Parliamentary questions

John Wilson

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

18 Aug 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-25911 by Alex Neil on 3 August 2009, what action is being taken following the publication of the Inclusion Scotland report, Freedom of Information research into accessible housing for disabled people in Scotland, published in June 2009, which suggest…

Answer · Alex Neil: Scottish Government officials are providing guidance to North Lanarkshire Council in the development of its new Local Housing Strategy, due in 2011. The latest guidance, published jointly by the Scottish Government and COSLA, highlights the statutory requirem…

18 Aug 2009 · Written Question

Answer · Alex Neil: The Scottish Government and COSLA jointly published guidance on local housing strategies in 2008. The guidance indicates that the housing need of the six equality strands should be written into the local housing strategy. I understand that Falkirk Council int…

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the budgeted cost for improvements to the M8 bridge at Glasgow Airport is for advertising costs and what proportion is for television advertising.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The budget for the works is £1.2 million, of which the total cost for communications is £31,000. £10,500 of that is being spent on TV advertising. The cost for communications represents 2.6% of the total budget. TV advertising represents 0.88% of the total sc…

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many GP practices in the Monklands area are signed up contractually to provide extended opening hours.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: There are 12 GP practices in the Monklands area contractually signed up and providing extended opening hours, seven in Airdrie and five in Coatbridge.

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-21278 by Alex Neil on 26 February 2009, whether the Scottish Housing Regulator has published its comparative study of homelessness services of five registered social landlords and Glasgow City Council.

Answer · Alex Neil: I have asked Karen Watt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Housing Regulator to respond. Her response is as follows: The regulator published the inspection report on Glasgow City Council''s homeless service on 8 July 2009. We aim to publish the themati…

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-21279 by Fergus Ewing on 4 March 2009, what evidence has been taken from the Action for Children Scotland Renfrewshire Primary Support Project with a view to identifying and disseminating good practice.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: No such evidence has yet been taken. We propose to include information about the project, incorporating detail from the external evaluation of it that was undertaken by Edinburgh University, in our dissemination of good practice around what works in early and…

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16160 by Shona Robison on 18 September 2008, how the GP Access Survey results have been collected and evaluated.

Answer · Shona Robison: A full report on the results and methodology for the GP Access Survey is available on the Scottish Government website at <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/06/30083150/0">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/06/30083150/0</a>.

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16160 by Shona Robison on 18 September 2008, whether the 48-hour target for GP practices is being met with regard to the GP Access Survey.

Answer · Shona Robison: GP access survey results showed that 90% of patients in Scotland were able to obtain a consultation with an appropriate health professional within two working days, so the 48 hour target is being met at Scotland level. Further information, in…

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-16160 by Shona Robison on 18 September 2008, whether the annual GP Access Survey has been progressed.

Answer · Shona Robison: The annual GP Survey is now complete. The results from this survey were first published on 19 May 2009 with a further publication on 30 June 2009. The publi…

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-19684 by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 January 2009, what guidelines are being issued to NHS Lanarkshire regarding (a) financial or (b) professional support to assist people with asthma.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) of the new GMS contract incentivises GPs to record the number of patients diagnosed with asthma and to put in place a system of for their ongoing review. The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) …

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the publication of the Inclusion Scotland report, Freedom of Information Research into Accessible Housing for Disabled People in Scotland, in June 2009, what guidelines are given to local authorities regarding the role of disabled people in setting the priorities of the local…

Answer · Alex Neil: Guidance on local housing strategies, published jointly by the Scottish Government and COSLA, highlights the statutory requirement under the 2001 Housing (Scotland) Act for local authorities to consult on their proposed local housing strategy. This guidance a…

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the publication of the Inclusion Scotland report, Freedom of Information Research into Accessible Housing for Disabled People in Scotland, in June 2009, what is being done to ensure that local authorities hold adequate information on (a) the number of disabled people living i…

Answer · Alex Neil: In March 2008, the Scottish Government published new guidance for local authorities on housing need and demand assessment. This provides a step-by-step approach to assessing housing need and demand across all tenures and includes advice on how to produce an e…

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidelines are given to local authorities regarding the information held on disabled people residing in their local authority area.

Answer · Alex Neil: Guidance to all public bodies on collecting information to comply with the Disability Equality Duty is the responsibility of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). General and sectoral specific guidance was published by the then Disabilities Rights …

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will create greater awareness of the Landlord Registration Scheme among tenants and landlords.

Answer · Alex Neil: The legislation governing private landlords (the Antisocial Behaviour etc (Scotland) Act 2004) places a duty on local authorities to provide advice on general letting issues to landlords who apply for registration, and to tenants and prospective tenants who e…

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether (a) plans are being put in place with and (b) what guidelines are offered to local authorities to encourage greater efficiency.

