Tommy Sheridan

24 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many sports grounds have been lost in Glasgow since 1999.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The information is not heldcentrally.</p>

16 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many ministerial visits have taken place in Glasgow since 2003.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requestedcould only be obtained at disproportionate cost.</p>

16 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28126 by Lewis Macdonald on 19 September 2006, for how long the Executive will provide funding to support the appointment by the Care Commission of a nurse consultant for care homes.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Chief Nursing Officer provideda grant to the Care Commission for a period of two years to fund the Nurse ConsultantPost for Older People in a Care Home Sector. The grant was awarded to the Care Commissionto employ one full-time nurse consultant and 0.5 pa…

16 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28124 by Lewis Macdonald on 19 September 2006, in respect of how many care homes the Care Commission has put recommendations or requirements on a care service since 2001.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The number of recommendationsand requirements put on care homes by the Care Commission is an operational matterfor the commission. The commission can be contacted at:</p><p>The Care Commission</p><p>Compass House</p><p>11 Riverside Drive</p><p>Dundee </p><p>D…

16 Oct 2006 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S2W-28163 by Duncan McNeil on 18 September 2006, which constituencies have received more than one community outreach event since the Outreach Services Team was established in September 2004.

Answer · Duncan McNeil: Further to the information given in response to question S2W-28163, since the Outreach Services team was established in September 2004, 41 community outreach events involving MSPs have been held across Scotland.  The following constituencies have hosted more …

12 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of carbon monoxide and benzene pollution.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Under the Environment Act 1995all local authorities are required to regularly review and assess air quality intheir areas against objectives for a number of air pollutants, including carbonmonoxide and benzene. If a review indicates that any objective is unli…

12 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of ambient noise pollution.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Under the EC Environmental NoiseDirective we are required to provide the European Commission by the end of 2007with an estimate of the number of people living in dwellings exposed to differentlevels of ambient noise from certain conurbations and transport sou…

12 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of mercury pollution.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Glasgow City Council monitorsthe levels of airborne mercury in Glasgow and has found no levels that are considered to constitutehigh levels of pollution. The council has a duty to investigate any land withinits area that may be contaminated by pollutants and …

12 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of cadmium pollution.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Local authorities are not requiredunder the Environment Act 1995 to review cadmium levels in ambient air.</p><p>However, Council Directive 2004/107/ECsets target values for concentrations in ambient air for a number of pollutantsincluding cadmium. On the basi…

12 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of arsenic pollution.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Local authorities are not requiredunder the Environment Act 1995 to review arsenic levels in ambient air.</p><p>However, Council Directive 2004/107/ECsets target values for concentrations in ambient air for a number of pollutantsincluding arsenic. On the basi…

12 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of lead pollution.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Under the Environment Act 1995all local authorities are required to regularly review and assess air quality intheir areas against objectives for a number of air pollutants, including lead. Ifa review indicates that any objective is unlikely to be achieved by …

12 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of particulate pollution.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Under the Environment Act 1995all local authorities are required to regularly review and assess air quality intheir areas against objectives for a number of air pollutants, including particulates.If a review indicates that any objective is unlikely to be achi…

12 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of SO2 pollution.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Under the Environment Act 1995all local authorities are required to regularly review and assess air quality intheir areas against objectives for a number of air pollutants, including sulphurdioxide. If a review indicates that any objective is unlikely to be a…

12 Oct 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of NO2 pollution.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Under the Environment Act 1995all local authorities are required to regularly review and assess air quality intheir areas against objectives for a number of air pollutants, including nitrogendioxide. If a review indicates that any objective is unlikely to be …

28 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of (a) households and (b) individual citizens have an annual income of (i) £5,000 or less, (ii) £5,001 to £10,000, (iii) £10,001 to £20,000, (iv) £20,001 to £30,000, (v) £30,001 to £40,000, (vi) £40,001 to £50,000, (vii) £50,001 to £60,000, (viii) £60,001 to £80,000, (ix) …

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is set out in the following two tables. The proportions in the tables are estimates derived from (a) the Family Resources Survey (FRS) and (b) the FRS’s Individual Incomes Analysis.</p><p>Due to the small sample sizes in the FRS in S…

26 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the reasons are for the fall in capital and revenue grants outwith aggregate external finance in 2007-08 by 27.5% and 9.25% respectively, identified by Professor Arthur Midwinter in a briefing note for the Finance Committee on 12 September 2006.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Professor Midwinter had identifieda year-to-year drop in the <i>2007-08 Draft Budget</i> of £200 million in the levelof grants from the Executive to local government. These grants are provided by variousExecutive Departments and are outwith the core local gov…

26 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the issues identified by Professor Arthur Midwinter in a briefing note for the Finance Committee on 12 September 2006, what plans it has to address any problems encountered by local authorities in providing frontline services without introducing above inflation council tax in…

