Parliamentary questions

John Swinburne

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

29 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-16075 by Mr Tom McCabe on 27 April 2005, what the safeguards are in the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 relating to how local authorities should account for any surplus or deficit in pension funds.

Answer · George Lyon: I refer the member to theanswers to question S2W-17667 and S2W-17668 on 27 July 2005.It is for each localauthority to address a surplus or deficit in the pension fund and this will bedone over a long period taking into account actuarial recommendations…

29 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-16075 by Mr Tom McCabe on 27 April 2005, what resources are available to local authorities to cover any shortfalls in their pension funds.

Answer · George Lyon: I refer the member to theanswers given to questions S2W-16075, answered on 27 April 2005 and S2W-17667answered on 27 July 2005.It is for each localauthority to use the resources at its disposal, over time, to cover anyshortfalls. Pension scheme deficit…

29 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any concerns about deficits in some local authorities' pension funds and what plans it has to ensure local authorities address any potentially unsustainable shortfalls.

Answer · George Lyon: The three yearly actuarialreview of the Local Government Pension Scheme in Scotland is currently underwayand it will therefore be later this year before information on any surplus ordeficit is known. In the reply to S2W-16075, answered on 27 April 2005, it wa…

28 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to promote sustainable activity around the coast and in the territorial waters of Scotland to ensure their protection, in light of proposals by the UK Government to introduce a draft Marine Bill for the protection of the waters around England and Wales.

Answer · Ross Finnie: I announced on 15 June theoutline of a new Scottish strategy for the long-term sustainability ofScotland’s marine and coastal environments, including work to identifyScotland’s first coastal and marine national park.A copy of my letter of 14June to the…

28 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what protection is currently available to vulnerable adults from employees in a caring or nursing role who are on the Protection of Vulnerable Adults list in England and Wales which bars them from working with vulnerable adults there but does not prohibit them from gaining such employment…

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Employers of nursing and caring staff, including agency and voluntary staff, should follow good recruitment practices to ascertain an individual’s suitability for employment. This involves scrutinising employment history, taking up references from previous e…

28 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it plans to introduce legislation to improve the protection of vulnerable adults, including the implementation of a register of known abusers of adults.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: A paper on vulnerable adultsis currently out to consultation and can be viewed at <ahref="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/07/1193115/31181">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/07/1193115/31181</a>. The responses to this will beana…

3 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many telephone mast applications by mobile phone operators were (a) made, (b) granted, (c) refused, (d) granted on appeal and (e) refused on the grounds of health and safety and what the average time was for an application to be processed in 2004, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Table 1 shows information on planning applications for radio telecommunications infrastructure, including ground based masts, additional antennas, roof based masts and equipment housing. The figures show for each planning authority the number of planning appl…

3 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to receive the results from the Link Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme which is investigating whether public health is at risk from mobile telephone masts and transmitters.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme was set up by Government in 2001 as a direct consequence of the publication of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones report Mobile Phones and Health in 2000. The programme has f…

3 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many appeals the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit has heard since July 2003 in respect of opposition to the siting of telecommunication masts and how many of these appeals have been successful.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Since 1 July 2003, the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit has received 77 planning appeals concerning telecommunicationmasts. Of these appeals, 38 have been successful to date.

3 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that the precautionary principle promoted in government guidelines is being adhered to in the consideration of requests by telecommunication operators to erect mobile phone masts.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The precautionary measures set out in National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG)19: Radio Telecommunications for the most part do not relate to the consideration of individual applications for masts. So, for example, the audit of phone mast emissions is…

3 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to protect the public from any possible health risks from the placement of masts used by the telecommunications industry in residential areas.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The UK Government and the Executive adopted precautionary measures in light of the recommendations in the report of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones published in 2000. Further details are contained in National Planning Policy Guideline 19: Rad…

3 Jun 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are applied when considering the placement of mobile phone masts in residential areas.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: It would be for the planning authority to consider a planning application for a mobile phone mast in accordance with any relevant development plan policy and in light of any other material considerations. The Executive’s guidance on dealing with planning appl…

16 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on what community equipment should be available free of charge to all registered blind and partially-sighted people in all areas of Scotland.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16551 on 26 May 2005. 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/wa…

16 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it provides to local authorities and/or the voluntary sector to deliver community care services for children and their carers who have been adversely affected by substance abuse by the children's parents.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Executive provides a range of direct and indirect funding to deliver community care services. Directly, it contributes £750,000 per annum to the Partnership Drugs Initiative, a unique funding partnership with Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland and Atlanti…

13 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Royal National Institute for the Blind report, Buy Your Own White Stick, whether it will audit the joint policies of local authorities, NHS boards, housing providers and the voluntary sector to ensure that the provision of basic equipment and essential aids for use by reg…

13 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Royal National Institute for the Blind report, Buy Your Own White Stick!, whether it will fund a feasibility study into how best to reduce the cost of the more expensive pieces of access technology equipment, which no social work department currently funds and whether it …

13 May 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the Royal National Institute for the Blind report, Buy Your Own White Stick!, whether it has any plans to issue clear national guidelines on what community equipment should be received free of charge by registered blind and partially-sighted people, irrespective of where they…

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Following the publication of the Audit Scotland Report Adapting the Future: Management of Community Equipment and Adaptations the Scottish Executive will be updating national guidance on roles and responsibilities in relation to equipment and adaptatio…

21 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-382 by Mr Tom McCabe on 9 June 2003, whether it now has information on the number of privately-owned homes which have been sold by senior citizens to fund their residential care (a) prior to and (b) since July 2002.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The information requested is not held centrally.

21 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the consequences to its budget would be if the value of a person's home were to be taken out of the financial assessment carried out by local authorities when determining the funding of an elderly person's long-term residential care.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The information requested is not held centrally. In order to accurately estimate the financial consequences of disregarding the value of care home resident’s former homes from the financial assessment, it would be necessary to obtain detailed information on t…

21 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the consequences for its budget are of the value of a person's home being included within the financial assessment carried out by local authorities when determining the funding of an elderly person's long-term residential care.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-16128 on 28 April 2005. All answers to written 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.search…

18 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of surcharges have been imposed by each local authority to cover any shortfall in their pension funds in each year from 1997 to 2005.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Information on the detail ofhow local authorities service their pension fund commitments is not held centrally.

18 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether local authorities have the power, under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 or any other act, to surcharge council tax payers to cover any shortfall in local authorities' pension funds.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Local authorities can increasecouncil tax as one of the ways they meet the costs of their pension funds but thereare limits to the extent to which they can do so. There are three main factors.First, there are formal accounting regulations which govern how loc…

2 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the use of deferred payment agreements between care home residents and local authorities.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Following a recent survey of use of deferred payment agreements, the Scottish Executive is currently considering whether adjustments to the scheme are necessary to ensure that it provides genuine options to those care home residents it was designed to assist.…

1 Dec 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is available to senior citizens who qualify for free central heating under its central heating installation programme but who are unable to have a system installed because the electrical system in their home is inadequate.

Answer · Johann Lamont: The Scottish Executive provides resources to local authorities for housing improvement and repair grants. These grants could be used to help home owners upgrade their electrical systems. However, each local authority will have its own priorities for use of th…

26 Nov 2004 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12177 by Rhona Brankin on 25 November 2004, what the alternative agreements referred to are.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: In a survey of local authorities conducted in June this year a number of authorities indicated that they apply charging orders on residents’ property under Section 23 of the Health and Social Services and Social Security Adjudication Act 1983 as an alternativ…