- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Legal Aid Board will report on its pilot project to increase the number of repayment months in contributions of #500 or over.
Answer
The Scottish Legal Aid Board has been undertaking an internal pilot study to assess the likely impact on legal aid expenditure of an extended regime of payments of contribution. Whilst decisions on the length of the repayment period for contributions are entirely an administrative matter for the Board, they are concerned that any extension to the repayment period could lead to pressure on public expenditure. At this time the results of the pilot study have not been fully analysed by the Board.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 22 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-2173 by Susan Deacon on 10 November 1999, whether it has considered any recommendations received from the Scottish Breast Screening National Advisory Group yet and whether there are now any plans to extend breast screening to include women over the age of 64.
Answer
I understand that the results of the Scottish study aimed at assessing the implications of extending the upper age limit of routine invitation for breast screening were considered by the Scottish Breast Screening National Advisory Group at their meeting on 16 February.I expect to receive the Group's recommendations after they have had the opportunity to fully consider the findings of the study.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 17 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many secondary schools in (a) Glasgow and (b) Scotland currently have a pupil council.
Answer
This information is not collected centrally.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 2 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposals on the right to buy for housing association tenants will be modified to take into account particular problems in areas in which social housing is in a minority.
Answer
In the Scottish Executive paper A New Single Social Tenancy for Scotland: Rights, Obligations and Opportunities we made it clear that our aim is to create more mixed communities in all parts of Scotland. To achieve this objective, we will ensure that Scottish Homes directs its resources for investment in new socially rented housing to those areas where there is clear, demonstrable need.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 2 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans regarding the right to buy and housing associations with charitable status.
Answer
There are no plans to change the current provisions which exclude, from the right to buy, tenants of housing associations that are registered charities.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 25 January 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider issuing guidance to Scottish Trusts to ensure that NHS workers employed by contractors are paid promptly after a national settlement is reached.
Answer
Staff who work for contractors are not employed directly by Scottish NHS Trusts. Their terms and conditions of service are a matter for individual contractors to determine.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to amend the legal aid restrictions so that the receipt of incapacity benefit and other benefits is not taken into account when calculating income in applications for legal aid funding.
Answer
An applicant for advice and assistance who is in receipt of income support, income-based jobseekers allowance, Disabled Person's Tax Credit (previously Disability Working Allowance) and Working Families Tax Credit (previously Family Credit)
and has disposable capital of less than £1,000 will receive advice and assistance with no contribution.
An applicant for advice and assistance who is in receipt of a back to work bonus or payments made under the Earnings Top-up Scheme 1996, Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996 or section 12B of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968, will have these disregarded when calculating his or her disposable income and capital.
An applicant for civil legal aid who is in receipt of income support; income-based jobseekers allowance; back to work bonus; payments made under the Earnings Top-up Scheme 1996, Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996 or section 12B of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968; disability living allowance; constant attendance allowance; payment made out of the social fund, will have these disregarded when calculating his or her disposable income and capital.
When calculating an applicant's disposable income and capital for advice and assistance and civil legal aid, allowances are also made for "dependent persons", the applicant's "tools and implements of trade" and such like.We have no plans for Incapacity Benefit to be disregarded from the calculation of an applicant's disposable income or disposable capital for advice and assistance or civil legal aid.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 20 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it currently gives to the Scottish film industry, and whether there are any plans for future funding.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is providing £2.225 million in 1999-2000 to Scottish Screen to carry out a range of activities which are of assistance to the Scottish film industry. In addition, the Scottish Enterprise Network and Highlands and Islands Enterprise provide assistance, in particular through the local film offices and company development activities. Scottish Screen's grant is to be increased by £200,000 in 2000-01.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 20 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit of the Glasgow Film fund is.
Answer
The business of Glasgow Film Fund Limited (GFF) is to make commercial equity or loan investments in films made by Glasgow-based companies or by companies using Glasgow as a substantive production location.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 20 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive Scottish Executive what importance it attaches to the family mediation service, and what funding it currently gives to it.
Answer
The Scottish Executive places great importance on the work of organisations offering family mediation in Scotland. Grants for the current financial year are detailed in the table below.
| Family Mediation - Borders | £12,058 |
| Family Mediation - Central | £66,396 |
| Family Mediation - Dumfries & Galloway | £23,855 |
| Family Mediation - Grampian | £24,236 |
| Family Mediation - Highland | £24,356 |
| Family Mediation - Lothian | £17,510 |
| Family Mediation - Tayside | £38,928 |
| Family Mediation - West | £22,660 |
| Family Mediation - Western Isles | £27,110 |
| Family Mediation Scotland | £62,830 |
| Total | £319,939 |
