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-20952

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 5 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to improve crime clear-up rates in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area.

Since 1999, the Scottish Executive has provided record resources to Strathclyde Police. The utilisation of these resources in the fight against crime is for the Chief Constable to decide.

Information on the most recent clear up rates for the numbers of crimes recorded by the police at local authority level is published in table 6 of the statistical bulletin Recorded Crime in Scotland, 2004-05, copies of which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 37835).

Question reference: S2W-20973

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 5 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the annual (a) regeneration and (b) community planning partnership budget was originally allocated to the (i) West Dunbartonshire and (ii) East Dunbartonshire local authority area in each year since 1997 and what actual sum was given in each case.

Table 1a below show the regeneration budget allocated to West Dunbartonshire through the Executive’s core community regeneration programmes for the period 1997-98 to 2004-05.

Table 1a: West Dunbartonshire Regeneration Budget Programme

Year	Social Inclusion Partnership* (SIP)		Better Neighbourhood Services Fund (BNSF)
	Allocation (£)	Sum Given (£)	Allocation (£)	Sum Given (£)
1997-98**	2,209,000	na	-	-
1998-99**	2,587,000	na	-	-
1999-2000	2,193,000	2,186,700	-	-
2000-01	2,087,000	2,086,373	-	-
2001-02	2,365,500	2,283,571	2,000,000	2,000,000
2002-03	2,514,896	2,514,896	3,000,000	3,000,000
2003-04	2,515,937	2,515,937	4,000,000	4,000,000
2004-05	2,753,937	2,753,937	3,000,000	3,000,000

Notes:

*Figures for SIP include funds allocated through the Community Empowerment Fund and End Year Flexibility.

**Relates to Programme for Partnership allocation.

West Dunbartonshire has been allocated £4,956,000 through the Community Regeneration Fund (CRF) and £60,000 through the Community Voices programme in 2005-06. These programmes combine and replace the previous SIP and BNSF programmes.

East Dunbartonshire did not receive SIP or BNSF funding. It has been allocated £271,000 through the Community Regeneration Fund (CRF) and £30,000 through the Community Voices programme in 2005-06.

The only funding specifically earmarked for community planning was allocated in 2002-03 and 2003-04 to support capacity-building around the passage of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003. Both West Dunbartonshire and East Dunbartonshire received £20,000 each in 2002-03 and £15,000 each in 2003-04.

Question reference: S2W-20969

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 5 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to the Rough Sleepers Initiative in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area since the inception of the initiative; where in these areas the money has been spent, and how successful the initiative has been.

Between 1997 and 2002, local authorities received funding from the Rough Sleepers Initiative (RSI) on the basis of bids made to the Executive setting out the need for such funding in their area.

RSI Funding to East and West Dunbartonshire 1997-98 to 2005-06¹

Year	East Dunbartonshire	West Dunbartonshire
1997-98	£0	£0
1998-99	£11,200
1999-2000	£34,300
2000-01	£46,000	£86,010¹
2001-02	£29,675	£104,347
2002-03	£30,000	£102,000
2003-04	£30,000	£102,000
2004-05	£31,000	£106,000
2005-06	£32,000	£110,000

Note: 1. Partnership bid with Argyll and Bute Council.

Local authorities’ activities funded as a result of RSI have now become integrated with local authorities’ wider homelessness strategies and since 2004-05 these activities have been included within their local outcome agreements, which set out on an annual basis how they are implementing these strategies.

Within these reporting arrangements, it is for local authorities to decide how and where to spend RSI funding, according to local priorities and pressures. The Executive does not hold information regarding the geographical areas in which funding is spent.

The final evaluation of the RSI was published in March 2005 (which can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/20886/54982) and concluded that this initiative had achieved significant progress and produced tangible reductions in the need to sleep rough across the country. The evaluation concluded that the RSI enhanced services in cities and often created specific services for the first time in rural and smaller urban areas, and referred positively to services provided in East Dunbartonshire.

