Questions and answers

Question reference: S2W-23748

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 16 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21578 by Cathy Jamieson on 22 December 2005, what it considers its obligations are under the UN Convention Against Torture in respect of the allegations that US agencies have used Scottish airports as refuelling stops for flights engaged in the process of “extraordinary rendition” other than those following from the fact that “torture is a crime under Scots law as required by our international obligations” and that “the investigation of alleged crimes is a matter for the police”.

The Scottish Executive hasnot approved and will not approve a policy of facilitating the transfer ofindividuals through Scottish territory or airspace to places where there aresubstantial grounds to believe they would face a real risk of torture. The Scottish Executive is not aware of any credibleand reliable information to support allegations that Scottish airports arebeing used for such transfers.

Question reference: S2W-23988

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executivewhat information it has on how the proportion of households living in socially rented housing compares with (a) the rest of the United Kingdom, (b) the member states of the European Union and (c) OECD nations.

The following tables show the available information on tenure of the housing stock across the UK and EU countries. Information on tenure in other OECD nations is not held centrally.

Estimated Stock of Dwellings by Tenure: 2004

	Total Dwellings (000)	Owner Occupied		Rented Privately or with a Job/Business		Rented from RSLs		Rented from LA
	Total Dwellings (000)	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Scotland	2,389	1,583	66.3	178	7.5	250	10.5	378	15.8
England	21,613	15,279	70.7	2,334	10.8	1,665	7.7	2,335	10.8
Wales	1,296	955	73.7	115	8.9	64	4.9	162	12.5
Northern Ireland	679	523	77.0	37	5.4	22	3.2	97	14.3
UK	25,953	18,306	70.5	2,663	10.3	2,001	7.7	2,983	11.5

Sources: Scottish ExecutiveDevelopment Department: Housing Statistics, Office of the Deputy PrimeMinister.

Note: Figures are provisional.

Owner Occupied Stock as a Percentageof all Dwelling Stock, by EU Member State, 2002

EU Member State	Total Stock (000)	Owner Occupied as % of Total
Austria	3,718⁴	57³
Belgium	4,249¹	68
Denmark	2,523	51
Finland	2,544	64
France	29,495	56
Germany - not DDR	30,986¹	45
- ex DDR	7,696¹	34
Greece	5,454¹	74¹
Ireland	1,337	78⁵
Italy	26,526	68²
Luxembourg	176	67
Netherlands	6,711	54
Portugal	5,152	75¹
Scotland	2,344	64
Spain	20,823¹	81¹
Sweden	4,308¹	46
United Kingdom	25,617	70

Sources: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

Note:

1. 2001.

2. 1991.

3. 1998.

4. 1999.

5. 2000.

Question reference: S2W-23965

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it gives to any local authority wishing to construct new homes for social rent which the local authority will directly manage.

Question reference: S2W-23929

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage the redevelopment of urban brownfield sites, in particular through the creation of affordable housing.

The Executive has a range ofpolicies and programmes in place to encourage the redevelopment of urban brownfieldsites for affordable housing and other uses.

National planning policy generallyencourages the reuse of previously developed land in preference to greenfield development.More specifically, Scottish Planning Policy on Planning for Housing (SPP3) statesthat where brownfield land is available, planning authorities should normally directnew housing to such land in preference to greenfield sites. SPP3 and Planning Advice Note 74 also enable planningauthorities to seek a proportion of affordable housing within most housing developments,where there is evidence of a shortage of affordable housing.

Asfar as the Executive’s own housing investment is concerned, over the three years 2002-05 an average of 79% of newbuild development supported by Communities Scotland has been on brownfield land. The Executive is also providing funding specificallyto encourage the redevelopment of brownfield sites. £20 million is being made availableto local authorities over the period 2005-08 to help them tackle contaminated landissues. The Executive has also allocated £24 million for 2006-08 through the Vacantand Derelict Land Fund for the remediation of land in Glasgow, Dundee, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire – areas with the most significant levels of deprivationand vacant and derelict land.

In addition to the above, ourFebruary 2006 Regeneration Policy Statement, People and Place, outlines our commitmentto take a range of actions to tackle land issues which can sometimes inhibit regeneration.

Question reference: S2W-23924

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 16 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to assist in the delivery of a new train station in Castlecary with park and ride facilities, referred to in Building Better Transport in March 2003 as being part of a package to be taken forward by the Executive arising from recommendations made by the Central Scotland Transport Corridor Studies.

The Scottish Executive awardedFalkirk Council £450,000 from the Public Transport Fund to undertake a feasibilitystudy to improve rail services along the A80-M80 corridor, including opening a stationand park and ride site at Castlecary (now called Allandale). The study concludedin February 2006 and Transport Scotland is assessing the findings of the report.

Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more informationif required.

Question reference: S2W-23931

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average house price was in each local authority area in each year since 1995.

The following table shows medianhouse prices in each local authority area in each year since 1995 to 2004, the latestyear for which this information is available. Information on median and mean houseprices for different geographical areas is available from the Scottish NeighbourhoodStatistics System on the Scottish Executive Website at http://www.sns.gov.uk.

