Chamber and committees

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Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-27653

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 August 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 21 August 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many conferences have been addressed by Scottish ministers each year since 1999, broken down by (a) minister and (b) company which organised the conference.

Question reference: S2W-27315

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 July 2006
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 8 August 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to monitor the safety implications of the proposals to protect Aberdeen’s sea beach for users of the beach.

Question reference: S2W-27314

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 July 2006
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 8 August 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has discussed with Aberdeen City Council the safety implications of the plans to protect Aberdeen’s sea beach for users of the beach.

Question reference: S2W-27316

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 July 2006
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 8 August 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any safety implications of the proposals to protect Aberdeen’s sea beach for users of the beach, in particular in respect of the deployment of rock armour.

The scheme will address amajor concern for public safety. It will avoid further erosion of the beachthis winter which could have led to a collapse of the seawall and aconsequential risk to public safety. It is for Aberdeen City Council to takesteps to ensure the safety of users of the beach. I understand the Council has closedthe affected section of the beach to the public for the construction period andwill erect suitable notices on the beach warning of the presence of submergedrock groynes.

Question reference: S2W-27313

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 July 2006
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 8 August 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations about the safety implications of the plans to protect Aberdeen’s sea beach.

Question reference: S2W-27386

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 July 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 7 August 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many houses in each local authority area have cavity wall insulation.

The most reliable estimates of the number of houses in each local authority with cavity wall insulation are takenfrom the Scottish House Condition Survey 2002. The estimates are providedin the following table. Due to the small numbers of houses surveyed in some authorities,complete information is not available for all local authorities

Number and Percentage ofHouses in each Local Authority with Cavity Wall Insulation

			95% Confidence Interval			95% Confidence Interval
Aberdeen City	10,000	†	7,000	12,000	21	16	26
Aberdeenshire		*			6	4	8
Angus	5,000	†	4,000	6,000	14	11	19
Argyll and Bute	3,000	†	2,000	4,000	12	9	16
Borders	4,000	†	3,000	5,000	13	10	17
Clackmannan	4,000	†	4,000	5,000	29	24	34
Dumfries and Galloway	6,000	†	5,000	8,000	12	9	15
Dundee City	8,000	†	6,000	10,000	30	24	37
East Ayrshire	7,000	†	5,000	8,000	18	14	22
East Dunbartonshire		*			6	4	9
East Lothian		*			8	6	12
East Renfrewshire		*			5	3	8
Edinburgh City	8,000	†	6,000	10,000	11	8	14
Falkirk	7,000	†	5,000	9,000	16	12	21
Fife	20,000	†	16,000	23,000	19	15	22
Glasgow City		*			7	5	10
Highland	6,000	†	4,000	8,000	7	5	10
Inverclyde	3,000	†	2,000	3,000	14	10	20
Midlothian	5,000	†	4,000	6,000	20	16	24
Moray	3,000	†	3,000	4,000	11	8	14
North Ayrshire	9,000	†	7,000	10,000	20	16	24
North Lanarkshire	19,000	†	16,000	22,000	22	18	26
Orkney		*			5	3	7
PerthshireandKinross	5,000	†	4,000	7,000	13	10	17
Renfrewshire		*			4	2	7
Shetland		*			4	2	6
South Ayrshire	6,000	†	5,000	8,000	17	13	21
South Lanarkshire	13,000	†	10,000	16,000	14	12	18
Stirling	4,000	†	3,000	5,000	13	10	18
West Dunbartonshire		*			9	6	14
West Lothian	12,000	†	10,000	14,000	24	20	29
Western Isles		*			3	2	5
Scotland	187,000		177,000	196,000	14	13	14

Source: ScottishHouse Condition Survey 2002.

Notes:

*Too few cases(fewer than 30) to provide a statistically reliable estimate of the number of houses

†Estimates of the number of houses are based on small numbers in the sample (between 30 and 100),so treat with caution.

Question reference: S2W-27385

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 July 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 7 August 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many houses in each local authority area are of (a) cavity wall, (b) solid wall and (c) timber frame construction.

The most reliable estimates of the number of houses in each local authority area of (a) cavity wall, (b) solidwall and (c) timber frame construction are taken from the Scottish House ConditionSurvey 2002. The estimates are provided in the following tables.

