Parliamentary questions

Tommy Sheridan

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

23 Feb 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of the Nursing and Midwifery Council statistics that the number of United Kingdom nurses leaving to work overseas rose last year by one third to 8,000 and how many of the 8,000 nurses were from Scotland.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is notavailable from The Nursing and Midwifery Council.The Executive is committedto building the capacity of the nursing and midwifery workforce and toestablishing NHSScotland as an employer of choice. However, we must alsorespect the …

30 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households with two adults with combined earnings of between #43,000 and #45,000 live in council tax band (a) A, (b) B, (c) C, (d) D, (e) E, (f) F and (g) G and H homes, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of such households.

Answer · Tavish Scott: No reliable estimate of thenumber of two-adult households with combined earnings between £43,000 and£45,000 is available.

30 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households contain two adults with combined earnings between #43,000 and #45,000.

Answer · Tavish Scott: No reliable estimate of thenumber of two adult households with combined earnings between £43,000 and£45,000 is available.

16 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has in respect of underwriting any loan applications made by local authorities to the Public Works Loan Board and how mouch it estimatesthe total annual repayments would be if local authorities were authorised to borrow, in total, an extra (a) £500 million, (b) £1 billion a…

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has no powers to underwrite any loan applications made by local authorities.Total annual repayments are a matter for the Public Works Loan Board. Theinformation requested is not held centrally.

16 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total (a) revenue generated and (b) annual repayment would be if the loan quota entitlement for each local authority from the Public Works Loan Board was increased by (i) 5%, (ii) 10% and (iii) 25%.

Answer · Andy Kerr: This is a matter for thePublic Works Loan Board. The information requested is not held centrally.

16 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the debt burden is of each local authority in respect of the Public Works Loan Board and how much each authority pays annually to service such debt.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The total debt outstanding with the Public Works Loan Board on 31 March 2003,and an estimate of the total interest payments charged annually is shown in thefollowing table. These figures have been supplied by the Public Works Loan Board.<table border=1 ce…

15 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4782 by Euan Robson on 13 January 2004, whether it considers that a household income of #13,230 represents a poverty or low income threshold.

Answer · Euan Robson: My answer to questionS2W-4782 on 13 January 2004 made clear the eligibility criteria for free schoolmeals and that the income threshold of £13,230 represents the current incomethreshold for Child Tax Credit, as prescribed by the Tax Credits Act 2002.Al…

15 Jan 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4782 by Euan Robson on 13 January 2004, whether the income threshold for qualification for free school meals of #13,230 is a combined parental income threshold and therefore a household income limit.

Answer · Euan Robson: My answer to questionS2W-4782 details the income threshold of £13,230 as representing the currentincome threshold for child tax credit (CTC), as prescribed by the Tax CreditsAct 2002. This threshold relates to income assessed for the purpose of awardingtax cr…

22 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households with an annual household income over #40,000 live in (a) band D, (b) band E and (c) band F and above local authority properties, expressed also as a percentage of all households in such properties.

Answer · Tavish Scott: Estimates of the number of householdsin Scotland broken down by council tax band and household incomelevel are only available for all households types together, and were reportedin the answer to question S2W-3285 on 9 December 2003.All answers to written parl…

19 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the contents of Audit Scotland's report, Overview of the National Health Service in Scotland 2002-03, whether it will now consider establishing a whistle-blowing network to highlight abuses of public funds within the NHS and other public services.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS Scotland Counter Fraud Services has operated a free phone fraud hotline since January 2001. Originallyaimed at uncovering fraud by patients and family health service practitioners,the hotline may now be used by anyone within or outwith the NHS, includingm…

19 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average salary is of an (a) doctor and (b) nurse, giving average figures at different grades and levels of qualification.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is notavailable in the detail requested.The average salary of adoctor in 2002 (the latest year for which figures are available) is £43,401 anda nurse £20,020.

19 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the industrial relations record of further education colleges and whether the management and industrial relations within these colleges requires a full investigation.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Further education collegesare autonomous bodies in terms of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland)Act 1992 and, as such, industrial relations issues are for the collegesthemselves to address. There are no plans to undertake an investigation into eitherth…

19 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will initiate a full inquiry into the management of further education colleges, in light of the employment tribunal findings in connection with the Glasgow Central College of Commerce lecturer, Jim O'Donovan.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive has no plans to initiate such an inquiry.

18 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4175 by Ross Finnie on 5 December 2003, what the annual average increase in water and sewerage charges for domestic customers has been in the last five years, expressed also as a percentage; whether it has evaluated the impact of the increase of such…

Answer · Ross Finnie: It is not possible toprovide a meaningful figure for the average annual increase in water andsewerage charges for domestic charges in the last five years. This is because therewere six widely different sets of charges across Scotland five years ago comparedto…

16 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to increase significantly lighting and roads budgets for local authorities such as Glasgow City and South Lanarkshire councils in the light of their overspends for the last financial year.

