Stewart Stevenson

2 Apr 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to complete the review into future funding for the voluntary sector and when a decision will be made.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive, in conjunction with COSLA and the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, is currently undertaking a strategic review of fundingfor the voluntary sector. The review will identify the current scale and patternof funding to the sec…

25 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what provision there is for the transport needs of visually impaired people in (a) rural areas and (b) Scotland as a whole.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Executive through the RuralCommunity Transport Initiative (RCTI) funds community transport measures in themore remote areas of Scotland, particularly where there are no scheduled or very limitedbus services. The RCTI supports a wide range of projects, inc…

24 Mar 2004 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in ending slopping out in all prisons.

Answer · Hugh Henry: New houseblocks costing £35 millionwere opened at Edinburgh Prison and Polmont Young Offenders Institution lastyear. Contracts worth £50 million were also awarded last year for newhouseblocks at Edinburgh and Glenochil Prisons. These will open next summer.New…

24 Mar 2004 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many vessels constitute the Scottish white fish fleet.

Answer · Allan Wilson: There is nofixed defined whitefish fleet. There are some 550 over 10 metre vessels basedin Scotland that hold Category A (whitefish) licences, of which some 450 landedsome whitefish in 2003. However, the level of dependency on whitefish catchesvaries from ves…

10 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it has taken, and will take, to prevent possible infection from imported potatoes affecting the Scottish potato industry.

Answer · Allan Wilson: No seed potatoes fromoutwith the EU (and Switzerland) are permitted to be marketed or planted in Scotland.Ware (i.e. for consumption) potatoes may be imported from a number of Europeanand Mediterranean countries provided they are certified by the competentaut…

4 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many 65-year-olds had an income of (a) up to #5,000 (b) #5,001 - #7,500, (c) #7,501 - #10,000, (d) #10,001 - #15,000, (e) #15,001 - #20,000, (f) #20,001 - #30,000, (g) #30,001 - #35,000, (h) #35,001 - #40,000 and (i) #40,001 and over in each of the last six years for which informatio…

Answer · Margaret Curran: The information requested isnot available for individual ages. Figures for all ages are provided in the answerto S2W-6737 on 13 May 2004.</p>

4 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many women in (a) Glasgow, (b) Edinburgh, (c) Aberdeen, (d) Inverness, (e) Dundee and (f) Stirling had an income of (i) up to #5,000 (ii) #5,001 - #7,500, (iii) #7,501 - #10,000, (iv) #10,001 - #15,000, (v) #15,001 - #20,000, (vi) #20,001 - #30,000, (vii) #30,001 - #35,000, (viii) #3…

Answer · Margaret Curran: The information requested isnot available at local authority level. Scotland level figures are provided in the answer to S2W-6737on 13 May 2004.</p>

4 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many men in (a) Glasgow, (b) Edinburgh, (c) Aberdeen, (d) Inverness, (e) Dundee and (f) Stirling had an income of (i) up to #5,000 (ii) #5,001 - #7,500, (iii) #7,501 - #10,000, (iv) #10,001 - #15,000, (v) #15,001 - #20,000, (vi) #20,001 - #30,000, (vii) #30,001 - #35,000, (viii) #35,…

Answer · Margaret Curran: The information requested isnot available at local authority level. Scotland level figures are provided in the answer to S2W-6737on 13 May 2004.</p>

4 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) men and (b) women had an income of (i) up to #5,000, (ii) #5,001 - #7,500, (iii) #7,501 - #10,000, (iv) #10,001 - #15,000, (v) #15,001 - #20,000, (vi) #20,001 - #30,000, (vii) #30,001 - #35,000, (viii) #35,001 - #40,000 and (ix) #40,001 and over, in each of the last six year…

Answer · Margaret Curran: The table presents estimates of the numbers of a) men and b) women with gross income falling in the various income bands, for each of the years 1996-97 to 2001-02. The estimates are derived from the Family Resources Survey’s (FRS) Individual Incomes Analysis.…

4 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000, whether it is appropriate for pelagic fish processing factories that operate for around six months of the year to meet the full cost of a Scottish Environment Protection Agency licence/permit a…

Answer · Allan Wilson: The level of charges for permitsissued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency is based on the cost ofprocessing applications. In the case of an application for a permit under thePollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000, the resource…

4 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000, what discussions were held with representative bodies of seafood processors prior to the drafting of the regulations and whether the issue of seasonality was raised during these discussions.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive consulted a wide range of trade associations and other organisationsbefore the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000 weremade. Consultees included representatives of the fish processing industry. Atotal of five co…

4 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000, what account was taken of the seasonal nature of food processing plants dealing with (a) agricultural produce, (b) horticultural produce and (c) pelagic fish species.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Seasonality was notspecifically discussed prior to the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland)Regulations 2000 being introduced. Nor was this issue raised by industry duringthe consultation process.</p>

1 Mar 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of national lottery funding has been, and is projected to be, received by Scotland in each of the (a) last five and (b) next three years and what comparable information it has on lottery funding for England and Wales.