Median House Prices1995-2004 by Local Authority Area

Local Authority	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Aberdeen City	45,000	49,000	50,000	53,500	53,500	55,000	56,250	58,417	60,000	70,000
Aberdeenshire	52,720	54,375	55,000	59,500	60,000	60,000	60,000	65,995	75,000	86,617
Angus	40,000	42,500	41,000	43,000	46,875	47,000	50,000	52,000	60,000	68,000
Argyll and Bute	40,000	43,000	45,500	60,000	46,000	52,000	46,500	51,198	55,100	70,000
Clackmannanshire	37,000	37,000	38,000	41,950	40,000	41,000	44,625	43,000	47,000	64,750
Dumfries and Galloway	38,000	39,000	40,250	40,500	44,500	43,975	47,000	48,950	57,000	77,950
Dundee City	35,000	36,572	35,000	37,450	40,550	38,500	42,000	45,000	50,000	55,750
East Ayrshire	30,000	31,500	31,000	33,500	36,000	35,000	37,500	37,088	41,000	54,500
East Dunbartonshire	60,000	60,000	62,800	62,750	64,500	69,000	71,000	80,000	91,127	118,500
East Lothian	50,000	52,000	53,600	56,000	57,500	60,000	65,500	74,000	90,181	110,000
East Renfrewshire	60,000	67,000	64,995	70,676	70,503	69,000	79,000	88,850	98,000	126,025
Edinburgh, City of	52,500	55,200	59,000	63,473	70,000	73,000	80,000	96,787	115,000	135,000
Eilean Siar	DNA	27,050	29,250	25,000	30,000	35,000	37,000	38,000	39,650	51,075
Falkirk	38,000	39,995	38,000	41,000	42,950	40,000	43,000	45,000	52,000	67,100
Fife	35,000	38,000	45,000	40,000	42,000	44,000	45,000	48,000	56,000	69,000
Glasgow City	38,250	40,000	40,000	41,000	43,000	44,000	49,000	56,000	69,625	85,500
Highland	39,000	41,000	40,998	42,995	45,000	45,000	50,000	56,000	65,000	83,250
Inverclyde	33,000	36,600	32,500	35,000	38,000	40,000	41,000	44,750	47,000	60,000
Midlothian	47,000	46,050	48,000	49,725	53,000	55,000	59,995	65,125	80,000	92,875
Moray	41,500	43,750	42,500	47,500	47,000	45,500	47,000	49,500	60,000	70,000
North Ayrshire	31,000	32,500	34,581	36,000	37,500	36,000	37,850	40,000	44,000	57,500
North Lanarkshire	34,000	35,500	35,500	36,000	38,100	37,000	40,000	42,236	45,000	58,500
Orkney Islands	35,325	35,000	38,000	37,000	38,350	41,000	41,750	44,000	48,000	60,000
Perth and Kinross	47,400	50,000	51,000	54,050	58,000	60,000	60,000	65,000	75,000	90,000
Renfrewshire	38,500	41,000	40,000	43,000	43,000	45,500	42,500	45,000	53,011	65,000
Scottish Borders	35,000	37,000	37,000	38,250	43,500	41,000	46,000	52,000	65,000	82,850
Shetland Islands	34,750	42,750	35,338	38,500	32,000	35,000	40,000	45,017	46,000	60,000
South Ayrshire	43,348	46,000	46,000	46,250	51,000	50,420	52,000	56,300	65,000	76,000
South Lanarkshire	35,500	40,500	37,500	40,000	43,000	43,500	46,000	49,000	57,000	71,000
Stirling	52,750	49,995	53,500	56,000	59,500	60,000	60,000	72,000	83,000	96,000
West Dunbartonshire	37,995	38,973	38,000	37,000	38,000	39,000	41,000	43,000	45,000	60,000
West Lothian	36,000	39,500	41,950	44,950	46,500	48,000	52,995	55,018	66,000	85,000

DNA: Data not available

Residential propertytransactions are recorded by Registers of Scotland. For more information, seehttp://www.ros.gov.uk/pdfs/rsdguidancenotes.pdf. This analysis includesadditional coding by the Land Valuation Information Unit at the University of Paisley and Communities Scotland.

Question reference: S2W-23994

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 16 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discussed with Her Majesty’s Government the briefing paper sent by the Foreign Office to the Prime Minister’s Office stating that people captured by British forces could have been sent illegally to interrogation centres, as reported in the Guardian on 21 January 2006, to establish whether there are any links between these reports and the allegations that US agencies have used Scottish airports as refuelling stops for flights engaged in the process of “extraordinary rendition”.

The Scottish Executive has notapproved and will not approve a policy of facilitating the transfer of individualsthrough Scottish territory or airspace to places where there are substantial groundsto believe they would face a real risk of torture. The Scottish Executive is not aware of any credible andreliable information to support allegations that Scottish airports are being usedfor such transfers.

