- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 24 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has concerns about the operation of a points system for applications for housing by housing associations.
Answer
I have asked Ms Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:
The Housing (Scotland) Act1987 establishes statutory requirements in relation to the allocation of housesby Registered Social Landlords. Landlords are required to give reasonable preferencein allocations to the statutory categories of priority need.
There is a range of acceptableapproaches that landlords can take in order to achieve this; a points based systemfor housing applications is one of these. A landlord is free to adopt its preferredsystem as long as it can demonstrate that it is complying with the requirementsof the legislation and the performance standards published jointly by CommunitiesScotland, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Scottish Federationof Housing Associations.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 19 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has regarding policies in other European nations with regard to local people purchasing or renting rural properties in their local area and how such information may be used to inform its policy-making processes.
Answer
Through the Land Reform (Scotland) Act2003 the Executive has promoted sustainable development throughout rural Scotland, diversityin land ownership and the involvement of local communities in decisions that affecttheir futures. The proposals in the act were informed by studies of current practicesin relation to land ownership in a number of European member states, and by responsesto consultation from outwith Scotland.
The Executive will continue tomonitor practices in other countries when developing its future land reform policies.It does not routinely collect information on European practice in relation to morespecific and detailed aspects of buying and renting land and property.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements in training in deaf awareness for social workers there will be when single shared assessment is fully implemented and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 comes into force.
Answer
The Sensory Impairment ActionPlan, launched in January 2004 recognises the importance of improving training forstaff who provide services for people with a sensory impairment, including thosewho are deaf or hard of hearing, and the Scottish Executive is now taking the work of theAction Plan forward to address issues, including training for social work and otherstaff.
We would expect local authoritiesto abide by the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act when it comesinto force.
We would expect the focus ona person-centred approach in single shared assessment to improve understanding ofindividual’s needs. Councils will determine their training needs in the light of the Scottish Executive’s guidance on single shared assessment.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the General Medical Council was consulted with regard to the forms for application to the Skipton Trust.
Answer
The General Medical Council wasnot consulted.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance will be given to claimants in completing the forms for application to the Skipton Trust.
Answer
Officials are working with patientgroup representatives to ensure that the applications forms are user friendly andfit for purpose. Comprehensive guidance will be provided with the application formand the Skipton Fund will operate a telephone helpline.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will make available for a Scottish equivalent of the Department for Education and Skills' Early Support Pilot Programme.
Answer
We are not at this time making specific funding available in this way.
I refer the member to the answer given to S2W-7978 on 18 May 2004, for how we are tackling the parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how the Skipton Trust will be configured and who will be appointed as its trustees and by what selection process.
Answer
The Skipton Fund was incorporatedas a company limited by guarantee on 25 March 2004.No substantive appointments have as yet been made.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to encourage and recruit more specialised social workers for deaf and hard of hearing people.
Answer
More social workers are beingtrained. There was a 25% increase in qualifying social workers in 2003, and thesenumbers will increase by a further 33% over the next two years. The Social WorkServices Inspectorate is significantly increasing investment in training over thenext three years and is keen to work closely with all service providers, includingthose who work with people who are deaf or hard of hearing, to improve trainingof staff.
The Sensory Impairment ActionPlan, launched by the Scottish Executive in January 2004 recognises the importance of having trainedstaff available to work with people who are deaf and hard of hearing, and is nowtaking the work of the Action Plan forward to address the needs identified.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what best practices it is learning from the Department for Education and Skills' Early Support Pilot Programme and how these are informing processes and services in Scotland.
Answer
We will publish an IntegratedEarly Years Strategy later this year and we will consider any lessons when theyemerge from the Early Support Pilot Programme.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 May 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of those infected with hepatitis C through contaminated blood products have died since the publication of the Health and Community Care Committee's 17th Report 2001 (Session 1) Report on Hepatitis C (SP Paper 398).
Answer
This information is not heldcentrally.
