- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any conflict of interest exists where a local authority uses its own operatives to carry out repairs on owner-occupied property which it factors, rather than seek quotes on behalf of owners, given the factor's responsibility to act in the owner's best interest.
Answer
I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-12520.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any conflict of interest exists where a local authority is factor of property in an area where there is a mixture of tenanted and owner-occupied property.
Answer
Where a tenant has exercised his or her right to buy their council property, they should be allowed the full enjoyment and use of the house as owner. However, if ownership of the building is shared between the local authority and RTB owners, specific conditions may be put in place to cover arrangements for carrying out factoring services and repair and maintenance work. In general terms, such conditions may be required to ensure that all parties will pay their share of the costs towards any communal work carried out. The precise conditions of sale are a matter for agreement between the landlord and purchaser and it is for each party to satisfy themselves, in consultation with their legal advisors prior to completing the transaction, that all terms are reasonable. Any dispute over the conditions would normally be resolved by the Lands Tribunal for Scotland.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the economic and social consequences will be of delaying the construction of the M74 Northern Extension until the completion of a public inquiry and what the cost of the inquiry will be.
Answer
If a public inquiry is necessary then that is part of the statutory process and is not a delay. It is not possible to estimate the cost of an inquiry until the scope of any objections to the scheme are known.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities currently require tenants who are exercising their right to buy to take out a particular building insurance policy as a condition of buying their home and which of these authorities receive commissions from the insurance premiums generated.
Answer
Conditions attached to right to buy sales relating to insurance policies are a matter for local authorities and prospective purchasers to agree. Information on these matters is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its intention to end the "postcode lottery of care" as described by the Minister for Health and Community Care on 14 December 2000 (Official Report, col.1039) will result in services being equally available in all health board areas and, if so, when this will be achieved.
Answer
Our National Health: a plan for action; a plan for change, published on 14 December, sets out fully the range of measures which will be taken to develop and achieve strong national and clinical standards across NHSScotland.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce the number of student nurses who drop out of training colleges due to a perceived poor quality of clinical placements offered.
Answer
We have continually urged universities and NHS Trusts to work together to minimise the drop-out rate of student nurses and midwives, by addressing a range of issues including:
the preparation of the clinical mentors who support students during placements;
the timing, nature and support provided for students' early experiences of clinical placements;
course design to facilitate student progression through successive academic challenges and clinical experiences;
availability of student support services for nursing students.The discontinuation rate can most accurately be measured retrospectively, after each cohort has completed its programme of study. Figures calculated on this basis by the National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for Scotland, give evidence of an improvement over recent years.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the event of any large-scale stock transfers, local authority housing rent arrears which exist at the time of the transfer will remain the responsibility of local authorities or transfer to the relevant housing association.
Answer
The arrangements for dealing with rent arrears will be a matter for negotiation between the relevant council and acquiring landlord, and will be set out in the contract of sale.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to provide schoolchildren with greater opportunities to participate in creative activities outwith school hours.
Answer
The Scottish Executive supports and encourages such opportunities.
Scotland's National Cultural Strategy, published in August 2000, promotes creativity in the arts and other cultural activity, especially by children and young people. A key priority is to recognise and celebrate schools as centres of creativity.
The Executive is providing £27 million to 2002 under the Excellence Fund Core Programme for study support, some of which will have a creative element.The New Opportunities Fund has made available over £23 million for out of school hours learning activity and over £25 million for out of school care. The learning activity includes creative ventures in the arts to help raise the self-esteem and confidence of pupils. Many out of school clubs provide good opportunities for participation in creative activities.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to establish any new non-departmental public bodies in 2001 and, if so, to specify these.
Answer
As part of our drive to modernise government structures, the Executive is carrying out a radical review of all Scottish Public Bodies. We will consider what role public bodies should play in the devolved Scotland and how they should operate and be accountable to Ministers and Parliament. We will be considering the scope for reduction in the number of public bodies through abolition and merger, and the circumstances in which new ones should be created.I shall make a statement on the way ahead following the review around the end of May.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the rate of inflation will be in 2003-04.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not forecast inflation. For reference, the latest HM Treasury forecast for inflation, covering the period to 2003, was published in Building Long-Term Prosperity for All: Pre-Budget Report (November 2000).