Answer · Andy Kerr: It is up to each localauthority how it allocates its funding, taking account of local needs andpriorities as well as national priorities. Scottish local authorities havebenefited from above inflation increases in revenue grant this year and willbenefit from f…

16 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4075 by Malcolm Chisholm on 5 December 2003, whether it has an estimate of the number of patients who waited for more than one hour before being allocated a hospital bed within the Greater Glasgow NHS board area in the week beginning 10 November 2003…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The answer to both questionsis no.

16 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3930 by Euan Robson on 2 December 2003, what action it is taking to address the situation whereby in 22% of the cases examined, children assessed for home supervision were not allocated social workers.

Answer · Euan Robson: We are encouraging andsupporting local agencies to improve planning and provision of services forchildren and young people. For example, the Changing Children’s Services Fundis providing £170 million over three years to help agencies better co-ordinatechildre…

16 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3590 by Euan Robson on 2 December 2003, what its most up-to-date figures are for to the number of social workers employed across all agencies and local authorities.

Answer · Euan Robson: Informationprior to 1997 and agency figures are not held centrally. The latest figure forlocal authority social workers is 4,017, whole-time equivalent, as at October2002, an increase of 21% over the 1997 total. Returns from an incompleteconsultation (29 loca…

15 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the methods of calculation used in respect of fuel poverty in the Scottish House Conditions Survey 2002, with particular reference to free school milk, community care grants and funeral payments being treated as sources of income, ensured that all households in fuel poverty were i…

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish House ConditionsSurvey 2002 did not disaggregate income sources to the level where free schoolmeals and other “benefits in kind” can be separately identified within theoverall calculation of household income. However, there is no reason to believ…

12 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4186 by Malcolm Chisholm on 2 December 2003, what percentage of babies born in each year from 1996-97 to 2001-02 was discharged from neonatal units.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Table 1 shows the number oflive births in Scotland, babies discharged from neonatal units1in Scotland and the percentage neonatal discharges from such aunit.Table 1: Births2,3and Percentage of Babies Discharged …

10 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it has implemented the recommendations of Stewardship and Responsibility: A Policy Framework for Private Housing in Scotland and whether it has any plans to increase investment in housing to address the current housing situation and its effect on health.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Executive’s response tothe Housing Improvement Task Force’s final report was announced on 16 December 2003.The Executive has identifiedsome £10 million per annum for implementing the recommendations of the task force.This is intended to meet the co…

10 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to the findings of the Scottish House Condition Survey 2002 and how it will address any issues raised in the survey, with specific reference to (a) homes in disrepair, (b) disability issues, (c) dampness and condensation and (d) energy efficiency.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Scottish Executive willcontinue to use the Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) 2002 to inform thedevelopment of policy where useful and appropriate.On 16 December 2003, Iannounced the Executive's response to the recommendations of the HousingImp…

9 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many quality bus partnerships have been established in the last year in each local authority area.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-2184 on 6 November 2003. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the searchfacility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/weba…

9 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost is of clearing the backlog in local authority roads maintenance.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Responsibility for themaintenance of non-trunk roads lies with each council as the local roadsauthority for each area. The Executive has not made any estimate of the cost ofoutstanding works on local roads.

9 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools have vending machines that sell fi''y drinks and products high in sugar and salt levels.

Answer · Euan Robson: This information is not heldcentrally.Aspart of the implementation of Hungry for Success, we expect all schools to endthe active promotion or advertising of full fat crisps, confectionery or fizzysugary soft drinks within the dining r…

9 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the current annual average wage and how many people earn (a) less than that average wage, (b) from #50,000 to #100,000, (c) from #100,001 to #200,000 and (d) over #200,000, expressed also as a percentage of the total working population.

Answer · Jim Wallace: Information on the number ofpeople whose annual average earnings fall within the earnings categoriesrequested is not held centrally.However, estimates of theproportion of full-time employees in Scotland whose annual average earnings fall within thecate…

8 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs the construction of the M77 has generated for the Greater Pollok area and the south side of Glasgow in general.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive does not hold this information centrally. However, since 1997, justafter the road opened, there has been an increase in employment by 23% (8,201jobs) in the Greater Pollok area and the south side of the city in general.

8 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many vehicle accidents there have been that resulted in (a) injury and (b) fatality on the A77 between Glasgow and Ayr in each of the last 10 years.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The number of vehicleaccidents that resulted in injury and fatality on the A77 between Glasgow and Ayr* in eachof the last 10 years (up to end December 2002) is as follows.<table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> Year <…

8 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs have been lost in the Greater Pollok area and the south side of Glasgow in general as a direct result of the construction of the M77.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: This information is not heldby the Scottish Executive.

8 Dec 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many small businesses have closed in the Greater Pollok area and the south side of Glasgow in general as a direct result of the construction of the M77.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: As far as is possible todetermine, one business in namely Corkerhill Farm, closed as a direct result of the construction of the M77. The M77 corridor had been reserved for developmentsince the 1930s and the route was chosen with the specific aim of avoidingpr…