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-05059

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 18 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4175 by Ross Finnie on 5 December 2003, what the annual average increase in water and sewerage charges for domestic customers has been in the last five years, expressed also as a percentage; whether it has evaluated the impact of the increase of such bills on low-income households, and how those on low and fixed incomes can meet increased charges without falling further into poverty.

It is not possible toprovide a meaningful figure for the average annual increase in water andsewerage charges for domestic charges in the last five years. This is because therewere six widely different sets of charges across Scotland five years ago comparedto two sets (one for north area and one for east and west areas) in 2003-04, towhich where applicable, further discounts were and are applied.

Whilst all customers mustcontribute to services provided which include the provision of safe drinkingwater and the treatment of waste water before it is returned to the environment,provisions exist to assist vulnerablegroups. These include improving efficiency at Scottish Water, which will easepressure on charges for all customers and by retaining the link between watercharges and council tax banding and discount arrangements.

Question reference: S2W-05033

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the methods of calculation used in respect of fuel poverty in the Scottish House Conditions Survey 2002, with particular reference to free school milk, community care grants and funeral payments being treated as sources of income, ensured that all households in fuel poverty were included in the survey and, if not, whether the number of such households was underestimated as a result.

The Scottish House ConditionsSurvey 2002 did not disaggregate income sources to the level where free schoolmeals and other “benefits in kind” can be separately identified within theoverall calculation of household income. However, there is no reason to believethat fuel poor households were systematically excluded from the survey nor thatit has underestimated the number of fuel poor households in Scotland.

Question reference: S2W-04894

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to the findings of the Scottish House Condition Survey 2002 and how it will address any issues raised in the survey, with specific reference to (a) homes in disrepair, (b) disability issues, (c) dampness and condensation and (d) energy efficiency.

The Scottish Executive willcontinue to use the Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) 2002 to inform thedevelopment of policy where useful and appropriate.

On 16 December 2003, Iannounced the Executive's response to the recommendations of the HousingImprovement Task Force and the SHCS 2002 will be an important source ofinformation in taking forward the necessary work. We have also made extensiveuse of the results in developing the Scottish Housing Quality Standard and I willbe making an announcement about this shortly.

On disability and housing, aministerial response to the report of theStrategy Forum: Equipment and Adaptations, Equipped for Inclusion, willbe produced in due course which will take into consideration relevantinformation from the SHCS 2002.

The Executive's Central Heating Programme and Warm Deal willcontinue to tackle the issues identified in the SHCS by providing insulationand central heating. A follow-up SHCS 2002 report on fuel poverty will be producedin March 2004 that will help us see where fuel poverty is most prevalent andwhat further interventions we can make to improve energy efficiency.

Question reference: S2W-04904

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how it has implemented the recommendations of Stewardship and Responsibility: A Policy Framework for Private Housing in Scotland and whether it has any plans to increase investment in housing to address the current housing situation and its effect on health.

The Executive’s response tothe Housing Improvement Task Force’s final report was announced on 16 December 2003.

The Executive has identifiedsome £10 million per annum for implementing the recommendations of the task force.This is intended to meet the cost of introducing specific new initiativesrecommended by the task force and is in addition to the direct grant (PrivateSector Housing Grant) the Executive now provides to local authorities to fundtheir expenditure on assistance to private owners.

Since 1999, the Executive’s overallhousing budget has increased by 26% in real terms. These resources will alsogenerate substantial additional investment. For example, the housing transferswhich have been concluded in Glasgow, Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders will deliver investment ofnearly £2 billion in the first 10 years.

Question reference: S2W-04840

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many quality bus partnerships have been established in the last year in each local authority area.

Question reference: S2W-04781

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Euan Robson on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what the current uptake is of (a) school meals and (b) free school meals in comparison with entitlement to such meals, in each local authority area.

Question reference: S2W-04783

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Euan Robson on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children currently receive free school meals and what the annual costs are of administering the means-tested free school meals system.

