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: S1W-18276

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Angus MacKay on 4 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17548 by Angus MacKay on 6 September 2001, how many of the staff on secondment from it to other organisations at any time in the period from May 1999 to date have been taken into the employment of the receiving organisation and have left the employment of the Scottish Executive.

Question reference: S1W-18277

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Angus MacKay on 4 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff it currently has on secondment from other organisations; from which organisations these staff are seconded, and at whose cost the relevant salaries are paid.

The total number of staff currently on secondment to the Scottish Executive from other organisations is 66. The seconding organisations are as follows:

Aberdeenshire Council

Angus Council

Argyll and Bute Council

Audit Scotland

Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work

City of Edinburgh Council

Common Services Agency

Dundee City Council

East Ayrshire Council

East of Scotland Water Authority

Edinburgh College of Art

Falklands Islands Government

Fife Council

Fife Health Board

Glasgow City Council

Glasgow College of Nautical Studies

Glasgow University

Highland Council

Islay & Jura Council for Voluntary Service

Lanarkshire Careers Service

Lanarkshire Primary Care Trust

Lothian and Borders Police

Lothian Health

Mental Welfare Commission

National Health Service

North Lanarkshire Council

Paisley Partnership Regeneration Company

Perth and Kinross Council

Perth Royal Infirmary

Robert Gordon University

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

Scottish Enterprise

Scottish Enterprise Borders

Scottish Federation of Housing Associations

Scottish Homes

Scottish Library and Information Council

Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service

Scottish Natural Heritage

South Ayrshire Council

South Lanarkshire Council

Stirling Council

Summerhill Education Centre

University of Dundee

University of Sheffield

University of Stirling

Volunteer Development Scotland

West Lothian Council

Yorkhill NHS Trust

Inward secondees normally continue to be paid by the employing organisation with the costs reimbursed, either fully or partially, by the Scottish Executive. Of these 66 inward secondments, 63 are fully reimbursed, one is partially reimbursed and two are seconded at no cost to the Scottish Executive.

Question reference: S1W-17991

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 3 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16545 by Jackie Baillie on 31 July 2001, whether it will collect interim information in relation to the number of heating units installed, broken down by housing sector, during each year of the central heating programme and whether it will place such information in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre at quarterly intervals.

Question reference: S1W-18026

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Angus MacKay on 1 October 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17548 by Angus MacKay on 6 September 2001, which organisations the 126 staff who were on secondment during the period May 1999 to July 2001, and whose salary costs the receiving organisation met, were on secondment to.

Further to the answer provided to question S1W-17548, I can confirm that the organisations of the 126 staff on secondment during the period May 1999 to July 2001 whose salary costs were met by the receiving organisation are as follows:Audit ScotlandCairngorm Partnership Child Support AgencyCivil Service College in ScotlandCommon Services Agency CoSLAEuropean Commission Fife EnterpriseHighlands and Islands EnterpriseInformation Technology Services Agency IPMS

Lord President's Office Lothian Health Meat Hygiene Service Public and Commercial Services UnionScottish and Newcastle Scottish Archive Network Project Scottish Arts CouncilScottish Chambers of Commerce Scottish Council Development and Industry Scottish Criminal Records OfficeScottish EnterpriseScottish Financial Enterprise Scottish Football Association Scottish HomesScottish Natural Heritage Scottish Parliament Scottish University for Industry SportscotlandStrathclyde UniversityThe Household of HRH The Prince of WalesWater Industry CommissionersWest Lothian NHS Trust

Scottish and Newcastle, the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Scottish Council Development and Industry and Scottish Financial Enterprise all paid a contribution towards the salary costs of the secondment during the period stated.

Question reference: S1W-17687

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 August 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 25 September 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements have been made for the education of any school-age children to be accommodated at Dungavel Detention Centre.

The operation of Dungavel Detention Centre is the responsibility of the Home Office. I understand Premier Detention Services, who have been contracted by the Home Office to run the centre, have been in discussions with South Lanarkshire Council about the most appropriate way to provide education services for any school aged children at the centre. Officials of the Executive are liasing with the Home Office and South Lanarkshire Council regarding education provision in the centre.

Question reference: S1W-17785

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 August 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 25 September 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-16907 and S1W-16908 by Jackie Baillie on 9 August 2001, whether it will supply the information given broken down by local authority area.

Further to my answers given on 9 August on grants paid under section 54 of the Housing Act 1988 which relate to accounting periods ending in 1999-2000, the following table shows this information broken down by local authority area.

Local authority area	No. of awards	Value of awards (£)
Western Isles	5	13,896.70
Caithness	1	34,867.80
Shetland	1	19,461.40
Dundee	1	154,213.02
Lochaber	1	21,927.80
Skye & Lochalsh	1	40,492.60
Orkney	1	44,887.20
Fife	1	15,314.20
Renfrewshire	6	469,726.53
East Renfrewshire	1	37,325.80
Inverclyde	3	80,745.70
North Lanarkshire	4	203,056.97
South Lanarkshire	3	114,779.40
East Ayrshire	2	41,893.40
Dumfries & Galloway	1	172,166.65
Edinburgh	4	382,102.34
Stirling	1	23,049.40
Midlothian	1	52,098.60
Clackmannan	1	98,132.57
Glasgow	33	1,591,884.79
West Dumbartonshire	7	396,295.80
Argyll & Bute	2	36,585.40
National housing associations (across LA boundaries)	2	148,923.95
Total	83	4,193,828.02

Question reference: S1W-18023

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Angus MacKay on 25 September 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations any staff who have been on secondment during the period July 2001 to September 2001, and whose salary costs it has met, have been on secondment to.

The organisations of the staff on secondment during the period July 2001 to September 2001 whose salary costs are being met by the Scottish Executive are as follows:

European Commission

Glasgow Employer Coalition

Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland

Prince's Trust Volunteers Scotland

Royal Society of Edinburgh

Scottish Business in the Community

Scottish Chambers of Commerce

Scottish Civic Forum

Scottish Council Development and Industry

Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

Scottish Financial Enterprise

Scottish Power

Western Isles Council

Young Scot

The Scottish Chambers of Commerce, the Scottish Council Development and Industry and Scottish Financial Enterprise all pay a contribution towards the salary costs of the secondment.

Question reference: S1W-17784

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 August 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 21 September 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers by Jackie Baillie to questions S1W-16905 and S1W-16904 on 6 and 7 August 2001 respectively, whether the remit of the working group to look at the detailed impact of the withdrawal of Section 54 (tax relief grant) on housing associations will include consideration of an alternative funding mechanism for major repairs.

Question reference: S1W-17791

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 August 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 21 September 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out, or intends to carry out, any investigation or research into restorative justice.

Restorative justice can be defined as the process whereby the parties involved in a specific offence collectively resolve how to deal with the aftermath. In particular, it aims to involve the victim and the offender in discussing the implications of the crime and possible forms of reparation.Elements of restorative justice appear in various current initiatives. The use of mediation and reparation services in certain cases of diversion from prosecution is an example of restorative justice in practice. We also expect many of the Youth Crime Review programmes to have strong restorative justice elements in the light of the increased emphasis on the victims of crime.The Scottish Executive funded and evaluated the SACRO Young Offenders Mediation and Reparation Project in Kirkcaldy in Fife. A report was published in 2000.

Question reference: S1W-17787

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 August 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jackie Baillie on 21 September 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16839 by Jackie Baillie on 3 August 2001, whether payment in any form is made by it to the organisations or individuals listed in respect of their involvement in the various working groups and task forces.