Answer · Frank McAveety: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility for National Lottery Funding. DCMS’s database at <a href="http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk/">www.lottery.culture.gov.uk</a> givesfigures for Lottery awards in Scotland as set out in the following…

23 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) fatal, (b) serious and (c) slight casualties there were in each of the last five years for which figures are available in (i) road and (ii) other transport accidents involving illegal alcohol levels and what the percentage change was for each category between each year.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Estimates of the numbers ofcasualties in road accidents involving illegal alcohol levels in each of thelast five years for which figures are available were published in <i>RoadAccidents Scotland 2002</i>, copies of which are available in the Parliament’sRefer…

23 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost was in (a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001, (d) 2002 and (e) 2003 of raising a child to the age of 18.

Answer · Margaret Curran: There is no reliable informationon these costs.</p>

23 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, children it estimates will be living in poverty in (a) 2004-05, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2020-21, (i) before and (ii) after housing costs, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Executive does not makeprojections or forecasts of the numbers and percentages of children living inlow income poverty. The Executive iscommitted to eradicating child poverty in a generation.</p>

23 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, children lived in poverty as defined by the (a) absolute low income, (b) relative low income and (c) material derivation indicators announced in the Department for Work and Pensions' report Measuring Child Poverty (i) before and (ii) after housing costs …

Answer · Margaret Curran: The latest estimates of thenumbers and percentages of children in Scotland living in absolute and relativelow income poverty, before and after housing costs, can be found in tables 2eand 2g of the Scottish Executive’s report Social Justice Indicators of Progr…

16 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) personal and (b) company bankruptcies there were in each of the last three years for which records are available.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Accountant in Bankruptcypublishes the information in the agency’s annual report which can be accessedat www.aib.gov.uk.</p>

16 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many postgraduate students have declared themselves bankrupt in each year since 1995.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Information on the number ofdebtors subject to sequestrationproceedings who are postgraduates is notheld centrally.</p>

26 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to supervise prisoners after release from long-term sentences and whether there are any implications arising from such persons choosing to change their names.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Prisoners serving sentencesof four years or more are released on licence and are subject to statutorysupervision on release. The service for this group is currently being enhancedin response to the recommendations contained in the report from the TripartiteGr…

26 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it has conducted with regard to the possible effects on the Scottish climate of the extraction of energy from the atmosphere by wind farms.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: We have not conducted anystudies of this kind.</p>

21 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what academic and vocational education and training is available to young people serving custodial sentences.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is asfollows:</p><p class=MsoBodyText>HM Young Offenders Institute Polmontdeliver approximately 40,000 learning hours of education, over 50 weeks a year,contract…

21 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated percentage collection rate of council tax is for (a) 2003-04 and (b) 2004-05.

Answer · Andy Kerr: In setting council taxlevels, local authorities make assumptions about the total council tax incomewhich they will receive, including arrears, in the coming year. This, expressedas a percentage of council tax billed, is published in column 5 on page 9 of the …

21 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many attacks on fire fighters there have been in each fire authority region in each of the last five years.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Her Majesty’s Fire Services Inspectorate began compiling figures for attacks on fire service personnel in 2002-03 based on returns from brigades. There are no centrally coordinated statistics for the earlier years.</p><p>The figures for 2002-03 are as follows…

21 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time fire officers were serving in the Scottish Fire Service in each year since 1997 in each region.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The actual numbers of staffin post in each of the eight Scottish brigades is shown in the following tables.It should be noted that the figures are summaries of the more detailedinformation compiled by Her Majesty’s Fire Services Inspectorate for Scotland ands…

21 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) start-up and (b) failure rate was for small businesses in (i) Glasgow, (ii) Edinburgh, (iii) Dundee, (iv) Aberdeen, (v) Stirling and (vi) Inverness in each year since 1995.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The tables below give VAT registrations and de-registrations expressed per 10,000 of the adult population between 1995 and 2002 (the latest year for which information is available). The information is only available at local authority area level. Consequently…

21 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many businesses in Scotland were trading online in each year since 1997 and in each quarter of 2003, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The following table showsthe number of businesses in Scotland that trade online from 2001-03 calculated from theresults of annual e-business surveys carried out by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands andIslands Enterprise since 2001.</p><table border=1 cellspac…

21 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the number of individuals declared bankrupt in (a) each year since 1997 and (b) each quarter of 2003, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Accountant in Bankruptcy maintains the Register of Insolvencies in Scotland. Details of bankruptcies are held by Sheriffdoms rather than local authority areas and are compiled by financial year. The following tables give the number of bankruptcies for the…

21 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many self-employed people have declared themselves bankrupt in each quarter since the first quarter of 2002.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Accountant in Bankruptcydoes not maintain statistics on the numbers of individuals who have been madebankrupt by employment status and we are therefore unable to provide theinformation requested.</p>

21 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have (a) registered with, (b) been placed in work by and (c) achieved sustained work with the help of a job broker since the extension of the New Deal for Disabled People.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Employment policy isreserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish organisations.</p><p>Since the beginning of theNew De…