Answer · John Swinney: The annual targets for efficiencies in local government as a whole for 2008-11 are £174.7 million, £349.4 million and £524.1 million. The delivery of efficiencies is a matter for each local authority with monitoring being coordinated by COSLA. In addition to …

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether plans are being put in place to mitigate the negative impact of political conflict in local authorities, which has been cited by Audit Scotland as a major inhibitor of improvement.

Answer · John Swinney: While the negative impact of political conflict was noted in a recent follow-up best value audit report of a council by the Accounts Commission, I am not aware that either the Accounts Commission for Scotland nor Audit Scotland, which undertakes work on behal…

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-23659 by Alex Neil on 14 May 2009, how many men received support from Victim Support Scotland in 2007-08 and what percentage of people receiving support this represents.

Answer · Alex Neil: This information is not held centrally by the Scottish Government. For information about Victim Support Scotland figures, you should contact Victim Support Scotland at: 15/23 Hardwell Close, Edinburgh, EH8 9RX or at <a href="mailto:[email protected]…

16 Jul 2009 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the cost was of the Festival of Politics in (a) 2007 and (b) 2008.

Answer · Tricia Marwick: Direct cost to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, once income from ticket sales and sponsorship has been taken into account, for the Festival of Politics in 2007 was £20,335. The 2007 Festival of Politics was undertaken in an abridged format to take a…

16 Jul 2009 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what the estimated cost is of the 2009 Festival of Politics.

Answer · Tricia Marwick: The estimated direct cost to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body for the 2009 Festival of Politics, once estimated income from ticket sales and sponsorship has been taken into account is between £45,000 and £50,000. Once approved by auditors, the total …

16 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how successful the National Child Measurement Programme has been in reducing obesity in children in Scotland.

Answer · Nicola Sturgeon: The National Child Measurement Programme is an English programme and is not run in Scotland.

16 Jul 2009 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body how much it has spent on parliamentary social events in the last two financial years and from which budget.

Answer · Tricia Marwick: The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body spent £439,562 on corporate events in 2007-08. The Corporate Events budget includes provision for events such as Business in the Parliament, Europe Day and the Festival of Politics. The 2007-08 budget also included t…

7 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial costs are associated with awarding the Common Housing Register support service tender to the Scottish Housing Best Value Network (SHBVN).

Answer · Alex Neil: The financial costs associated with the contract for delivery of the Common Housing Register (CHR) support service over the period 1 July 2009 “ 31 March 2011 are £4,600 related to the awarding of the tender and £73,155 for the contract itself. The service w…

7 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Housing Regulator currently assesses common housing registers as part of its inspection regime for registered social landlords.

Answer · Alex Neil: I have asked Karen Watt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Housing Regulator to respond. Her response is as follows: The regulator expects all social landlords to maximise access to social housing. In doing this, landlords should work together to explo…

7 Jul 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive who the members are of the working group on Investment Reform in Housing.

Answer · Alex Neil: Following its statement of 25 June about the way forward for investment reform, the Scottish Government is in the process of identifying working group members in conjunction with the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and COSLA. Membership will be fi…

25 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the summary warrant in Scotland is compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Answer · Fergus Ewing: The European Commission on Human Rights has ruled that summary warrant procedure in Scotland, used for the recovery of local and other taxes, is compatible with Article 6 of the Convention. Assessments for tax are not civil rights protected by the Convention …

1 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive where it plans to locate its next renewable energy project and what the estimated cost is.

Answer · Jim Mather: The location, nature and cost of renewable energy projects is a matter for the developers of those projects, and subject to the outcome of applications for consent to the relevant local authority or to the Scottish Government.

1 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to implement a confidential suicide register, as stated in Towards a Mentally Flourishing Scotland: Policy and Action Plan.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government has asked NHS Health Scotland to establish a National Suicide Register. This will bring together relevant agencies from a range of sectors and will provide significant detail around individuals who have completed suicide; it will exami…

1 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to create awareness of dementia to help people spot its early signs, as stated in its news release of 7 May 2009 on its mental health improvement plan.

Answer · Shona Robison: The Scottish Government is committed to increasing awareness and early diagnosis for dementia. The Government is testing out an awareness raising campaign in Tayside which is aimed at raising the awareness of the symptoms of dementia and signposting …

1 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what methods it will use to help people stop smoking, be more active and eat more healthily, as stated in its news release of 7 May 2009 on its mental health improvement plan.

Answer · Shona Robison: A number of initiatives are in place to support this work. The Scottish Government and NHS Health Scotland, in consultation with the Royal College of Psychiatry and National Schizophrenia Fellowship, will review current evidence-based approaches on s…

1 Jun 2009 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that IT education remains an integral part of the school system.

Answer · Keith Brown: Under the Curriculum for Excellence framework, which has been developed on the basis of unparalleled engagement with the teaching profession and others, all young people are entitled to a broad general education to the end of S3, covering learning across the …