- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether good neighbour agreements will be an integral part of any new planning legislation.
Answer
Provisions for Good Neighbour Agreements are contained in s23 of the Planning Etc (Scotland) Bill.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 28 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has carried out on the cost and staffing implications of the proposal in the Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill to transfer responsibility for neighbour notification from applicants to planning authorities.
Answer
In July 2004, the Executive convened the Neighbour Notification Working Party to examine the detailed implications of transferring responsibility for neighbour notification to planning authorities. The issues examined by the working party included the cost and staff resource implications of the proposals contained in the White Paper,
Modernising the Planning System. The working party is finalising its report which will be published later this spring.
In addition, the Executive commissioned the consultants Ove Arup and Partners in April 2005 to assess comprehensively the impact of the white paper proposals for reform of the planning system. That report also examined the cost and staff resource implications of transferring responsibility for neighbour notification to planning authorities. The report Planning Reforms: An Impact Assessment was published in December 2005.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will clarify the position if there is a dispute or objection to a land use matter arising from a good neighbour agreement.
Answer
Scottish ministers would only become involved in individual good neighbour agreements in the event of one party appealing to them following a failure to agree modifications to an agreement locally.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be a notification procedure for good neighbour agreements.
Answer
There are no proposals for a notification procedure for entering into good neighbour agreements.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will clarify the position if the provisions of any good neighbour agreement conflict with the aims of a local authority.
Answer
The scope of good neighbour agreements will be as set out in the Planning etc. (Scotland) Bill, however guidance on the preparation of such agreements will be issued before the commencement of the new provisions.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 28 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive to which elected body the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland is accountable.
Answer
The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) is the collective organisation of Chief Constables, Deputy Chief Constables and Assistant Chief Constables serving in Scotland. Formally a staff association, ACPOS is not accountable to any elected body.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the recent pilot scheme for sign video relay service (SIGNVRS) technology launched in London whereby a small device attached to a videophone can enable deaf people to make phone calls using British sign language, it will consider launching such a pilot scheme in Glasgow.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is committed to linguistic access for Deaf people in Scotland and has noted the development of the SIGNVRS scheme.
We have no plans at present to launch such a pilot scheme in Scotland. However, we are aware of the interest in the use of sign video relay technology and will explore with our BSL and Linguistic Access Working Group how we might learn from this development.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 22 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider reinstating the ability of local authorities to recover money spent on enforcement of planning regulations which was removed by the Building (Scotland) Act 2003.
Answer
The Building (Scotland) Act 2003 has not affected planning enforcement. In relation to building regulations, powers exist under the act which enable local authorities to recover expenses incurred on enforcement.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 21 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it operates a policy of flexible working hours in respect of its own employees.
Answer
In line with its aim of helping staff to achieve a satisfactory work life balance, the Scottish Executive offers flexible working hours to all of it’s employees, in it’s core departments, including part-time staff and senior civil servants. A small number of employees who work shifts are excluded.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 21 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has spent on advertising through the Newsquest group in each of the last five years.
Answer
The Executive advertising spend with the Newsquest Group is as follows:
| Financial Year | Spend |
| 2003-04 | £107,512 |
| 2004-05 | £107,208 |
| 2005-06 (to 31 January 2006) | £49,550 |
| Total | £264,270 |
