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-23487

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 6 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the capital cost of each PFI and PPP project since 1999 has been and what the value of the capital assets so purchased was in each case.

Question reference: S2W-23480

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many small housing organisations have been asked to merge with bigger organisations by Communities Scotland since 1999.

Question reference: S2W-23479

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 6 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-8327 by Malcolm Chisholm on 9 June 2004, whether it has now undertaken research to determine whether PFI/PPP impacts upon the capital costs of the NHS.

No specific researchhas yet been undertaken.

PPP/PFI does not replace publicfunding. In the current spending review period capitalinvestment is set to increase on average by £60 million each year from 2005-06to 2007-08. By 2007-08 capital funding will be almost £532 million. Of the totalinvestment package of £2.1 billion over this period expected PPP/PFI investmentof £0.750 billion, meaning £1.4 billion of investment in NHS infrastructure throughpublic capital over the three year period.

Question reference: S2W-23486

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 6 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how costs incurred on each PFI and PPP project since 1999 compare with the capital costs that would have been incurred had each project been funded through traditional procurement methods.

Question reference: S2W-23482

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 6 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total amount is that has been provided in capital resources through all PFI and PPP projects and what the average rate of interest paid to all lenders has been for the provision of that capital.

An estimate of the capital valueof all PPP signed projects in Scotland to date is £3.2 billion.It would not be meaningful tocalculate an average rate of interest over all projects as risks vary from one projectto another and background market rates have also varied over time. Therefore, thatinformation is not held centrally within the Executive. In general, PPP interestrates have reduced in recent years, reflecting market conditions and greater understandingand acceptance of risks. I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-17635on 12 July 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Question reference: S2W-23490

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make representations to HM Treasury seeking that all local authority capital housing debt be written off.

Question reference: S2W-23481

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many small housing organisations have been deemed non-viable since 1999.

Question reference: S2W-23491

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will write off the capital housing debt of local authorities.

Question reference: S2W-23506

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to reduce the regulatory burden on small housing associations.

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

Communities Scotland regulatesand inspects Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) on behalf of Scottish ministers.We are aware of the disproportionate impact that regulation can have on small RSLs.By small RSLs we mean those with fewer than 250 houses. We have already set in placea number of measures to minimise this impact.

In 2005 we introduced a tailoredapproach to inspection with reduced submission requirements, a lighter touch approachwith no grades and short reports.

Our requirements in relationto financial viability assessments are also tailored. Small RSLs, which are notdeveloping new-build houses, do not have to submit the five year financial projectionsor loan portfolio information required from all other RSLs.

Providing information on charitableRSLs direct to the Office of the Scottish Charity regulator (OSCR) for its annualreturn. This benefits all charitable RSLs.

We will continue to review ourapproach to regulation and inspection to ensure that it is proportionate and risk-basedand does not have a disproportionate impact on small RSLs. We are keen to consultwith the sector on changes which will allow us to respond positively to the concernsfrom the sector about over-regulation in general.

Question reference: S2W-23504

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 24 February 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 6 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it is directing towards reducing the incidence of sexually transmitted disease.

The national sexual healthstrategy Respect and Responsibility contains a number of initiatives to improvesexual health in Scotland. That includes tackling the high incidence ofsexually transmitted infections. Indeed, this was one of the primary driversfor developing a strategy.

To help implement that strategy,I announced £15 million of additional investment over the next three years,most of which will be aimed at front line services. In the current financialyear £4.5 million has been made available to NHS boards for this purpose. The boardswill receive the same levels of funding in 2006-07 and 2007-08. This is newmoney which is in addition to the resources already being spent by NHS boardsand other agencies taking forward sexual health initiatives on behalf of theExecutive.

Inaddition, in the current financial year the Executive has allocated £9 millionto NHS boards for action to prevent the spread of blood borne viruses,including HIV. The funds allocated will rise to £9.3 million in 2006-07 and£9.5 million in 2007-08.

The Executive provides afurther £500,000 to a range of voluntary organisations, responding to thechallenges posed by sexual health issues.