Question reference: S2W-20971

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 5 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to make available more affordable housing in the west of Scotland, in particular in the Bearsden and Milngavie area.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

The Executive is making £1.2 billion available over the next three years to meet the need for affordable housing in Scotland. The affordable housing programme is being increased from 18,000 to 21,500 homes; the low cost home ownership programme (including the new Homestake programme) is being expanded, and Communities Scotland is working with local authorities to implement the Community Ownership Programme, which will increase substantially the quality and choice of affordable housing throughout Scotland, particularly in the west. Allocation of investment funding for affordable housing is guided by local authorities’ Local Housing Strategies, which are based on an assessment of local housing market areas.

Provision of affordable housing in East Dunbartonshire is being addressed by:

an increase in investment in affordable housing via Housing Association Grant and NHP (New Housing Partnership) funding. This will result in the approval of 111 new units within the current financial year.

the adoption by the Council of its Affordable Housing Policy, requiring developers of housing to allocate a percentage of their development for affordable units. Up to 922 units could be secured through the implementation of the AHP.

the council’s New Housing Development programme, which aims to deliver over 120 new homes for rent and low cost home ownership.

In addition, the council is considering applying for Pressured Area Status designation in 2006, to reduce the impact of the Right to Buy on their stock.

Question reference: S2W-20970

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 5 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what projects have been funded by the New Futures Fund in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area and how much has been allocated to each project since the inception of the fund.

Scottish Enterprise (SEn), which manages New Futures Fund, has provided funding for the following projects since its inception in 1998;

In East Dunbartonshire Lowmoss Prison Offenders project £55,000, East Dunbartonshire Council Multi Agency Drug and Alcohol Forum £129,118.

In West Dumbarton; Dumbarton Area Drug Initiative - Alternatives £74,118, NCH Action for Children Scotland - Homeless project £96,300 and West Dumbarton partnership project £536,987.

Question reference: S2W-20951

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 5 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken since 1997 to reduce the fear of crime among older people in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area.

Question reference: S2W-20980

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 5 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage change there has been in recorded crime levels committed against older people in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area in each year since 1996.

Question reference: S2W-20978

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 5 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what increases in the proportion of children who attain the appropriate levels in reading, writing and maths by the end of primary 2 and primary 7 there have been in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area since 1996.

This information is only available from 1998-99 and is contained in the Scottish Executive’s annual Statistics Publication Notice 5-14 Attainment in Publicly Funded Schools. Copies can be obtained from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre using the Bib. numbers supplied.

Title	Bib. Number
5-14 Attainment in Publicly Funded Schools 2003-04 (by June 2004)	34652
5-14 Attainment in Publicly Funded Schools 2002-03 (by June 2003)	30289
5-14 Attainment in Publicly Funded Schools 2001-02 (by June 2002)	25569
5-14 Attainment in Publicly Funded Schools 2000-01 (by June 2001)	18788
5-14 Attainment in Publicly Funded Schools 1998-99 (by June 1999) and 1999-2000 (by June 2000)	25343

Question reference: S2W-20979

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 5 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are expected to benefit from the concessionary travel scheme for elderly and disabled people in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area.

Question reference: S2W-21013

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 5 December 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to reduce the number of households and, in particular, households with children living in temporary accommodation in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area since 1997.

The Scottish Executive has legislated to end the routine use of unsuitable temporary accommodation for households with children through the Homeless Persons (Unsuitable Accommodation) (Scotland) Order (S.I. 2004/489) which came into force in December 2004. The legal requirement on local authorities is to use temporary accommodation which meets the standards of suitable accommodation as set out in the order.

Local authorities use different types of housing in order to provide temporary accommodation; such as furnished and unfurnished flats, hostels and bread and breakfasts, and they have set out in their homelessness strategies how they plan to reduce the use of b and b accommodation.

The Code of Guidance on Homelessness, which local authorities must have regard of, says that temporary accommodation should not be used unnecessarily and residents of temporary accommodation should be moved onto permanent accommodation as quickly as possible, whilst also ensuring that this is only done at a time when the household is able to sustain permanent accommodation.