Chamber and committees

I have asked Angiolina Foster, acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

The number of completions inan individual year is largely determined by the nature of the projects approvedfor construction in previous years. Large or complex housing projects,especially when linked to a wider regeneration initiative, can often take overa year to be completed.

In 2001-02, 4,865 housingassociation houses for rent were approved for construction. A significantproportion of these houses are due for completion this year rather than in 2002-03.The issue therefore is one of timing rather than any absolute reduction in thenumber of house completions.

The following table gives,for each council tax band, the estimated percentage of households in eachhousehold income band. For example, an estimated 32% of households occupying aBand A dwelling have a gross household income of £150 or less per week,excluding any council tax benefit income.

The council tax bandoccupied by a household, however, does not equate directly to the council taxbill. Many households with low incomes will qualify for council tax benefit,and will therefore pay little or no council tax from their gross income.

Gross Household Income Excluding Council Tax Benefit (£ Per Week)

	Up to 150	150 to 300	300 to 450	450 to 600	600 to 750	Over 750	Total
Council Tax Band
Band A	32	42	12	7	4	3	100
Band B	20	36	20	12	6	6	100
Band C	13	26	21	17	12	11	100
Band D	8	21	20	17	15	20	100
Band E	6	14	15	13	17	34	100
Band F	13		11	14	15	47	100
Band G & H	9		9	10	10	62	100

Note: The percentage of households in each cell has been estimated using data from the Family Resources Survey aggregated over three years. Where the sample size is insufficient to allow confident estimation, cells have been merged. The income figures reported are gross household income from all sources less any income received as council tax benefit. Percentages are reported to the nearest whole number and may not sum to 100% due to rounding.

Under Schedule 5 of theScotland Act 1998, Railway Safety is a reserved matter. I understand that ScotRailhave not incurred any penalties in relation to the Railways (Safety Case)Regulations 2000 which superseded the Railways (Safety Case) Regulations 1994.

Under Schedule 5 of theScotland Act 1998, railway safety is a reserved matter. The successful bidderof the new franchise will be subject to GB-wide standards that regulate andenforce railway safety, as is the current franchisee.

Railways (Safety Case)Regulations 1994 have since been superseded by the Railways (Safety Case)Regulations 2000.

I refer to the member to the answer given to question S2W-4195 on 9 December 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

Under Schedule 5 of theScotland Act 1998, railway safety is a reserved matter. This is a matter forthe Health and Safety Executive who isthe independent health and safety regulator for a range of industries includingrail.

Railways (Safety Case)Regulations 1994 have since been superseded by the Railways (Safety Case)Regulations 2000.

Under Schedule 5 of theScotland Act 1998, Railway Safety is a reserved matter. The current franchiseholder is subject to GB-wide standards that regulate and enforce railway safety.

Railways (Safety Case)Regulations 1994 have since been superseded by the Railways (Safety Case)Regulations 2000.

The Executive is currentlydiscussing grant funding and proposals for the future with the ME Association. TheExecutive’s grant funding, to any voluntary organisation, can only be used foractivities in Scotland or of direct benefit to Scottish residents.

It would not be appropriatefor the Executive to divulge information provided in confidence by anautonomous voluntary organisation. However, I can confirm that that Scottish Executive grant funds have not been used by the ME Association for the purpose ofmaking any redundancy payments.

The most recent publishedfigures are from the annual report 2001-02 of the Scottish Children’s ReporterAdministration (SCRA). On 30 June 2001, 1% of Scotland's population of children were subject to a supervisionrequirement. SCRA will shortly be publishing more up-to-date information in its2002-03 annual report. Indications are that the figures for the number ofchildren subject to supervision requirements are similar to previous years.Information on allocation of social workers is not held centrally. I refer themember to the answer given to question S2W-3930 on 2 December 2003.

All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.