- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been made available for new rented and affordable housing in the last three years in the Clydebank and Milngavie parliamentary constituency.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:
The information requestedis given in the following table:
| Area | 2004-05 (£ Million) | 2005-06 (£ Million) | 2006-07 (£ Million) | Total |
| Clydebank | 3.882 | 0.646 | 0.129 | 4.595 |
| Milngavie | 0.045 | 0.000 | 0.169 | 0.214 |
| Total | 3.927 | 0.646 | 0.298 | 4.809 |
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional resources have been made available for investment in housing in Dundee and West Dunbartonshire to reflect their status as the second and third most deprived areas of Scotland.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:
Communities Scotland works closely with local authorities to develop a programmeof housing investment to meet local priorities as identified through the Local HousingStrategy (LHS) process. This will be further strengthened as councils develop theirStrategic Housing Investment Plan in partnership with local stakeholders.
Historic and currenthousing investment in Dundee and West Dunbartonshire through the Affordable Housing Investment Programme isshown in the table below:
| Area | 2004-05 (£ Million) | 2005-06 (£ Million) | 2006-07 (£ Million) | 2007- 08 (target) (£ Million) |
| Dundee | 9.770 | 10.559 | 11.833 | 10.000 |
| West Dunbartonshire | 9.008 | 6.950 | 8.751 | 10.350 |
Further resourceshave been made available to help these local authorities through the Vacant andDerelict Land Fund to be made available over 2006-07 and 2007-08. This amounts to£4 million in Dundee (following a previous £4 million allocationin 2005-06) and £2 million in West Dunbartonshire.
Housing Estate RegenerationFund monies totalling £3.4 million have also been approved for the period 2005-06to 2007-08 to assist Dundee City Council bringing forward regeneration prioritieswithin the city. The council will use this funding to support the demolition andremoval of surplus unwanted housing within priority areas of Dundee.
Funding of £2.084million in Dundee and £0.891 million in West Dunbartonshire has been made available through Private Sector HousingGrant in 2007-08 to support improvements in private sector housing. This will supportministerial targets along with those priorities identified through the LHS.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive why a monopoly ferry service provider is acceptable on most routes between the Hebrides and the mainland but is not acceptable between Gourock and Dunoon.
Answer
While CalMac Ferriesis the sole operator on a number of west of Scotland ferry routes, that reflects historical developments over many years. the Scottish Executive is not in a position to impose monopoly arrangements on any route,as any operator is free to offer services where it chooses, provided that appropriateregulations on matters such as safety are obeyed.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what commitments were made by the previous administration to Orkney Islands Council and Orkney Ferries Limited regarding revenue and capital support for inter-island ferry services and whether the current administration has had discussions regarding these matters with either body.
Answer
The previous administrationinvited Orkney Islands Council to carry out a Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance(STAG) appraisal relating to their internal transport services given the need thecouncil had identified for significant additional capital and revenue expenditure.No funding commitments were made but it was the intention that the completed STAGwould be considered during the Strategic Spending Review. In terms of discussionsbetween the new administration and the council, Executive officials have maintainedcontact with their counterparts in the council on the progress of the STAG Reportwhich has still to be submitted.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what was meant by the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change when writing in the Banffshire Journal on 25 July 2007 that “indeed the structures are now in place to replace the current unfair council tax with a more just local income tax”.
Answer
The Minister for Transport,Infrastructure and Climate Change was setting out some of the key priorities andactions for the new government, including the abolition of council tax and its replacementwith a fairer local tax based on ability to pay.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will introduce legislation to implement its commitment to a local income tax.
Answer
It is my intentionto introduce legislation to abolish the council tax and replace it with a fairerlocal tax based on ability to pay in the 2008-09 parliamentary session.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 August 2007
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Current Status:
Awaiting answer
To ask the Scottish Executive what standard was being referred to in the commitment that “every new home and office built in Scotland will be of the highest standard” expressed in a 2006 SNP press release, entitled It’s Time for a Greener Scotland, and what practical steps ministers have taken to progress this commitment.
Answer
Awaiting answer
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 August 2007
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Current Status:
Awaiting answer
To ask the Scottish Executive what was meant by a commitment “to benchmark our building standards against the best in Europe” expressed in a 2006 SNP press release, entitled It’s Time for a Greener Scotland, and what practical steps ministers have taken to progress this commitment.
Answer
Awaiting answer
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have been identified as being in danger of not meeting the Scottish Housing Quality Standard by 2015.
Answer
I have askedAngiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Herresponse is as follows:
“Communities Scotland has received Standard Delivery Plans (SDPs) fromalmost all local authorities required to do so, setting out how they willachieve the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. Analysis of these Plans showsthat there are varying degrees of risk attached to the assumptions underpinningeach plan, but that these local authorities believe the risks are manageable.It is for local authorities to manage these risks and to determine how best tofund the investment required to meet the standard. Communities Scotland will continue to provide local authorities withfeedback on the assessment of their plans and progress in meeting the Scottish HousingQuality Standards.
Communities Scotland is working with those local authorities that haveyet to submit SDPs on developing their plans. The authorities are Stirling, Renfrewshire, Highland and Edinburgh (whose tenants voted against stocktransfer) and West Dumbartonshire, where anapplication to pursue stock transfer was rejected by the previousadministration in December 2006.
- Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 9 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to assist local authorities that have been identified as being in danger of not meeting the Scottish Housing Quality Standard by 2015.
Answer
I have askedAngiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Herresponse is as follows:
I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-2534 on 9 August 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
