Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-13883

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 8 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what organised meetings ministers hold with members of parliamentary committees outwith scheduled committee meetings.

Question reference: S2W-13884

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many homes purchased under right to buy currently house tenants in receipt of housing benefit, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S2W-13885

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will carry out a review of progress towards meeting its target that, by 2012, permanent accommodation will be available for all applicants deemed unintentionally homeless.

We remain committed to meeting this target. As required by the Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003, we will consult on and publish a statement later this year which will set out the steps which we and local authorities have taken, and will take in the future, to ensure the target is met. This statement will draw on official statistics and reviews of progress reported by local authorities.

We have also commissioned research on the abolition of priority need, and the modification of local connection, which will be published this month. This has been considered by the Homelessness Monitoring Group which will continue to advise ministers on the timing of, and arrangements for, the implementation of the 2003 act.

Question reference: S2W-13887

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) lowest, (b) highest and (c) average discount is that has been granted to tenants who purchased their home through right to buy *in each local authority area*, expressed in monetary terms.

The following table contains the minimum, maximum and mean discounts granted between 1979 quarter 2 and 2004 quarter 2, to tenants who purchased their home through right to buy, broken down by local authority. Data are at 2004 prices.

Discounts Granted to Tenants Purchasing their Home Through Right to Buy – 2004 Prices.

Local Authority Area	Right to Buy (Old terms)			Right to Buy (Modernised)
Local Authority Area	Mean (£)	Minimum (£)	Maximum (£)	Mean (£)	Minimum (£)	Maximum (£)
Scotland	22,345	23	150,904	16,287	8,111	34,340
Aberdeen City	27,212	61	74,511	18,034	15,450	27,027
Aberdeenshire	20,794	1,467	62,161	11,188	9,455	13,248
Angus	19,947	4,346	43,537	10,786	10,758	10,815
Argyll and Bute	22,358	3,669	50,262
Clackmannanshire	22,104	825	50,556
Dumfries and Galloway	18,492	220	41,721	10,519	9,910	11,129
Dundee City	21,765	1,542	49,044	13,990	13,990	13,990
East Ayrshire	18,543	3,093	51,510
East Dunbartonshire	26,053	1,509	105,987
East Lothian	26,691	843	80,842	15,898	15,898	15,898
East Renfrewshire	24,455	1,937	46,144	13,753	13,596	13,911
Edinburgh	27,163	306	150,904	9,064	9,064	9,064
Eilean Siar	17,031	1,613	39,168	9,433	9,433	9,433
Falkirk	20,807	1,293	62,546
Fife	18,650	23	92,209	17,459	15,450	19,467
Glasgow	26,499	825	85,320	13,447	10,996	15,898
Highland	19,557	801	54,972
Inverclyde	21,578	1,245	53,466
Midlothian	26,051	5,660	75,511
Moray	20,139	4,634	45,886
North Ayrshire	18,730	176	55,489
North Lanarkshire	21,132	94	56,753	18,032	8,137	34,340
Orkney	19,082	4,840	42,945
Perth and Kinross	21,774	4,135	53,971	14,206	12,612	15,898
Renfrewshire	23,313	589	45,776	10,356	8,111	14,022
Scottish Borders	18,957	1,581	50,380	8,528	8,528	8,528
Shetland	23,192	3,574	52,622	24,537	14,008	32,548
South Ayrshire	21,504	1,602	73,413
South Lanarkshire	22,220	1,086	52,823	14,711	12,676	20,032
Stirling	23,257	1,740	57,233	14,626	13,354	15,898
West Dunbartonshire	24,631	2,618	53,076
West Lothian	20,366	33	57,242

Source: Scottish Executive Housing Statistics branch

Notes:

- For this analysis, the amount of each discount was converted to 2004 prices on the basis of changes in the retail prices index between the purchase date and 2004.

- Cases where no discount was granted have been excluded from the data.

- Not applicable cells occur where no sales have taken place.

- Modernised right to buy sales were introduced in 30 September 2002 and data collected separately for these sales from 2003 quarter 2 onwards.

Question reference: S2W-13890

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive on what date the repeal of section 54 of the Housing Act 1988 will come into force.

Question reference: S2W-13891

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 8 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, following the repeal of section 54 of the Housing Act 1988, what arrangements will be put in place to mitigate the financial effect on any organisations, including housing co-operatives, that remain subject to an assessment for corporation tax.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, the Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her reply is as follows:

Discussions are continuing with the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations about measures to mitigate any effects arising from the withdrawal of section 54 of the Housing Act 1988. The current intention is that any new measures will be in place in time for the year ending 31 March 2006.

Question reference: S2W-13839

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 3 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what recommendations have been made by the Judicial Appointments Board on each judicial appointment.

Since the board was establishedin 2002, it has made recommendations for filling vacancies to the Office of Senatorof the College of Justice, Sheriff Principal, permanent sheriff and part-time sheriff.All of these recommendations have been accepted by Scottish ministers. The namesof all successful candidates in the period to autumn 2004 are published on the board’sown website at www.judicialappointmentsscotland.gov.uk.

Question reference: S2W-13392

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 2 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4807 by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 January 2004, what the difference in median wait and mean wait was for the quarter ended (a) 31 December 2003, (b) 31 March 2004, (c) 30 June 2004 and (d) 30 September 2004.

The differences between the median wait and mean wait for in-patient/day case treatment and new out-patient appointments for the quarters ending: 31 December 2003, 31 March 2004, 30 June 2004 and 30 September 2004 were as follows:

Difference in Median and Mean Wait (Days)

	In-Patient/Day Case Waiting Time			First Out-patient Appointment Waiting Time
Quarter Ended	Median	Mean	Difference	Median	Mean	Difference
31-Dec-03	40	83.2	-43.2	53	87.8	-34.8
31-Mar-04	43	83.0	-40.0	54	89.5	-35.5
30-Jun-04^P	41	78.5	-37.5	51	85.6	-34.6
30-Sep-04^P	43	81.3	-38.3	55	89.8	-34.8

^PProvisional.

Sources: ISD, SMR00 & SMR01.

The distributions of both out-patients and in-patients/day cases and outpatients are very skewed making the median the more appropriate measure. The mean is highly sensitive to the small number of unusually high values in the long tail of the distribution. A significant number of those waiting for a long time will have been delayed due to failing to attend, cancelling an offer of anappointment or having medical/social constraints that prevent admission fortreatment.

Neither the mean nor the median are targets for NHSScotland and they are only summary measures for patients awaiting in-patient/day case hospital care where reducing maximum waiting times is the Scottish Executive’s priority. They take no account of the annual 465,000 emergency admissions, where patients are admitted immediately and they take no account of the annual 26.5 million face-to-face contacts with the primary care team.

Question reference: S2W-13838

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 2 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what rules it has regarding the ownership of a financial interest in private prisons by judges, sheriffs and stipendiary magistrates and how the application of such rules is monitored.

Question reference: S2W-13226

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 1 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12962 by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 December 2004, which interested parties were invited to discuss the relevant issues on affordable housing; which interested parties participated in such discussions, and what form these discussions took.

We engaged with a range of stakeholders who have an interest in the delivery of affordable housing through the planning system. These included officials in COSLA, selected local authorities – both planning and housing – and housing providers including Homes for Scotland and the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations.

We met with some of the stakeholders, but the majority provided views through written comments.