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-05381

Asked by: Trish Godman, MSP for West Renfrewshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 26 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in (a) West Renfrewshire and (b) Scotland have benefited from the central heating installation programme and what the average waiting time is for such work to be completed.

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

Information is not kept inthe form requested. For the private sector the information is held by postcodearea and in the PA postcode area 1,367 systems have been installed to date. Thetotal Scotland figure for all sectors is 28,672 to date. Theaverage waiting time in the private sector is five months, but average waitingtimes in the public sector are not available. However, all council housingwithout a central heating systems are due to have one installed by April 2004if the tenant wants it and RSLs are due to complete their programme by December2004.

Question reference: S2W-05464

Asked by: Trish Godman, MSP for West Renfrewshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 26 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions have taken place with Caledonian MacBrayne anent ordering replacement vessels for its passenger ferry fleet.

Caledonian MacBrayne’s needfor additional or replacement vessels is kept under review and there areregular discussions with the company on such matters. We recently announcedplans to make funding available to the company for a new £8.75 million shelteredwater vessel for the Wemyss Bay-Rothesay route. We are also in discussion withthe company about its longer term investment proposals.

The process of orderingvessels must be conducted in accordance with EU public procurement procedures.Caledonian MacBrayne has considerable experience in following these procedures.

Question reference: S2W-05380

Asked by: Trish Godman, MSP for West Renfrewshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 22 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what funds are available for tenant and resident associations in areas of deprivation and low household incomes where such voluntary organisations seek to renovate local neighbourhoods and make them more secure.

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

Direct funding for tenantand resident associations is the responsibility of individual landlords andshould be identified within their tenant participation strategy. The Executivesupports activities to empower tenants to develop their homes and communities,which includes the provision of a tenant participation team, based withinCommunities Scotland. Also, from April 2004 the Scottish Executive willintroduce a national tenants grants scheme providing £400,000 over two yearsfor registered tenant organisations to develop innovative and replicableapproaches in tenant participation.

The Social InclusionPartnership Programme also provides £60 million in 2003-04 to tackle socialexclusion and promote regeneration in disadvantaged communities across Scotland.Decisions on how the social inclusion partnership fund is allocated are takenlocally and in Inverclyde, as in other areas, voluntary organisations may beable to access these funds. In addition,the Better Neighbourhoods Services Fund is providing £40 million in 2003-04 and£31.2 million in 2004-05 to improve services to disadvantaged communities in 12Pathfinder areas across Scotland, including Inverclyde. Decisions on how funds areallocated are taken locally in line with the local outcome agreement approvedby the Executive.

If tenants andresidents associations are working in partnership with a housing association tohelp them develop a wider role in regeneration they may also be able to accessresources from Communities Scotland.

Question reference: S2W-05433

Asked by: Trish Godman, MSP for West Renfrewshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 12 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 22 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions have taken place with Renfrewshire Council regarding the funding and implementation of effective flood prevention schemes in Renfrewshire.

Question reference: S2W-05463

Asked by: Trish Godman, MSP for West Renfrewshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 22 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions have taken place with the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency anent ordering replacement vessels for the agency's fleet.

Question reference: S2W-05467

Asked by: Trish Godman, MSP for West Renfrewshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 22 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive in relation to Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002, how many money advisers have been recruited, selected and trained and by whom they have been employed.

In anticipation of theimpact of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002, the Scottish Executive has provided an additional £3 million per annum to boost the number of moneyadvisers in Scotland. This funding was allocated via local authoritiesresulting in an extra 119 full-time equivalent trained money advisers, 66 of whomare based in local authorities and 53 in the voluntary sector.

Question reference: S2W-05465

Asked by: Trish Godman, MSP for West Renfrewshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 20 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) males and (b) females (i) are currently serving apprenticeships in shipyards and (ii) were serving apprenticeships in shipyards in 1994.

Question reference: S2W-04917

Asked by: Trish Godman, MSP for West Renfrewshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Mary Mulligan on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been made available for the selection, training and appointment of debt counsellors under the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002 and which organisations carried out the training.

In anticipation of theimpact of the Debt Arrangement and Attachment (Scotland) Act 2002, the Executivehas provided an additional £3 million per annum to boost the number of money advisersin Scotland. This funding resulted in an extra 120 advisersacross the sector in 2002-03.

In addition to this the Executive has established MATRICS (Money Advice Training, Resources,Information and Consultancy Services), a central support organisation run inpartnership by Money Advice Scotland and Citizens Advice Scotland backed by £1 millionfunding over two years. A key function of MATRICS is to increase the provisionof training available to the money advice sector.

Question reference: S2W-02975

Asked by: Trish Godman, MSP for West Renfrewshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 29 September 2003
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 27 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to raise the awareness of young people of the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption and alcohol misuse.

The Executive is takingaction to raise awareness on a number of fronts. Our Healthy Living campaignwill be targeting young people between the ages of 16 and 25 with messageswhich highlight the dangers of drinking too much alcohol. The first phase of the radio and poster campaign, which uses the “You choose what you lose”strapline, is running in November and December. This will complement NHS HealthScotland’s “Think About It” alcohol campaign which is targeted at youngerteenagers and is running TV advertising from November to early January.

Through health education inschools, young people have opportunities to discuss and consider the effectsand possible consequences of alcohol consumption with a view to helping them tomake healthy choices.

A parents’ guide to alcoholis also being developed by NHS Health Scotland in partnership with the Executive to support parentsdiscuss alcohol with their children.

Question reference: S2W-03814

Asked by: Trish Godman, MSP for West Renfrewshire, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 November 2003
Current Status: Answered by Elish Angiolini on 17 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases in the (a) Sheriff and (b) High Court involving allegations of rape have been abandoned in the last four years because of (i) unwillingness or (ii) inability of complainers to undergo cross-examination by defence lawyers.