- Asked by: Marilyn Livingstone, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 November 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 22 November 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive why court-appointed solicitors preparing reports on children and families do not require an enhanced disclosure report.
Answer
Disclosure procedures requirethat reports are requested by those employing the particular individual. Solicitors appointed for the purposes of preparing reportsfor the courts are appointed by the presidingjudge, to undertake particular duties in relation to a specific case.
It would be for that judge toconsider, given the particular circumstances of a case, whether it was necessaryfor the solicitor to have an enhanced disclosurereport.
- Asked by: Marilyn Livingstone, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 7 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage local authorities and other agencies to make better use of the legislation on antisocial behaviour.
Answer
The antisocial behaviournewsletter, distributed to councils and agencies across Scotland,contains examples of how the new powers are being used to help communities. Wehope that this will encourage councils and local agencies to learn from goodpractice elsewhere. In addition we have held a number of public events across Scotland toprovide information to the public on what assistance is available to deal withantisocial behaviour.
- Asked by: Marilyn Livingstone, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 23 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the Scottish Homes stock transfer model is flexible enough to meet the higher standards required by the Scottish Housing Quality Standard.
Answer
The Scottish Homes stock transfermodel provided sufficient money to maintain the stock for the next 30 years in thesame condition in which it was transferred.
Following transfer the Executiveexpects registered social landlords to maintain and modernise their stock from withintheir own resources.
- Asked by: Marilyn Livingstone, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 16 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Housing Association Grant can be paid to a stock transfer housing association to meet any shortfall in its business plan caused by costs resulting from the Scottish Housing Quality Standard.
Answer
Housing Association Grant presentlyfunds new development and some major repairs. Communities Scotland willwork with landlords that find themselves in financial and other difficulties inorder to ensure the Standard is delivered to tenants.
- Asked by: Marilyn Livingstone, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 16 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether consideration is being given to allowing stock transfer housing associations to waive payments to the Executive in respect of excess right-to-buy proceeds.
Answer
Landlords can keep all receiptsfrom right-to-buy sales of former Scottish Homes stock, after the tenth anniversaryof the transfer.
Local authority transfers tocommunity ownership require that all right-to-buy receipts should return to theExecutive.
The differences between the twoapproaches reflect the treatment of “right-to-buy” properties within the valuationapplied to each type of transfer.
- Asked by: Marilyn Livingstone, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 16 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether an impact assessment has been carried out to determine the effect of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard on contracts with stock transfer housing associations in relation to agreed contractual improvements and rent capping.
Answer
The Scottish Housing QualityStandard was set following a formal public consultation period in 2003 to ensurelandlords across the social housing sector had an opportunity to give their viewson its anticipated impact. This covered the full range of social landlords, includingregistered social landlords with houses from Scottish Homes.
- Asked by: Marilyn Livingstone, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 16 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received representations from stock transfer housing associations with regard to the possible impact on rents of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard.
Answer
Representations have been receivedby Communities Scotland primarily through the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations,with whom discussions are continuing.
- Asked by: Marilyn Livingstone, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 16 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering refunding to Scottish Homes stock transfer housing associations the difference between the price actually paid and that which would have been paid had the Scottish Housing Quality Standard been built into the discounted cashflow model which determined the original price.
Answer
It is not the Executive’s policyto amend the terms of transfer contracts once they have been agreed between therelevant parties.
- Asked by: Marilyn Livingstone, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 16 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can determine the difference between actual Scottish Homes stock transfer valuations and revised valuations which include the higher costs of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard.
Answer
The Executive is not responsiblefor the revaluation of transferred stock. Landlords are responsible for updatingtheir stock to meet modern requirements, revising their business plans and maintainingthe value of their property portfolio.
- Asked by: Marilyn Livingstone, MSP for Kirkcaldy, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 3 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how the distribution of funding to the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and local councils for voluntary service is calculated.
Answer
The distribution of ScottishExecutive funding for the Councils of Voluntary Service (CVS) in Scotland isdetermined by a formula introduced in 2001 after consultation with the networkand the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO). It provides:
Each local authority areawith between £60,000 and £75,000 per annum;
Where there is more than oneCVS in a local authority area they each receive a share of the fundingallocation for their area, and
A greater share for the Highlandarea, around £330,000 per annum, in recognition of its rurality and populationsparsity and the consequently high number of CVS it requires to support.
In addition, SCVO isprovided with £200,000 per annum to fulfil its role in the development ofco-ordination of the network. This award was determined on the basis of a fullbusiness case.
The total level of ScottishExecutive funding amounts to just over £3 million, the full amount sought bythe network when it submitted its business plan in 2005. This sum represents anincrease of more than 30% since the formula was last revised in 2001.