Answer · Tom McCabe: Professor Midwinter identifieda number of issues in his briefing note, none of which should result in above inflationcouncil tax rises, although the setting of council tax levels is of course a matterfor individual local authorities.</p><p>There are a number …

26 Sep 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to alleviate problems in the local government finance settlement which will affect local authorities’ ability to deliver frontline services as identified by Professor Arthur Midwinter in a briefing note for the Finance Committee on 12 September 2006.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Professor Midwinter identifieda number of issues in his briefing note for the Finance Committee none of whichshould adversely affect local authorities’ abilities to provide frontline services.There are a number of straightforward reasons why the 2007&#8209;08…

30 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the findings of the European Commission in respect of the tendering process for the Holyrood project, what plans it has to undertake a review of public sector tendering processes; when such a review will take place; what criteria will be applied in the review; who the members…

Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to thequestion S2W-27162, answered on 25 July 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa…

28 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the findings by the European Commission in respect of the tendering process for the Holyrood project, what plans it has to initiate a review into the principles of equal treatment and transparency in the tendering process for public building contracts.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The Executive has not yetbeen formally notified of the Commission’s findings, however, it seems unlikelythat a further review will be required. FollowingLord Fraser’s Inquiry and report on the Holyrood project the Executive has publishedrevised guidelines on …

28 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the findings by the European Commission in respect of the tendering process for the Holyrood project, what plans it has to initiate a procedure to prevent a similar situation arising in public building contracts, how such a procedure will be monitored, and what protection wil…

Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the questionS2W 27162, answered on 25 July 2006. All answersto written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website,the search facility for which can be found at: <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.s…

22 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average salary is of staff employed by public agencies, non-departmental public bodies and local authorities and what the pay differential is between the lowest and highest paid workers in these bodies.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The preferred source forearnings estimates is the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), which iscarried out by the Office for National Statistics.</p><p>Earnings estimates are notavailable for employees within public agencies and non-departmental bodies…

22 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on what the average salary is in First ScotRail, how many directors and senior management there are and what their average salary is.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The number of First ScotRailExecutive Directors is 7. A further 13 people are in First ScotRail’s ExecutiveGrade. This information has been obtained from First ScotRail Limited.</p><p>The Scottish Executive doesnot hold information regarding First ScotRail’s …

22 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much was paid to ScotRail in respect of indemnification payments relating to industrial disputes over the term of its passenger rail services contract and whether the same indemnification guarantees have been written into the current First ScotRail contract.

Answer · Tavish Scott: I refer the member to thequestions S2W-18223, answered on 5 September 2005 and S2W-14910, answered on22 March 2005. All answersto written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website,the search facility for which can be found at: <ahref="…

22 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of profit has been agreed with First ScotRail in respect of the current contract to provide passenger rail services in each year over the lifetime of the contract.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The level of profitcontracted for in the Franchise Agreement is commercially sensitive and cannotbe released.</p>

22 Jun 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much local authorities and other housing bodies have invested in repairing, upgrading and building new homes in the social rented sector in each year from 1993 to 2006.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The available information isgiven in the following table. Information on expenditure on local authorityhousing is taken from annual Local Financial Returns and information on housingassociation expenditure is taken from published accounts provided toCommuniti…

22 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what subsidy has been paid to First ScotRail to operate the ScotRail franchise in each year since 2004-05 and how much will be paid to operate the franchise in each year to 2011.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The ScotRail franchise paymentsare as follows:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td valign=top> <p align=center>2004-05</p> </td> <td valign=top> <p align=center>2005-06</p> </td> <td valign=top> <p align=center>2…

17 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-18286 by Tavish Scott on 6 September 2005, how money saved on the reduction of the subsidy payment to First ScotRail was subsequently re-allocated within the transport budget and on what projects it was spent.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The annual budget processwithin the Scottish Executive comprises three separate stages in anyfinancial year. The final opportunity for in year budget transfers approved byParliament is undertaken in the Spring Budget Revision. The Spring BudgetRevision 2004-2…

17 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the excess revenue collected from rail ticket fares is (a) retained by the operator and (b) passed on to the Executive.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The annual level of target revenuein the franchise agreement was determined as part of the franchise bidding process.This target revenue level is commercially confidential.</p><p>Revenue collected in excess of the target revenue is split between the operator …

17 May 2006 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs were of installing the automatic ticket barriers at railway stations in Edinburgh and Glasgow and who met the installation costs.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The automatic ticket gates atEdinburgh Waverley, Haymarket and Glasgow Queen Street are being leased by FirstScotRail. The lease costs are in the order of £0.5 million per annum over 10 yearswhich includes installation and operational costs. The increase in …