- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 12 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools now use a smartcard system for school meals and free school meals and whether it has any evidence to indicate that the use of smartcards has led to an increase in the uptake of free school meals.
Answer
This information is not heldcentrally.
Under the ModernisingGovernment Fund all 32 Scottish Councils will be working towards the deploymentof smartcards for young people and a further consortium of 11 Scottish councilsworking towards a national model for smartcards in Scotland.One of the key deliverables over the next 18 months is the availability ofsmartcards for pupils to access school meals and vending.
As at the end of September2003 for those councils in the consortium, there are 16,700 cards in use forcatering and vending operating in 17 schools. Through this programme we willwork with councils to collate information on the uptake of smartcards.
Glasgow City Council hasalready implemented cashless catering through the young person’s card. All 29 secondaryschools in Glasgow are using this card. A pilot is also beingimplemented in April 2004 involving six primary schools to extend the use of the card. Since the introduction of cashless catering in 1996 until December2002, free school meal uptake has risen from 45% to 78%.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 9 January 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether water is now available freely in every school and, if not, what the timetable is for introducing freely available fresh, chilled water in every school.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is fully committed to improving the health and diet of young people. Aspart of this we aim to ensure that all schools take on the recommendations madeby the Expert Panel on School Meals, one of which was that fresh, free drinkingwater should be made available in all schools. It is for local authorities totake forward this recommendation as they see fit, but the recommendationsshould be fully implemented in all primary and special schools by 2004 andsecondary schools by 2006. We have different levels of monitoring set up and aswell as collecting data on fresh water availability as part of the schoolcensus, we will be considering the issue of fresh water as part of the baselineand evaluation research.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive at what salary threshold a student is required to repay his or her graduate endowment and what the rate of repayment is for any further salary thresholds above that threshold.
Answer
There is no income thresholdfor paying the graduate endowment although all liable graduates can meet theirliability by adding the amount to their student loan account. The loan will bepaid back on an income contingent basis through the Student Loans Company underthe same terms and conditions as loans to cover living costs. The currentincome threshold for the repayment of student loans is £10,000 and the rate ofrepayment is 9% of the income above the threshold.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 19 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any rolling stock purchased by it will be leased or given to any train operating company.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has not purchased any rolling stock; all rolling stock is owned by therolling stock company who lease the rolling stock to the train operatingcompanies. We have committed grant assistance to offset leasing costs.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 19 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what rolling stock it has bought this year and at what price.
Answer
None. The Executive hasfunded Scotrail’s procurement of rolling stock to be used on the Scottish railnetwork through leasing arrangements.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 19 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-6502 by Dr Elaine Murray on 20 February 2003, what the result of the review of sportscotland's property portfolio was and whether a decision has now been reached with regard to which city will benefit from a new indoor football and sporting complex.
Answer
The outcome of the review ofsportscotland’s property portfolio is set out in the report of theconsultants, PMP Consultancy. Sportscotland wrote to all MSPs on 7 July 2003 notifyingthem that the summary of that report is available on their website and,stemming from the findings of that review, of the outline plans for developinga network of multi-sports facilities across Scotland, one of which wouldalso be a national indoor arena for competition. In September 2003, sportscotland issued a briefing packcontaining the outline specifications toall Scottish local authorities, governing bodies of sport and other potentialpartners. Potential partners have been invitedto submit their stage one applications by31 March 2004.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 19 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what revenue it has received, or expects to receive, from any train operating company through leasing rolling stock.
Answer
None.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 19 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what use will be made of any monies received, or expected to be received, from any train operating company through leasing rolling stock.
Answer
The Scottish Executive will not receive any money from the lease of rolling stock. All rollingstock is leased from a rolling stock company which leases it to train operatingcompanies.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 19 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is allocating any money towards the maintenance and cleaning requirements of new trains.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has allocated funds to meet the procurement, maintenance and cleaningcosts of new trains.
The funds are not allocatedseparately to maintenance and cleaning requirements.
- Asked by: Tommy Sheridan, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 December 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 18 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many vehicle accidents there have been that resulted in (a) injury and (b) fatality on the A77 between Glasgow and Ayr in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
The number of vehicleaccidents that resulted in injury and fatality on the A77 between Glasgow and Ayr* in eachof the last 10 years (up to end December 2002) is as follows.
| Year | Injury | Fatal |
| 1993 | 58 | 3 |
| 1994 | 59 | 3 |
| 1995 | 78 | 7 |
| 1996 | 56 | 6 |
| 1997 | 68 | 0 |
| 1998 | 60 | 4 |
| 1999 | 67 | 0 |
| 2000 | 58 | 2 |
| 2001 | 45 | 3 |
| 2002 | 48 | 5 |
| Total | 597 | 33 |
*The A77 from Glasgow to NewtonMearns was detrunked in 1997 following the opening of the M77 in December 1996.The data provided from 1993 to 1996 includes accidents between Glasgow and Ayr. From 1997to 2002 the data includes accidents on the A77 trunk road between Newton Mearnsand Ayr.
