- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 7 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make a statement on the current plans for the Abbotsholm Business Park.
Answer
This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I will ask the Chairman of that organisation to write to Mr Gibson.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 7 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive why the number of new business start ups in Scotland dropped to their lowest level in five years in the third quarter of 1999 and what plans it has to reverse this decline.
Answer
The level of new business start-ups in Scotland is determined by a range of factors, including the overall state of the Scottish and UK economies. The quarterly GDP statistics indicate that the Scottish economy experienced a modest slowdown in the rates of GDP growth over the first half of 1999, along with UK and other European economies. However, the most recent economic indicators are favourable and the latest forecasts suggest that growth in Scotland will accelerate from 2000 in line with the UK.We also have a number of specific initiatives in hand to increase the number of start-up businesses assisted by the enterprise network, and to improve the quality and consistency of advice and support for small businesses across Scotland. We will announce details of these improvements shortly.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 7 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for nursing home placements in each local authority for which figures are available and what plans it has for reducing waiting times.
Answer
The information requested is not available on a consistent basis. We are taking a range of initiatives which should reduce waiting times. Central to these is the drive for local agencies to work together to improve services as envisaged in Modernising Community Care: an Action Plan. Incentive funding to encourage implementation will increase from £5 million this year to £7.5 million in 2000-2001. The Joint Future Group, which I will chair, will aim to strengthen joint working.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 4 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it accepts the figures on local authority revenue spending shortfalls for 2000-01 detailed by CoSLA in convention item 4 approved on 10 December 1999 and, if not, why not.
Answer
The finance consultation document Spending Plans for Scotland invited views on our spending proposals for the next two years. Inevitably the spending plans for local government have to strike a balance between affordability and the requirements of other services for which the Scottish Executive is responsible. However, overall our spending plans provide for the most generous local government settlement for seven years, with spending set to rise by 4.8% this year, 3.7% in 2000-01 and 3.6% in 2001-02, higher than the forecast rate of inflation.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 4 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the local authority funding shortfalls identified by CoSLA "will all require to be absorbed by councils either by further reductions in services, staffing levels or, alternatively, increases in council tax", as stated by CoSLA in convention item 4 on 10 December 1999, and, if not, why not.
Answer
Local government spending is set to rise to £6,746 million, an increase of 3.7% over the comparable figure this year and higher than the forecast increase in the RPI. It is a matter for the local authorities themselves to determine their expenditure priorities and set their budgets and council tax levels accordingly.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 4 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for introducing Health Action Zones.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no such plans. The broad strategy for improving health in Scotland was set out in the White Paper Towards a Healthier Scotland, the principles of which were endorsed by the Scottish Parliament last September.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 4 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulance paramedics were trained in each of 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99.
Answer
The information requested is as follows:
| 1996-97 | 88 |
| 1997-98 | 103 |
| 1998-99 | 80 |
In determining its future training requirements the Scottish Ambulance Service continues to have regard to its objective of having a paramedic on every front-line accident and emergency ambulance.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 3 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to provide financial support for the Scottish School of Herbal Medicine in order for it to provide adequate premises and staff remuneration.
Answer
All aspects of training for complementary therapies such as herbal medicine, including the provision of premises and the remuneration of trainers and support staff, are matters for the professional bodies concerned and are generally expected to be self-financing from the fees paid by trainees. The Executive would not be likely to undertake direct sponsorship of a particular therapy.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 2 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many three-apartment local authority flats could have had full central heating installed if money spent on stock transfer feasibility studies in financial years 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000 was spent on such installations instead.
Answer
The cost of installing full central heating in three-apartment local authority flats would be determined by a number of factors including floor space, type of central heating to be installed and the extent to which full or partial central heating already exists in the stock. This information is not held centrally and so no estimate can be made.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 1 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to detach the revenue element of police and fire brigade funding from operational funding.
Answer
None.
