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-20965

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 29 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many families in the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area have benefited from Sure Start Scotland; in what ways they have benefited, and how much of that organisation's funding was allocated to projects in the areas.

Data on the number of individual beneficiaries of the Sure Start Scotland programme, by local authority, is not held centrally.

Since the programme began in 1999, West Dunbartonshire has received £4.016 million and East Dunbartonshire has received £2.254 million.

Sure Start Scotland resources are used to help fund a range of services which provide an integrated package of support for children and their families. These include education and childcare centres, mobile outreach projects and parenting support classes.

Question reference: S2W-20958

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 29 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to increase the quality and variety of homes in disadvantaged areas of the West Dunbartonshire local authority area since 1997; how many homes have been built or improved as a consequence, and where these are located.

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

Communities Scotland (and its predecessor, Scottish Homes) has worked strenuously to increase the quality and variety of houses in disadvantaged areas of West Dunbartonshire. In particular:

Since 1997 (and before) investment has been targeted almost solely on areas of deprivation in West Dunbartonshire, especially in the seven former social inclusion partnership priority areas, which now correspond to the community planning areas for priority investment.

Communities Scotland has worked in close partnership with West Dunbartonshire Council, local registered social landlords (RSL) and communities to identify local housing need, together with the type and tenure of housing appropriate to local areas. This has involved the development of comprehensive area based housing strategies including the restructuring of estates and removal of unpopular/low demand housing.

Together with the above Communities Scotland is ensuring through its appraisal procedures an increase in housing quality through the use of sustainable materials, increased energy efficiency and the provision of housing for varying needs.

Since 1997 (the nine year period from 1996-97 to 2004-05) 1,466 houses have been provided comprising 846 units for social rent general needs, 291 units for social rent special needs, 329 for low cost home ownership (71 units shared ownership and 258 units GRO grant funded). Total investment over this period was £61,365,000.

The location of the houses provided as follows:

Clydebank/Faifley	645
Bellsmyre/Dumbarton	73
Haldane/New Bonhill	249
Renton/Alexandria	499

In addition, for 2005-06 approvals have been given for another 142 affordable houses and a further £9,601,000 investment.

Question reference: S2W-20870

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding allocations have been made to the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank in each year since it has been under NHS control.

The funding allocations made each year to The Golden Jubilee Hospital, since it was purchased for the NHS in June 2002 are as shown in the following table.

Year	Revenue Resource Limit (£000)	Capital Resource Limit (£000)
2005-06 Year to Date	37,966	3,790
2004-05*	33,341	3,870
2003-04*	28,400	3,059
2002-03* (June 02 onwards)	17,100	2,000

Note: *Information obtained from Annual Accounts.

Question reference: S2W-20871

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to eliminate hospital-acquired infections.

The Ministerial Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Task Force is nearing completion of a three-year programme of work to improve prevention and control of HAI. The task force has developed a raft of tools, including a national Code of Practice for the Local Management of Hygiene and HAI, a range of professional guidance, public information, and multidisciplinary education and training programmes.

We recently announced that the task force will lead a new programme of work (underpinned by the £15 million Clean Hospitals funding). This will focus on implementation of, and monitoring compliance with, HAI Task Force recommendations and Scottish Executive requirements to ensure that best practice on infection prevention and control is firmly embedded into working practices throughout NHSScotland.

For example, I recently launched a monitoring tool that will measure compliance within NHS boards with the NHSScotland National Cleaning Services Specification. The Health Department will receive quarterly reports on compliance.

Question reference: S2W-20853

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 28 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what targets have been set for reduction of waste to landfill and what actions are being taken to meet these targets.

The EU Landfill Directive sets targets for the UK to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste (BMW) going to landfill to:

75% of 1995 levels by 2010

50% of 1995 levels by 2013

35% of 1995 levels by 2020.

The National Waste Plan 2003 set an interim target to reduce landfill of biodegradable municipal waste to 1.5 million tonnes by 2006.

The Landfill Allowance Scheme sets limits for individual authorities to meet these targets, by limiting their landfill of biodegradable municipal waste to their holding of landfill allowances. A total of 1.5 million tonnes of allowances has been issued for the 2006-07 scheme year. The total tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste which will be allowed to be landfilled in Directive target years are:

1.32 million tonnes in 2009-10

0.88 million tonnes in 2012-13

0.62 million tonnes in 2019-20.

In order to meet these targets local authorities have been awarded over £329 million to 2007-08 through the Strategic Waste Fund to implement recycling and composting schemes. Indicative awards totalling nearly £1 billion to 2020 have also been made. Further bids to the fund are requested from all local authorities by the end of January 2006 showing how they propose to divert waste from landfill.

Question reference: S2W-20839

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 18 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 25 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many modern apprenticeships have been taken up by residents of the (a) West Dunbartonshire and (b) East Dunbartonshire local authority area in each year since 1999.

The number of modern apprentices (MAs) broken down by local authority area and by year is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. This information is not held centrally.

However, Scottish Enterprise have published MA figures which include the parliamentary constituency of Dumbarton and also Dunbartonshire local enterprise company area. These are now in the public domain and can be found on their website:

www.scottish-enterprise.com/sedotcom_home/training-providers-top/training-providers/performance-and-reports.htm?siblingtoggle=1.

Question reference: S2W-20579

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 17 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what its latest calculations are of the annual cost to businesses of congestion on the Kingston Bridge and in the Clyde Tunnel.

Question reference: S2W-20576

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 17 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address vehicle exhaust fume-related air pollution in Glasgow city centre and around the Clyde Tunnel.

Regulations have been in place since April 2003 enabling local authorities to undertake roadside exhaust emissions testing and to issue fixed penalty notices where prescribed standards are not met. The regulations also allow fixed penalties to be issued to drivers who allow their vehicle engines to run unnecessarily while parked.

Glasgow City Council is one of the authorities making use of these powers.

Question reference: S2W-20578

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 17 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-5889 by Nicol Stephen on 12 February 2004, which of the companies listed are subject to current contracts for the provision of services in relation to the Erskine Bridge.

Question reference: S2W-20573

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 17 November 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what the most recent calculation is of the surplus of tolls collected above the cost of maintaining the Erskine Bridge since the commencement of tolling.