Question reference: S2W-23961

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many new houses for social rent have been built in each year since 1980, broken down by local authority area.

The following table below containscounts of new build completions in the social rented sector for 1992 to 2004, brokendown by local authority area. Data prior to 1992 is not available by current localauthority area.

NewDwellings Completed in the Social Sector by Local Authority Area; 1992 to 2004

Local Authority Area	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Scotland	3,194	3,510	3,450	6,011	2,858	4,684	2,050	4,992	4,989	5,574	5,171	3,992	3,483
Aberdeen City	269	178	42	452	157	327	21	115	98	203	79	169	98
Aberdeenshire	185	181	156	209	152	291	43	226	116	176	199	211	169
Angus	86	35	110	169	110	179	159	119	110	67	167	43	100
Argyll and Bute	75	73	51	31	3	91	199	112	121	105	4	59	72
Clackmannanshire	143	66	241	21	32	0	18	39	59	0	72	28	50
Dumfries and Galloway	101	107	32	167	34	202	14	179	69	197	77	96	109
Dundee	236	303	318	179	185	306	70	242	231	106	302	72	353
East Ayrshire	26	46	98	116	32	28	60	32	20	147	4	98	6
East Dunbartonshire	0	17	0	47	0	0	22	15	24	55	10	4	7
East Lothian	26	52	23	93	16	22	19	61	79	9	18	14	16
East Renfrewshire	0	0	0	0	27	17	0	84	126	41	0	30	15
Edinburgh	227	168	249	830	104	351	132	576	521	545	511	156	228
Eilean Siar	17	4	14	22	7	4	8	2	13	14	22	13	19
Falkirk	43	64	45	65	34	62	28	78	103	97	86	34	1
Fife	320	581	395	608	203	407	124	421	174	186	336	194	124
Glasgow	189	112	191	482	434	785	377	834	1,159	1,841	1,244	1,496	886
Highland	126	259	314	112	196	203	101	143	225	149	157	147	159
Inverclyde	38	23	69	87	112	0	117	93	248	119	141	101	103
Midlothian	20	68	19	27	42	74	12	47	0	28	17	31	14
Moray	84	61	4	87	84	101	17	30	30	56	33	2	8
North Ayrshire	108	116	77	405	53	25	26	149	67	76	64	83	25
North Lanarkshire	93	187	200	362	160	261	80	334	277	266	360	131	114
Orkney	65	63	38	37	53	12	0	14	29	52	44	24	34
Perth and Kinross	159	69	188	139	98	267	119	182	193	100	215	176	122
Renfrewshire	130	88	114	83	273	94	0	92	167	152	155	48	182
Scottish Borders	23	54	48	293	8	20	123	83	101	88	85	44	76
Shetland	5	0	0	14	0	0	0	56	14	22	14	1	6
South Ayrshire	33	0	135	138	95	28	93	68	61	64	131	74	70
South Lanarkshire	132	258	149	375	65	206	24	61	274	126	316	103	196
Stirling	58	96	26	78	28	56	0	85	83	62	106	84	27
West Dunbartonshire	120	94	81	84	45	0	0	213	92	263	182	136	19
West Lothian	57	87	23	199	16	265	44	207	105	162	20	90	75

Source: Scottish Executive DevelopmentDepartment: Housing Statistics NB1 return and Communities Scotland.

Question reference: S2W-23919

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 16 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the volume of traffic is per day on the (a) Erskine Bridge, (b) Skye Bridge, (c) Forth Road Bridge and (d) Tay Road Bridge and what the equivalent figures were (i) 10 and (ii) 20 years ago.

Information on traffic flowsand traffic growth on the Bridges, including daily trends and variations, is shownat section 4 of the Tolled Bridges Review: Phase One Report, published bythe Scottish Executive, a copy of which is available in the Scottish ParliamentInformation Centre (Bib. number 34847).

Annual vehicle crossing figures(thousands) at each of the tolled bridges is as follows:

Bridge	1984	1994	2004
Erskine	4,327	6,865	10,020
Forth	12,001	18,994	23,562
Tay	5,211	7,198	8,929
Skye	n/a	n/a	769

Source: Scottish Transport StatisticsNo.14 - 1995 Edition and Scottish Transport Statistics No.24 - 2005 Edition

Note: The Skye Bridge crossingopened in October 1995. Vehicle crossings in the first full year of operation (1996)totalled 612,000.

Question reference: S2W-23989

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 16 March 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many households there have been on waiting lists to secure a council house in each year since 1995, broken down by local authority.

Figures on households of housingwaiting lists are accessible online through the data library in the publicationsand data section of the Scottish Executive housing statistics branch website atwww.scotland.gov.uk/stats/housing/hsbref.

This data collection began in2001 and figures are not centrally available prior to that date.

Published figures as at 31 March 2001, 2002,2003, 2004 and 2005 can be accessed through HSG/2001/4, HSG/2002/3, HSG/2003/4,HSG/2004/4, and HSG/2005/4 respectively.

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