- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the Aberdeen Crossrail project.
Answer
The Scottish Executive continues to support the feasibility studies into the AberdeenCrossrail project, which are led by Aberdeenshire Council in partnership withAberdeen City Council.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 4 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of funding under each funding formula that it uses to disburse funds is allocated to redress deprivation factors.
Answer
The main allocations offunding to local authorities and health boards do not allocate resourcesspecifically to tackle deprivation, although relative deprivation between areasis one of the factors used to construct the formulae.
However, there are several Executivefunding streams that target aspects of deprivation. These include funding for socialinclusion partnerships, the changing children’s services fund, the rough sleepersinitiative, health improvement fund and education maintenance allowances.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 4 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will initiate a cross-cutting review of the effectiveness of current funding formulae in achieving social inclusion.
Answer
The Executive is currentlyevaluating the effectiveness of early years policies, including the expenditureon specific programmes such as Sure Start and the Changing Children’s ServicesFund that have a strong social inclusion element.
More generally, the Executive is considering how to improve its collection and presentation ofinformation on cross-cutting priorities.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 31 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive when additional funding assigned to tackle deprivation was first allocated under each of the funding formulae that it uses to disburse funds and what targets were set to eliminate deprivation when such funding was allocated.
Answer
he network of 48 social inclusionpartnerships (SIPs) was launched in 1999.
The authorities selected toimplement pathfinders under the better neighbourhood services fund (BNSF) were announcedon 15 January 2001.
The answer given to questionS2W-3231 provides details on the targets set when funding was allocated to boththe SIP fund and BNSF.
All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the searchfacility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 31 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made an impact assessment of additional funds allocated to tackle deprivation granted to local authorities, NHS boards and trusts and other bodies.
Answer
The Scottish Executive keepsthe use of resources under review to ensure that money is used effectively.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 31 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring arrangements and targets are set in relation to any additional funds specifically allocated to tackle deprivation.
Answer
he main additional fundsspecifically allocated to tackle deprivation are social inclusion partnership(SIP) funds and better neighbourhoods services funds (BNSF).
In relation to the SIP fund,a Monitoring Framework has been in place since 1999, which requires each SIP tosubmit an annual report. These reports form the basis for appraisal byCommunities Scotland, including formal appraisal visits. All SIPs have statedobjectives and progress against these forms part of the appraisal process. SIPgrant recipients are also required to submit quarterly financial returns.
The BNSF is monitoredthrough the submission of annual reports by each of the 12 BNSF Pathfinders.These annual reports detail progress against the output and outcome targetsdetailed in the Local Outcome Agreement (LOA) agreed with the ScottishExecutive at the outset of the programme.
Both BNSF (first year) andSIP annual reports are held by the Parliament’s Reference Centre. The SIPmonitoring framework is available on the Communities Scotland website:
www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk.BNSF annual reports are available on the Scottish Executive website: www.scotland.gov.uk.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 August 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 28 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the range of illnesses that qualify for free prescriptions to include schi'ophrenia.
Answer
The Executive is committedto reviewing NHS prescription charges for people with chronic health conditionsand young people in full-time education or training. The detailed remit of thereview is still under consideration and the consultation process has yet to bedetermined. Whatever the exact shape of the review, it is our firm intention toconsult widely with patient interest groups, NHS professionals and other keystakeholders. When the review process is completed, the Executive will considerwhether changes should be made to the current prescription charge exemption andremission arrangements.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 October 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 27 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2044 by Hugh Henry on 8 September 2003, when the Scottish Law Commission will complete its review of the operation of the land register and whether it has any plans to amend the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979.
Answer
The Scottish Law Commissionexpects to publish its first discussion paper on the theoretical basis ofregistration of title in Scotland in January 2004. This will be followed by a seconddiscussion paper on more detailed and more practical issues. Depending on theissues raised on consultation and the availability of drafting resources, the commissionhopes to submit its report and bill to Scottish ministers by December 2005.We await its proposals,which it is anticipated will substantially replace the 1979 act, although theextent of this is of course a matter for the commission to consider. Furtherinformation on the scope of the commission’s work may be obtained from its sixthprogramme of law reform, available online at
www.scotlawcom.gov.uk.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 August 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 6 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty's Government on the implications for voluntary sector employment opportunities for disabled people, including blind and partially-sighted people, of constraints caused by the three-year funding period under the Access to Work programme.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is inregular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of reserved issues, includingaccess to work.
The commitment to three-yearfunding programmes for voluntary sector organisations is a key principle of boththe Scottish and UK Government Compacts with the voluntary sector.
- Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 22 September 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 6 October 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will encourage the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) to publish volume 2 of the Deloitte & Touche Phase 3 report on the Corporate Strategy Review of the college.
Answer
I understand that volume 2 of the Phase 3 report is available on request from the SAC’s Director of CorporateAffairs.
