- 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.
- 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: 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: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive over what time period the #10.8 million underpayment in rate support grant to Fife Council in financial year 1997-98 resulting from the overstatement of rateable valuations of non-domestic properties will be recovered by Fife Council.
Answer
The adjustment in respect of Fife Council's original overstatement of its estimated non-domestic rate income for 1997-98 was made in a single payment to the Council on 3 February 1999.
- 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 Frank McAveety on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that there is an improvement in Inverclyde Council's DLO/DSO accounting arrangements and no repeat of the failure by a number of trading activities to achieve their financial objectives.
Answer
The Accounts Commission has made a number of recommendations for all DLO/DSOs across Scotland and I expect all councils to act upon them. The unaudited DLO/DSO results for 1998-99 show that Inverclyde Council has acted to reduce the number of DLO/DSOs that failed to achieve their statutory objectives from 5 in 1997-98 to 1 in 1998-99. I expect the council to make every effort to ensure no DLO/DSO fails to achieve the statutory objective in subsequent years.
- 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 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what action will be taken to ensure that all Scottish local authorities implement best practice to address basic accounting and control weaknesses, including the absence of bank and other reconciliations, internal control deficiencies, weaknesses in the compilation and maintenance of asset registers and the lack of reconciliation between the assessment roll and valuation roll.
Answer
These matters are dealt with through the audit process. The audit process exists to identify weaknesses in local authorities' systems, highlight these weaknesses to local authorities and make recommendations as appropriate. The Accounts Commission for Scotland is responsible for securing the audit of local authorities in Scotland. Auditors appointed by the Commission make recommendations and ensure that these are implemented.
- 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 Wendy Alexander on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will explain the variation in the percentage of rent arrears across Scottish local authorities and which authorities have (a) no formal rent recovery policies (b) no rent arrears recovery timetable (c) delays in pursuing arrears and (d) take no action in respect of former tenants arrears.
Answer
Rent arrears management is the responsibility of individual local authorities and the detailed information requested is not held centrally. The Accounts Commission and Scottish Homes are jointly carrying out a study into rent arrears management in local authorities and housing associations. The study is due to be completed next summer.
- 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 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive when the "Three tiers" report referred to in the Controller of Audit's Overview Report on the 1997-98 Audits of Local Authorities is to be published.
Answer
The Accounts Commission report Three Tiers? Comparing the Cost of Managers in Councils was published on Thursday 16 September 1999.
- 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 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive why the 1997-98 audits in respect of Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee, East Dunbartonshire, Edinburgh, Highland, Inverclyde, West Dunbartonshire and West Lothian councils remain outstanding beyond their due submission date of 30 June 1999 and when these audits are expected to be submitted to the Controller of Audit.
Answer
The completion of these outstanding audits is a matter for the Accounts Commission for Scotland. I have referred your question to the Controller of Audit who will write to you giving the reasons for the delays and the dates for likely completion.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive which Scottish local authorities have yet to put in place arrangements to ensure that corrective action is taken when poor financial performance is indicated from monitoring reports.
Answer
I refer Mr Gibson to my answer to question S1W-1523.
