- 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: 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: 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.
- 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: 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 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: Tuesday, 25 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 9 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address underperformance in Scottish Qualifications Authority exams amongst pupils from areas with the highest poverty levels.
Answer
The National Priorities inEducation and the school improvement framework are the vehicles through whichwe work with education authorities and schools to seek improvement ineducational outcomes for all pupils. As part of the drive for improvement, allpublicly funded secondary schools have set targets for exam performance for2005.
We recognise that there areparticular barriers that can prevent pupils who live in areas of highdeprivation from achieving their potential in exam performance. A number ofpolicy initiatives seek to offer support that will help to overcome thesebarriers. These include Surestart, integrated community schools and programmesfor study support, among others. The curriculum review and the increase inopportunities for those who wish to pursue vocational qualifications are alsoimportant developments focused on addressing underperfomance. There is anadditional allowance of around £50 million within the local governmentsettlement to cover education deprivation.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 8 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to making representations to Her Majesty's Government about the proposal by the Refugee Scotland Project that open door hostel accommodation should be developed as an alternative to detention at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre which would also allow the children of asylum seekers to attend local schools.
Answer
Asylum and immigrationmatters, including the detention of asylum seekers, are reserved. The HomeOffice is responsible for considering the suitability of alternatives toaccommodation in Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre. Useful discussionsbetween the Home Office and the Executive, South Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire on a range of issues affecting Dungavel are on-going.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 November 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 3 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to integrate dispersed asylum seekers into local communities.
Answer
The Executive has provided around£2 million of funding since September 2001 for a range of projects which assistasylum seekers to integrate into the local community. These include facilitiessuch as drop in centres, language classes and child care provision and theFramework for Dialogue project being run by the Scottish Refugee Council in partnershipwith Glasgow City Council and the Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector. Inaddition we have spent a further £3 million on language services and onimplementing the Scottish Refugee integration Forum Action Plan.