Table (a)

Number and Percentage ofHouses in Each Local Authority with Cavity Walls

		95% Confidence Interval			95% Confidence Interval
	Estimate	Lower	Upper	%	Lower	Upper
Aberdeen City	37,000	35,000	40,000	78	73	83
Aberdeenshire	50,000	47,000	54,000	64	60	69
Angus	27,000	25,000	29,000	77	71	81
Argyll and Bute	19,000	17,000	21,000	72	66	77
Borders	19,000	18,000	21,000	64	58	69
Clackmannan	12,000	12,000	13,000	82	78	86
Dumfries and Galloway	36,000	34,000	39,000	67	62	72
Dundee City	23,000	21,000	25,000	84	77	89
East Ayrshire	32,000	30,000	34,000	84	79	88
East Dunbartonshire	31,000	30,000	32,000	91	88	94
East Lothian	23,000	22,000	24,000	81	77	85
East Renfrewshire	25,000	24,000	26,000	90	86	93
Edinburgh City	63,000	60,000	65,000	85	81	88
Falkirk	39,000	37,000	41,000	90	86	93
Fife	88,000	84,000	92,000	83	79	87
Glasgow City	59,000	56,000	62,000	82	77	85
Highland	53,000	49,000	56,000	67	62	71
Inverclyde	15,000	14,000	16,000	86	81	90
Midlothian	23,000	22,000	24,000	87	83	90
Moray	20,000	18,000	22,000	63	57	68
North Ayrshire	39,000	38,000	41,000	90	86	93
North Lanarkshire	79,000	76,000	81,000	91	88	93
Orkney	5,000	4,000	5,000	56	51	61
Perthshire and Kinross	30,000	27,000	32,000	68	63	73
Renfrewshire	38,000	36,000	40,000	87	82	91
Shetland	6,000	6,000	7,000	73	69	77
South Ayrshire	31,000	29,000	32,000	81	76	85
South Lanarkshire	78,000	75,000	81,000	86	82	89
Stirling	19,000	18,000	21,000	71	65	76
West Dunbartonshire	17,000	15,000	18,000	78	72	83
West Lothian	45,000	43,000	47,000	92	89	95
Western Isles	8,000	7,000	8,000	68	63	72
Scotland	1,090,000	1,078,000	1,102,000	80	79	81

Source: Scottish House ConditionSurvey 2002.

Table (b)

Number and Percentageof Houses in Each Local Authority with Solid Walls

			95% Confidence Interval			95% Confidence Interval
	Estimate		Lower	Upper	%	Lower	Upper
Aberdeen City	10,000	†	7,000	12,000	21	16	26
Aberdeenshire	27,000		23,000	31,000	35	30	40
Angus	8,000	†	6,000	10,000	23	19	29
Argyll and Bute	7,000	†	6,000	9,000	28	23	34
Borders	10,000	†	8,000	12,000	33	28	39
Clackmannan	3,000	†	2,000	3,000	17	14	22
Dumfries and Galloway	17,000		15,000	20,000	32	27	37
Dundee City		*			14	9	21
East Ayrshire	6,000	†	4,000	7,000	15	11	20
East Dunbartonshire		*			9	6	12
East Lothian	5,000	†	4,000	6,000	18	14	23
East Renfrewshire	3,000	†	2,000	4,000	10	7	14
Edinburgh City	11,000	†	8,000	13,000	14	11	18
Falkirk		*			10	7	14
Fife	18,000	†	14,000	21,000	17	13	21
Glasgow City	10,000	†	7,000	12,000	14	11	18
Highland	25,000		21,000	29,000	32	27	37
Inverclyde		*			12	8	17
Midlothian	3,000	†	2,000	4,000	13	10	17
Moray	12,000		10,000	14,000	37	32	43
North Ayrshire		*			9	7	13
North Lanarkshire		*			7	5	9
Orkney	4,000		3,000	4,000	43	39	48
Perthshire and Kinross	13,000	†	11,000	16,000	31	26	36
Renfrewshire		*			13	9	18
Shetland	2,000	†	2,000	3,000	25	21	29
South Ayrshire	7,000	†	5,000	9,000	18	14	23
South Lanarkshire	12,000	†	9,000	14,000	13	10	16
Stirling	8,000	†	6,000	9,000	29	24	34
West Dunbartonshire	4,000	†	3,000	5,000	20	15	26
West Lothian		*			7	5	11
Western Isles	4,000		3,000	4,000	32	27	37
Scotland	260,000		249,000	272,000	19	18	20

Source: ScottishHouse Condition Survey 2002.

