- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 19 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive who represents it on the UK Government’s Coal Forum; what the Executive’s objectives are in relation to the forum; how many meetings of the forum there have been and at how many of these meetings the Executive was represented; what the forum’s remit is; how its work impacts on Scotland, and whether the Executive will report progress on its deliberations to the Parliament.
Answer
A pre-meeting of the forum tookplace on 9 October 2006 and the first meeting of the Forum took place on 14 November 2006. the Executive was represented at both meetings by an official from our Energy PolicyTeam.
The Executive’s objectives for energy policy were set out in our responseto the UK Energy Review:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/06/13161455/0.The coal industry in Scotland makesan important contribution to energy supplies, providing around 25% of the UK’s coal production.Scotland has significant coal reserves, and the on-going development of such reservescontributes to the security of UK energy supplies. But this development must be balancedwith the need to protect Scotland’s natural environment. Coal extraction and consumptionalso leads to significant greenhouse gas emissions. The Executive therefore supportsthe development of measures that reduce carbonemissions from coal combustion – such as carbon capture ready high-efficiency coaltechnology, and co-firing coal with biomass. The Executive believes the potentialfor coal bed methane extraction should also be explored.
The Coal Forum is working toensure that the UK has the right framework to: secure the long-term futureof coal-fired power generation and coal production in the UK; optimisethe use of economical coal reserves, and stimulate investment in clean coal technologies.
The forum is due to report itsfindings next summer. I understand that all papers considered by the forum and notesof its meetings will be published on the Department of Trade and Industry’s website.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-29751 by Malcolm Chisholm on 22 November 2006, whether it will provide a breakdown of expenditure from the Effective Contingencies Grant available to Glasgow Housing Association.
Answer
Glasgow Housing Association hasso far claimed £50,000,000 from the Scottish Executive under the Contingent EfficienciesGrant in order to support the delivery of its business objectives.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many families have benefited from its shared equity scheme in each year since its introduction and how many families it estimates will benefit from the scheme in each of the next five years.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:
The Homestake shared equity schemecan help individuals as well as families. The number of units approved for Homestakesince its introduction in 2005-06 is as follows:
2005-06 - 1,008 units.
We expect to assist around 1,000households in the current financial year but do not have projections for futureyears.
As part of an on-going evaluation,information on the composition of households who have benefited from the schemeis under analysis.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 18 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has plans to introduce legislation to provide for trials without jury in serious fraud cases, similar to that planned by the UK Government and announced in the Queen's Speech.
Answer
We have no plans to do so.
In response to a public consultationin 1998 the clear view was expressed that there was no case for changing the presentmethod of trial in serious fraud cases in Scotland.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 15 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28813 by Nicol Stephen on 14 November 2006, whether this policy still applies in cases where a higher education institution refuses entry to second or subsequent years to an individual with a Higher National Diploma.
Answer
It is the current policy of the Scottish Executive that students who have gained a Higher National Diploma(HND) and subsequently choose to enter higher education at first year level areassessed as repeating a first year of study.
This policy also applies incases where a higher education institution has determined that an individualwith a HND is not suitable for entry into second or a subsequent year of adegree course.
This policy is intended toencourage universities to accept students with an HND into the second orsubsequent year of a degree course.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 15 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28690 by Mr Tom McCabe on 18 October 2006, whether there are any plans to further expand the Relocation Advisory Service and increase the number of staff it employs.
Answer
We currently have no plans toexpand the Relocation Advisory Service or increase the number of staff.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 15 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many apprentices it will help to fund in each of the next five years.
Answer
The Scottish Executive hasprovided funding to the Enterprise Networks in order to achieve the PartnershipAgreement target of having 30,000 modern apprentices (MAs) in training by 2006.This target was achieved two years early and it is intended to maintain thenumber of MAs in training at least above this level up until May 2007. Thereare currently no MA targets for the next five years.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Des McNulty on 15 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many households have benefited from free insulation or free central heating in each of the last three years and how many households it estimates will benefit in each of the next three years.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is asfollows:
The number of CentralHeating and Warm Deal Installations for the last three years are shown in the followingtable :
| Year | Central Heating | Warm Deal Measures |
| 2003-04 | 16,788 | 27,520 |
| 2004-05 | 15,207 | 19,013 |
| 2005-06 | 15,992 | 15,499 |
The estimated numbers ofcentral heating and warm deal installations to be completed in 2006-07 are 13,000and 17,500 respectively. These figures are based on using an additional £5 million, between now and the end ofthis financial year, to help up to 5,000 more householders benefit from these Programmes.In 2007-08, the estimated numbers of central heating and warm dealinstallations that will be carried out are 12,000 and 12,800 respectively. Thepresent programme is scheduled to finish in March 2008.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 15 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it had any input to the UK Government’s planned legislation to create an independent board to enhance confidence in government statistics, as announced in the Queen’s Speech.
Answer
Yes, the Executive has been workingclosely with HM Treasury and the Office for National Statistics on the Statisticsand Registration Service Bill.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 15 December 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of Scotland’s income per head of population.
Answer
The following table presentsestimates of Scotland’s annual income per head of population based on theDepartment for Work and Pensions’ Family Resources Survey.
| Income measure (£ per head) | 2004-05 |
| Gross household income | 12,573 |
| Net disposable household income (before housing costs) | 9,523 |
| Net disposable household income (after housing costs) | 8,428 |
Source: Households BelowAverage Income datasets, DWP, 2004-05.
Notes:
Gross income: Total income from all sources including from tax credits, beforedeductions of income tax and National Insurance.
Net disposableincome: Gross income afterdeductions for income tax, National Insurance Contributions, council tax,pension contributions and maintenance payments.
Housing costs: Net disposable income but withrent/mortgage payments, water charges, structural insurance premiums, ground rentand service charges deducted.
