for guidance on an administrative scheme such as the mortgage to rent scheme.

24 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what internal appeals procedure, in the event of a disputed assessment by a lender, exists under the mortgage to rent scheme.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The co-ordinator plans to give further consideration, in consultation, with the proposed working group, to the establishment of an internal appeals procedure relating to decisions made by her on eligibility for the scheme.

24 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what cost-benefit work has been carried out in relation to mortgage rescue schemes.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Work already undertaken suggests that a mortgage to rent scheme could have a number of benefits which would justify the cost of operating the scheme. A successful application under the scheme will avoid the possession by the lender of the applicant's home, an…

16 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive at what ages drug awareness classes are being held for schoolchildren.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The responsibility for development and management of the curriculum, including timing of delivery, rests with education authorities. To assist with this, 5-14 National Guidelines are available which offer a framework setting out attainment targets throughout …

16 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to reduce bureaucracy and streamline the procedures for voluntary organisations when applying to it for funding.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive published on 9 May its response to its consultation on the review of direct funding for the voluntary sector. This response details the Executive's plans to reform the arrangements for direct funding of the voluntary sector in Scotland.…

16 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken, or plans to take, to increase the targeting of volunteering initiatives in deprived communities.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive supports the national network of Volunteer Centres. Volunteer Centres are one-stop shops where information, advice and support on volunteering opportunities can be obtained by people, irrespective of their background or circumstances. W…

16 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23753 by Iain Gray on 19 March 2002, when the social economy review report will be published.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I am in the process of considering the draft of the social economy review and will arrange for publication of the report for consultation in due course.

16 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to address any skills shortage currently facing Glasgow's construction industry.

Answer · Iain Gray: Research, carried out by the Training and Employment Research Unit at Glasgow University, has identified an emerging skills gap in construction. <P>The Scottish Welfare to Work Task Force has established a group to develop a New Deal construction sector pathw…

16 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote Volunteers' Week.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive has supported Volunteers' Week for a number of years. This year the week will be launched by the First Minister in Glasgow on 7 June. The Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport will give the keynote address at the Volunteering in the A…

16 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Active Communities Media Strategy Group last met and what matters were discussed.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Media Strategy Action Group last met on 10 May 2002, when it discussed how to take forward publicity campaigns for the Active Communities Initiative, the themes and messages for these campaigns and how to extend the capacity for volunteering through publi…

16 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it demonstrates support for volunteering and community action in the development of new policies.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Compact commits the Scottish Executive to ensuring that, in the process of policy-making, the impact of changes in policy and procedure on voluntary organisations, volunteering and community groups is considered and taken fully into account. This…

16 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many public sector bodies have developed policy statements on volunteering and supporting community action.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Information on how many public agencies have volunteering policy statements is not collected centrally. However, guidance on volunteering policies was issued to the health service in 1998 and 2000 requesting that a policy statement on volunteering in their ar…

16 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to encourage sustainable public sector funding practices in relation to the voluntary sector.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive recognises the need for long term, sustainable funding for voluntary organisations. To assist in this the Executive, as part of its review of its own direct funding of the voluntary sector, has committed itself to the provision of three…

3 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition is of fuel poverty.

Answer · Hugh Henry: In March 2002 we published a consultation paper seeking views on how the Executive might best meet the duty placed on it by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that persons do not live in fuel poverty. The consultat…

3 May 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will measure any changes in the numbers of those suffering from fuel poverty from now until 2006.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The current estimate of the number of fuel poor households across Scotland was made from data collected for the <I>1996 Scottish House Condition Survey</I>. That estimate will be revised using data from the 2002 House Condition Survey and will be revised agai…