- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 19 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23613 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 12 March 2002, whether the feasibility study on establishing a national centre for women's enterprise, originally scheduled to be concluded by the end of May 2002, will now be published.
Answer
A feasibility study on establishing a national centre for women's enterprise was undertaken by the Paisley Enterprise Research Centre of the University of Paisley. The Executive is currently considering the report and will shortly announce arrangements for its publication.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 19 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on learning and disability services by each local authority in 2000-01 and 2001-02.
Answer
The information is provided in Section 6 of the annual CIPFA Rating Review Actual of Income & Expenditure 2000-01 (Bib no. 19781) and section 4 of the CIPFA Rating Review Estimates of Income & Expenditure 2001-02 (Bib no. 17055) copies of which are available in the Parliament's resource centre.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 19 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive when the implementation group for The Same as You? last met; what issues were discussed, and what the membership of the group has been from its inception to date.
Answer
All this information, including the minutes of the last meeting of The same as you? Implementation Group on 10 May 2002, is available on the Review of Services for People with a Learning Disability website atwww.scotland.gov.uk/ldsr.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 19 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to develop a strategic framework for women's enterprise.
Answer
Business advice and support for women is delivered by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The Scottish Executive acknowledge that these services should reflect the specific needs of current or potential women entrepreneurs. The need for a national centre for women's enterprise is currently under consideration.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 19 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding is planned to be allocated from the learning disability services change fund to each local authority through grant aided expenditure allocations for 2003-04.
Answer
The total provision for Learning Disabilities Change Fund is £16 million in 2003-04, recurring thereafter. The resources are being allocated through the general local government settlement distribution - separate allocations for each authority have not been published, but are included within the settlement total each authority receives.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 16 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to use the formula consequentials arising from the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement on 15 July 2002 that funding for the Active Communities Unit will be increased from #35 million to #65 million by 2005-06 and a direct fund of #125 million will be established for voluntary sector organisations to help overcome barriers to effective service delivery and modernise their infrastructure for the long term.
Answer
We will announce detailed spending plans for the three years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 in September.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 16 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to take forward the Rethinking Construction Initiative given that the National Audit Office indicates that construction amounts to approximately 8% of Gross Domestic Product and that 30% savings could be made in the costs of construction.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27751 on 15 August 2002.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 15 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to establish a direct fund for voluntary sector organisations to help them overcome barriers to effective service delivery and modernise their infrastructure for the long term.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not currently have any plans to establish a new direct fund for voluntary sector organisations.However, the Executive is of course fully committed to assisting the voluntary sector. The Executive's direct support for the voluntary sector now stands at record levels and has increased year on year since 1998-99. We are also committed to modernising the funding framework for the voluntary sector and this is being considered as part of our on-going work on funding.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 15 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what the potential savings in public procurement projects are that can be achieved by applying the key improvement targets, identified by Sir John Egan, which form the core of the Rethinking Construction Initiative.
Answer
The potential savings identified by Sir John Egan in the Rethinking Construction report are a 20% reduction in accidents and defects, and a 10% reduction in capital costs and construction time. The report also highlights a potential 10% increase in productivity, turnover and profits for contractors.The Scottish Executive supports the principles of Rethinking Construction as a means of delivering best practice and improvements in the construction industry. Scottish Enterprise will lead a Rethinking Construction initiative in consultation with Communities Scotland and other stakeholders, using their established clusters approach. Central to this initiative is the creation of a Core Industry Group supported by a wider Rethinking Construction Panel.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 15 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the establishment of a Rethinking Construction Centre in line with the actions of other devolved governments in Wales and Northern Ireland.
Answer
The Scottish Executive supports the principles of Rethinking Construction as a means of delivering best practice and improvements in the construction industry. Scottish Enterprise have agreed to lead a Rethinking Construction initiative, in consultation with Communities Scotland and other stakeholders, using their established clusters approach. Central to this initiative will be the creation of a Core Industry Group supported by a wider Rethinking Construction Panel.My officials have kept in touch with developments in the rest of the UK, including the recent establishment of Rethinking Construction Centres. Should the Core Industry Group take the view that a Centre is an effective approach to progressing Rethinking Construction in Scotland, the Executive would consider the options.
