- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to reform the system of payment for returning officers in local government, Scottish Parliament and general elections.
Answer
Local Authorities are responsible for returning officers' payments at local elections and we have no plans to change this.Matters relating to Parliamentary elections, including those to this Parliament, are reserved.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 7 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that 1998-99 audits of local authorities are completed to an acceptable standard and submitted by the due date of 30 June 2000.
Answer
The 30 June is the statutory deadline for the submission of unaudited accounts for the financial year 1999-2000. There is no statutory deadline for the completion of audits. The standard and completion of audits of local authority accounts is a matter for the Controller of Audit and we support his efforts to improve performance in this area.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 7 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive which Scottish local authorities have yet to comply with the Code of Practice on Following the Public Pound.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not hold this information because monitoring compliance with the Code of Guidance on Funding External Bodies and Following the Public Pound is the responsibility of councils' external auditors appointed by the Accounts Commission for Scotland.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 5 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to S1W-950 by Mr Jim Wallace on 14 September 1999, when was the last time it discussed with Her Majesty's Government assistance to former World War Two prisoners of war residing in Scotland and claiming compensation for suffering endured whilst captives of the Japanese.
Answer
These are matters reserved to the UK Government. They are included in the Scottish Government's continuing liaison with the UK Government on all relevant matters.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 5 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have implemented direct payment schemes for community care service users with disabilities under the powers given to them by the Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996 and what is the level of take up of existing schemes.
Answer
Social work departments were consulted on their experience of direct payments after the first year of implementation of the Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996. The councils listed below indicated that they operated, or intended to operate, a direct payments scheme and that a total of 70 disabled people were receiving payments at December 1997.
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeen City
Argyll & Bute
City of Edinburgh
Dumfries & Galloway
East Lothian
Highland
Moray
North Lanarkshire
Orkney
Scottish Borders
Shetland Islands
South Ayrshire
We have recently commissioned research to update the 1998 survey and provide information on the experience of people with disabilities in making use of the arrangements. We are considering at present how to develop the direct payments scheme.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 29 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive why it has not yet met with the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce in order to discuss their concerns about existing and future transport infrastructure development.
Answer
I am meeting a wide range of interested parties to discuss transport issues and will be arranging a discussion with Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 29 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to assist Inverclyde Council in dealing with issues identified in the 1996-97 audit report which have not yet been successfully progressed, including the errors and differences in financial statements, the poor documentation to support accounts, the unreliability of fixed asset valuation and the unsatisfactory state of control arrangements in key areas, including banking reconciliations.
Answer
This is a matter for Inverclyde Council. We expect the council to address its difficulties and implement all recommendations that the external auditor made in the 1996-97 audit report. The external auditor will follow up these recommendations through the audit process.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review recent data indicating that internet websites encouraging suicide are contributing to the high level of suicides among young people in Scotland.
Answer
I am not aware of the data referred to. There is a range of factors that contribute to suicide rates and these include the accessibility of means of suicide. The regulation of Internet services are a reserved matter under the Scotland Act 1998.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to clarify the law relating to suicide in Scotland by introducing legislation similar to the Suicide Act 1961 or in any other way.
Answer
Neither suicide nor attempted suicide is a criminal offence in Scotland. In the case of attempted suicide, depending on the circumstances, it may be that other separate charges arise such as breach of the peace or possession of an offensive weapon. Where a person assists in the suicide of another, such conduct could, in some circumstances, give rise to charge for a range of offences from assault, through culpable homicide to murder.There are no plans to change the law in Scotland.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it agrees with the view of Strathclyde Passenger Transport that football fans in Glasgow should not travel to matches by Underground.
Answer
The operation of the Glasgow Underground is a matter for the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive.
