Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

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-21014

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 31 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what reduction in the proportion of children living in (a) non-working and (b) low-income households in the (i) West Dunbartonshire and (ii) East Dunbartonshire local authority area there has been since 1996.

(a) Data on the number of children living in non-working households is not available for East and West Dunbartonshire prior to 2003. Data for 2003 and 2004 are shown as follows in table 1.

Table 1 – Proportion of Children¹ Living in Non-working Households, 2003-04

Year	West Dunbartonshire	East Dunbartonshire
2003	21.6%	7.7%
2004	23.3%	6.7%

Source: Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey.

Notes:

1. Children here are defined as all dependent children aged under 19.

(b) The information requested is not available.

The official source of low income data for Scotland is the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) dataset available from 1994-95. This is derived from the Family Resources Survey (FRS). The sample size of the FRS in Scotland is relatively small and can only be used to provide information for Scotland as a whole.

The following link provides the latest low income headline figures for Scotland (2003-04), together with data for previous years. This was published on 30 March 2005:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/29170611/06123.

Question reference: S2W-22322

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance would be available to West Dunbartonshire Council and Glasgow City Council to construct the Yoker relief road following a successful appraisal of the project.

The Executive has madeavailable additional funding of £60 million per annum to Scottish localauthorities for improving local roads in 2006-07 and 2007-08 as part of SpendingReview 2004.

The establishment of the newstatutory Regional Transport Partnerships provides an opportunity to considerprojects, such as the Yoker relief road, through the development of theRegional Transport Strategy. This provides a means of prioritising projects andidentifying funding which can be allocated from local and regional resources.The West of Scotland Transport Partnership will receive £14.227 million perannum for the next two years for the development of transport projects in thewest of Scotland.

Question reference: S2W-22323

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have been conducted concerning the economic and social benefits which would accrue to West Dunbartonshire following the construction of the Yoker relief road.

Question reference: S2W-22321

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, following the £400,000 allocated from the Cities Growth Fund to West Dunbartonshire Council to resource the design and environmental appraisal of the Yoker relief road, what the expected timescale is for construction of the road.

Question reference: S2W-22320

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what powers the Scottish Road Works Commissioner will have to ensure that East Dunbartonshire Council expedites any local road maintenance works that are long overdue.

The prioritisation andprogramming of local road maintenance works is the responsibility of EastDunbartonshire Council as the roads authority for the area. It will not be withinthe remit of the Scottish Road Works Commissioner to intervene in such matters.

The commissioner will,however, seek to ensure that all road works are carried out in a well plannedand co-ordinated manner in order to minimise the inconvenience to thetravelling public and local residents and businesses.

Question reference: S2W-22319

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 January 2006
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Road Works Commissioner will be appointed.

Question reference: S2W-21007

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 20 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of working-age people have been unemployed in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area in each year since 1996.

The official source for unemployment is the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition from the Labour Force Survey (LFS).

ILO unemployment rates are not available for all local authorities for all years from 1996.

Table 1 shows the unemployment rates for West Dunbartonshire and East Dunbartonshire for working age people where available.

Table 1: Working Age Unemployment Rates¹ in West Dunbartonshire and East Dunbartonshire

	East Dunbartonshire	West Dunbartonshire
1996	4.2%*	15.2%
1997	4.4%*	12.6%
1998	2.7%*	7.0%*
1999	4.1%*	10.4%*
2000	6.9%*	7.6%*
2001	5.5%*	9.2%*
2002	3.8%*	5.7%*
2003	3.3%	8.3%
2004	3.1%	6.7%

Source: 1996-2002 data – Labour Force Survey annual average.

2003-04 – Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey.

Notes:

1. Rates are calculated as the number of working age people who are unemployed divided by the number of working age economically active people.

2. *Data is above disclosure threshold but is considered statistically unreliable.

Question reference: S2W-21327

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 20 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how many students from low-income backgrounds from the (a) East Dunbartonshire and (b) West Dunbartonshire local authority area have had their university fees waived in each year since 2003.

