- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 11 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how the changes in telephone directory enquiry services have affected Scottish businesses.
Answer
Telecomsregulation is reserved. It is currently undertaken by Oftel and, from laterthis month, by OFCOM. Oftel introduced the changes to directory enquiryservices and a preliminary report on their effect is available on theregulator’s website. It is too early to assess the impact of these changes onScottish businesses.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 10 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to assist Glasgow City Council to improve Scottish Qualifications Agency exam performance amongst its pupils.
Answer
The National Priorities inEducation and the school improvement framework are the vehicles through whichwe work with education authorities and schools to help secure improvement. the Executive supports education authorities and schools to reflect upon howimprovement can be achieved through encouraging self-evaluation and providingexamples of successful practice. As part of the drive for improvement, allpublicly funded secondary schools have set targets for exam performance for2005.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 10 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any added liability placed on a seller in the pilot sellers' survey schemes.
Answer
There are no plans to amendthe current common law principle of caveat emptor or “buyer beware”.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 10 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to any concerns by surveyors that the pilot sellers' surveys may operate in the interest of the seller.
Answer
For buyers and their lendersto have confidence in a survey that is commissioned by a seller, it will haveto provide objective, reliable and reasonably comprehensive information on thecondition of the house. Surveyors are disinterested professionals and we expectthat they will produce a single survey that meets the needs of both sellers andbuyers and will be accepted by all parties.
We do, however, anticipate abenefit to the seller in terms of improved marketing of their property andincreased confidence in the condition of the house.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 10 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3052 by Nicol Stephen on 21 October 2003, what representations it has received on re-regulating the bus industry.
Answer
Since August 2002 the Executive has received representations from Stirling Council and MidlothianCouncil regarding additional regulation of the bus industry. The issue is alsoraised from time to time in parliamentary debates and correspondence from thegeneral public, and is the subject of 2 parliamentary petitions currently withthe Local Government and Transport Committee (PE420 & PE569).
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question SW2-2078 by Ross Finnie on 9 September 2003, what information it has on how the national targets for recycling household waste as outlined in A Partnership for A Better Scotland compare to the target in the Household Waste Recycling Act 2003 that by 2010 every home must have a separated doorstep collection of at least two recyclable materials.
Answer
The Household WasteRecycling Act 2003 requires English waste collection authorities, from 31December 2010, to make arrangements for the collection of at least two types ofrecyclable waste together or individually separated from the rest of thehousehold waste unless they are satisfied that the cost of doing so would beunreasonably high or comparable alternative arrangements are available.
The act does not extend to Scotland.
A Partnership for aBetter Scotland includes a commitment to set targets for local authoritiesto recycle or compost 25% of waste by 2006 and 55% by 2020 through increasingthe use of doorstep collection and through provision of recycling facilities inevery community. This reflects the National Waste Plan (Bib. number. 26101),which was published in February 2003 and set out the best practicableenvironmental option for more sustainable management of municipal waste in Scotland.Implementation of the plan will provide widespread segregated kerbside wastecollections of recyclable materials across Scotland (to about 85% ofhouseholds by 2010 and over 90% by 2020).
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2078 by Ross Finnie on 9 September 2003, how it defines doorstep collection of household waste recycling.
Answer
“Doorstep collection” isanother term for kerbside collection. Annex B of the National Waste Plan describeskerbside segregated collection as “any regular collection of recyclable orcompostable materials from premises”. It excludes collection services deliveredon demand.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2078 by Ross Finnie on 9 September 2003, what the reasons are for any differences in household waste recycling targets between Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Answer
The National Waste Plan (Bib.Number. 26101) sets out our policies on sustainable waste management to 2020.Targets set out in the plan were established on the basis of the findings of 11Area Waste Plans, which determined the best practicable environmental optionfor dealing with waste in each area taking account of local circumstances suchas distances waste would need to be transported.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question SW2-2078 by Ross Finnie on 9 September 2003, whether any pilot projects are in place, or are planned, with regard to household waste recycling.
Answer
Through the strategic waste fundall local authorities have already received funding to undertake householdwaste recycling projects. In addition, more than £230 million is available tolocal authorities over the next three years from the fund to enable localauthorities to achieve national waste plan targets, including targets forrecycling.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 10 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2078 by Ross Finnie on 9 September 2003, what subsidy is being given to local authorities to implement household waste recycling targets.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-4439 on 10 December 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