Notes:

*Too few cases(fewer than 30) to provide a statistically reliable estimate of the number of houses

†Estimates of the number of houses are based on small numbers in the sample (between 30 and 100),so treat with caution

Table (c)

Number and Percentageof Houses in Each Local Authority of Timber Frame Construction

			95% Confidence Interval			95% Confidence Interval
	Estimate		Lower	Upper	%	Lower	Upper
Aberdeen City		*			3	2	7
Aberdeenshire		*			5	3	8
Angus		*			6	4	10
Argyll and Bute	3,000	†	2,000	5,000	13	9	18
Borders		*			5	3	8
Clackmannan		*			3	1	6
Dumfries and Galloway		*			4	2	6
Dundee City		*			2	1	5
East Ayrshire		*			2	1	5
East Dunbartonshire		*			7	5	10
East Lothian		*			4	2	7
East Renfrewshire		*			4	2	7
Edinburgh City		*			3	1	5
Falkirk		*			8	5	12
Fife		*			8	5	11
Glasgow City		*			8	6	12
Highland	13,000	†	10,000	16,000	17	13	21
Inverclyde		*			5	3	10
Midlothian		*			4	2	8
Moray	3,000	†	2,000	4,000	10	7	14
North Ayrshire		*			3	2	6
North Lanarkshire		*			7	5	10
Orkney	1,000	†	1,000	1,000	11	8	14
Perthshire and Kinross	6,000	†	4,000	8,000	13	10	18
Renfrewshire		*			5	3	9
Shetland	2,000	†	1,000	2,000	18	15	23
South Ayrshire		*			3	2	6
South Lanarkshire		*			5	3	7
Stirling		*			9	6	13
West Dunbartonshire	3,000	†	2,000	5,000	16	11	22
West Lothian		*			10	7	14
Western Isles	1,000	†	1,000	2,000	11	8	15
Scotland	94,000		86,000	102,000	7	6	8

Source: ScottishHouse Condition Survey 2002.

Notes:

*Too few cases(fewer than 30) to provide a statistically reliable estimate of the number of houses

†Estimates of the number of houses are based on small numbers in the sample (between 30 and 100),so treat with caution

Table (d)

Number of Housesin Each Local Authority Area

		95% Confidence Interval
	Estimate	Lower	Upper
Aberdeen City	47,000	46,000	48,000
Aberdeenshire	78,000	77,000	80,000
Angus	35,000	34,000	36,000
Argyll and Bute	26,000	25,000	27,000
Borders	31,000	30,000	31,000
Clackmannan	15,000	15,000	16,000
Dumfries and Galloway	55,000	53,000	56,000
Dundee City	28,000	27,000	29,000
East Ayrshire	38,000	37,000	39,000
East Dunbartonshire	34,000	34,000	35,000
East Lothian	28,000	28,000	29,000
East Renfrewshire	28,000	27,000	28,000
Edinburgh City	73,000	72,000	75,000
Falkirk	44,000	42,000	45,000
Fife	106,000	105,000	107,000
Glasgow City	72,000	70,000	73,000
Highland	79,000	78,000	80,000
Inverclyde	18,000	17,000	18,000
Midlothian	26,000	25,000	27,000
Moray	32,000	31,000	33,000
North Ayrshire	44,000	43,000	45,000
North Lanarkshire	87,000	85,000	88,000
Orkney	9,000	8,000	9,000
Perthshire and Kinross	43,000	42,000	44,000
Renfrewshire	44,000	43,000	45,000
Shetland	9,000	9,000	9,000
South Ayrshire	38,000	37,000	38,000
South Lanarkshire	91,000	90,000	92,000
Stirling	27,000	26,000	28,000
West Dunbartonshire	21,000	21,000	22,000
West Lothian	49,000	48,000	50,000
Western Isles	11,000	11,000	11,000
Scotland	1,366,000	1,361,000	1,371,000

Source: ScottishHouse Condition Survey 2002.

Question reference: S2W-27388

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 July 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 3 August 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered extending the Warm Deal scheme to offset rising fuel costs.

Question reference: S2W-27387

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 14 July 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 3 August 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the insulation of walls in domestic properties.

The Executive’s Central HeatingProgramme allows a package of central heating and insulation measures includingcavity wall insulation for householders over 60 without central heating or witha system broken beyond repair. In addition, the Warm Deal provides a grant of upto £500 for insulation measures including cavity wall insulation to householderson a range of passport benefits. A smaller grant is available to pensioner householdsnot on benefit.

The Scottish Housing QualityStandard, introduced in February 2004, also contains provision for wall insulationwhere technically feasible as part of the intention to increase the energy efficiencyof Scotland’s housing stock. All social landlords are expected tomeet this standard between now and 2015.

Question reference: S2W-27376

Asked by: Brian Adam, MSP for Aberdeen North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 July 2006
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 2 August 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the shareholdings and value of NHS endowment funds invested in companies which trade in (a) tobacco, (b) alcohol and (c) arms, broken down by NHS board.