Since 2000 all Scottish domiciled students attending Scottish universities have had their fees paid. The number of students from low income backgrounds from (a) East Dunbartonshire and (b) West Dunbartonshire who have had their university fees paid over the period in question is detailed in the below table:

Students Receiving Full Fee Support

	(a) East Dunbartonshire	(b) West Dunbartonshire
2002-03	402	281
2003-04	402	280
2004-05	419	310

Source: Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS).

This table only includes those students who have declared any family income.

Low income has been defined as those students who have declared family income that is below the SAAS contribution threshold, which is the level of family income at which the student’s family is expected to start contributing support to the student.

Question reference: S2W-21132

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 25 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 20 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the unemployment rates have been in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area in each year since 1997.

The official source for unemployment is the International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition from the Labour Force Survey (LFS).

Table 1 shows the unemployment rates for West Dunbartonshire and East Dunbartonshire for people aged 16 and over where available.

The following table gives the unemployment rates for West Dunbartonshire and East Dunbartonshire for people aged 16 and over.

	East Dunbartonshire	West Dunbartonshire
1996	4.5%*	14.9%
1997	4.4%*	12.5%
1998	3.1%*	6.8%*
1999	4.0%*	10.7%*
2000	6.8%*	7.4%*
2001	5.4%*	8.9%*
2002	3.7%*	6.0%*
2003	3.3%	8.1%
2004	3.1%	6.8%

Source: 1996-2002 data – Labour Force Survey annual average, 2003-04 – Annual Scottish Labour Force Survey.

Notes:

1. Rates are calculated as the total number of people who are unemployed divided by the total number economically active people

2. *Data is above disclosure threshold but is considered statistically unreliable.

Question reference: S2W-20977

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 19 January 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to increase the proportion of students in (a) higher and (b) further education that are from under-represented and disadvantaged groups and areas in (i) Scotland and (ii) the (1) West Dunbartonshire and (2) East Dunbartonshire local authority area in each year since 1997.

The Scottish Executive is committedto widening access to further and higher education for all who can benefit irrespectiveof their background or current personal circumstances. The Scottish Further andHigher Education Funding Council (SFHEFC) has recently published their Learningfor All report following a root and branch review of widening participation.That report sets out a programme of action to allow the people of Scotland equalopportunity to participate in lifelong learning that matches their hopes, talents,efforts and needs.

TheExecutive’s strategy Lifelong Partners Scotland’s Schools and Colleges Buildingthe Foundations of a Lifelong Learning Society, which was published on 12 May 2005 and debatedin the parliament on that date. It outlineshow we will increase and enhance school and college partnership. College learningfor school pupils can widen pupils’ opportunities for progression, prepare themfor further learning, and ease their transition from school. By demystifying collegewe want to encourage pupils to recognise the value of post-school education andunderstand the lifelong nature of learning.

Inrelation to further education, SFHEFC has in place a range of measures designedto maximise participation including a Social Inclusion Premium to help collegesattract and retain students from the most disadvantaged areas. The premium was introducedin the 2000-01 funding round and is based on the number of students domiciled inthe 20% most deprived postcode areas.

Regarding higher education wehave, in partnership with SFHEFC, identified a new basket of measures to monitorprogress in widening participation and improving retention. The measures were setout in Jim Wallace’s letter, dated 27 May 2005, to the chair of the then ScottishHigher Education Funding Council. Copies have been placed in the Scottish ParliamentInformation Centre (Bib. number 36727). SFHEFC has been asked to deliver a yearon year improvement in the number of students from non-traditional backgrounds enteringhigher education as outlined in the basket of measures. These measures have nowbeen subsumed within the measures identified in the Learning for All report.

In addition to the national focusthere are local initiatives working with schools to raise awareness of the benefitsof post-school education and training. The GOALS project (Greater Opportunity ofAccess and Learning with Schools) works with some secondary schools in both Eastand West Dunbartonshire. The Aim Higher roadshow also visits schools with lowrates of entry to further and higher education to raise awareness amongst S2 andS3 pupils of post school education and training but with agreement does not visitthose schools involved in the GOALS programme. Accordingly the roadshow will bevisiting only one school in West Dunbartonshire, Clydebank High.