The information in relation to the number of children currently receiving free school meals is given in the Scottish Executive National Statistics Publication, School Meals in Education Authority Schools 2002-03 which was published on 30 June 2003. Copies of the publication are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 28265) or on the website:http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00261-00.asp.

Information on the administrative costs is also published by the Scottish Executive (Bib. number 29382). This relates to the whole school meals service. The administrative duties relative to free school meals can vary between authorities and we are unable to provide a further breakdown of cost. Entitlement to free school meals is, however, passported through the benefits and tax credits system, the administration of which is a reserved matter. Pupils or parents present evidence of receipt of the appropriate benefits and/or tax credits to the local authority who will arrange for the child to receive free school meals. The local authority report the numbers of pupils receiving free school meals when they submit their annual assessment report.

Question reference: S2W-04782

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Euan Robson on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what income level a parent becomes ineligible for a free school meal to be received by their child and whether it has any plans to expand entitlement to free school meals.

Entitlement to free schoolmeals is passported through the benefits and tax credit system. Legislationsets out the criteria for eligibility for free school meals and states that apupil is eligible if the pupil or their parent is in receipt of Income Support,Income-based Job Seekers Allowance or is in receipt of Child TaxCredit but not Working Tax Credit and has an annual income not exceeding theamount determined for the purposes of section 7(1)(a) of the Tax Credits Act2002 as the income threshold for Child Tax Credit. This threshold is currentlyset at £13,230.

There are no plans atpresent to expand the entitlement.

Question reference: S2W-04838

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Euan Robson on 12 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools have vending machines that sell fi''y drinks and products high in sugar and salt levels.

This information is not heldcentrally.

Aspart of the implementation of Hungry for Success, we expect all schools to endthe active promotion or advertising of full fat crisps, confectionery or fizzysugary soft drinks within the dining room before the set dates (December 2004for primary and special schools, December 2006 for secondaries).

The Executive has also givena commitment in its partnership agreement to end the advertising of unhealthyfoods in schools, work with local authorities to promote healthy eating, andactively discourage the availability of unhealthy food and drinks in schools asa condition of becoming health promoting schools. The Scottish Executive has set a target for all schools in Scotland to be health-promotingschools by 2007.

Question reference: S2W-04780

Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Euan Robson on 12 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the recommendations in Hungry for Success: A Whole School Approach to School Meals in Scotland have been implemented and what the method of analysis is for monitoring the implementation of these recommendations.

Scotland is in the vanguard of improving food in schools withour flagship policy Hungry For Success. By putting in place nutrient-basedstandards for school meals, we are leading the way among European countries.Local authorities have been awarded significant funding radically to improvethe school meals service in Scotland. Although it is too early to say how far individualauthorities are in the implementation process, we are encouraged by the signswe are already seeing and their enthusiasm for the initiative.

We have a detailedmonitoring plan in place to ensure that these recommendations are in place byDecember 2004 for primary and special schools, and December 2006 for secondaryschools. This is detailed in the expert panel’s report and the timetable forthis evaluation is as follows:

Level 1 will involveeducation authorities reporting, through National Priorities in Education, onthe provision and uptake of free school meals.

An annual census on schoolmeals is already undertaken and included in the reporting system. It has beenaltered to include questions on the provision of drinking water, free fruit andthe use of anonymised paying systems such as smart cards. The Scottish HealthPromoting Schools Unit will be developing an accreditation system which willallow education authorities to provide the information on health promotingschools. This reporting requirement will be introduced into the NationalPriorities reporting system in 2005.

Level 2 monitoring, schoolinspections, will take place in a percentage of primary and secondary schoolsover the next three years.

Level 3 monitoring, apublished report evaluating school meals provision will be drawn from theschool inspections and may include a number of dedicated inspections.

Level 4 monitoring,independent research assessing the implementation and the impact of therecommendations will be commissioned after the 2006 deadline for implementationin secondary schools. We are in the process of commissioning baseline researchwhich will inform this later project.

The research will includeboth quantative and qualitative methods.