- Asked by: Bill Aitken, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 February 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 15 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage local authorities which currently fail to name and take appropriate action against elected members and council officials who are involved in housing benefit fraud to do so.
Answer
Housing benefit is a reserved matter and is the responsibility of the Department of Social Security. However, the administration of housing benefits is the responsibility of local authorities in accordance with rules set down by that Department. There are well defined fraud procedures in place in each local authority in relation to housing benefit, and all other areas of activity, supported by the Accounts Commission for Scotland. The Scottish Executive have no remit in this.
- Asked by: Bill Aitken, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Andrew Hardie on 3 February 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many summary criminal cases were raised in Glasgow Sheriff Court and Glasgow District Court during 1999 and what were the corresponding figures for 1998.
Answer
Between 1998 and 1999, the number of summary complaints registered in Glasgow Sheriff Court rose from 12,071 to 14,928. Over the same period, complaints initiated in the Lay District Court fell from 16,586 to 14,866, and complaints initiated in the Stipendiary Magistrates Court fell from 8,293 to 7,433.
- Asked by: Bill Aitken, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 22 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive, in the light of its allocation for spending on both homelessness and rough sleeping for the years 1997-98 to 2001-02, what the priorities for the use of this spending were or are for each of these years and what targets were or will be used to assess the value of the spending.
Answer
Our priorities are to prevent and tackle homelessness and rough sleeping. In Social Justice - a Scotland where everyone matters we have re-iterated the target that no-one should have to sleep rough by 2003 and we have set as a milestone the objective of reducing the number of households, and particularly families with children, living in temporary accommodation.
- Asked by: Bill Aitken, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 22 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of all funds allocated to local authorities or other agencies specifically to resolve homelessness (excluding the Rough Sleeper Initiative) for each year from 1997-98 to 2001-02, broken down by local authority or agency, how many additional homes for social rent it expects to be provided through these funds and what impact it expects this expenditure to have on the number of households that are registered homeless in Scotland.
Answer
Information about local authority spending on homelessness is not collected centrally. Following are the number of homes for social rent built with funding support from Scottish Homes:-
1997-98 | 2,500 |
1998-99 | 3,295 |
1999-2000 | 3,976 |
Scottish Homes programme for future years has not yet been decided.Homelessness is a complex problem, the solution to which lies in more than the provision of houses. The Executive recognises this and has established the Homelessness Task Force under my chairmanship to review the causes and nature of homelessness in Scotland; to examine current practice in dealing with cases of homelessness; and to make recommendations on how homelessness in Scotland can best be prevented and, where it does occur, tackled effectively.
- Asked by: Bill Aitken, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 22 December 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of the individual projects funded under the Rough Sleepers Initiative in each local authority area in each year from 1997-98 to 1999-2000, including an indication of the partner organisations involved in each project.
Answer
I refer Bill Aitken to the Annexes of the reports of the Rough Sleepers Advisory Group produced in October 1997 and July and November 1998 which set out the conclusions of the Advisory Group's consideration of bids. Copies are in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Partner organisations involved with projects include housing associations, voluntary organisations, Scottish Homes, other local authority services and Health Boards.
- Asked by: Bill Aitken, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 11 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the Scottish Block is administered by Non Departmental Public Bodies in the current financial year and what was the comparable figure for 1997-98.
Answer
In 1999-2000 it is estimated that contributions to NDPBs will account for £2,006 million out of the total Scottish budget of £16,213 million. The comparable figure for 1997-98 was £1,700 million out of a total budget of £14,774 million.
- Asked by: Bill Aitken, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 November 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 11 November 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the Scottish Block is administered by Non Departmental Public Bodies in the current financial year and what was the comparable figure for 1997-98.
Answer
In 1999-2000 it is estimated that contributions to NDPBs will account for £2,006 million out of the total Scottish budget of £16,213 million. The comparable figure for 1997-1998 was £1,700 million out of a total budget of £14,774 million.
- Asked by: Bill Aitken, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Donald Dewar on 13 October 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of the numbers of jobs involved and proposed dates of transfer of its Departments to different locations in Scotland.
Answer
I refer Mr Aitken to my reply of 15 September to parliamentary question S1W-1558 (Written Answers Report 15, Vol 2 Number 3), in which I provided details of our plans for the location and relocation of public service jobs in Scotland.
- Asked by: Bill Aitken, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 30 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the level of funding available to police boards for the next financial year will be at least at current levels in real terms.
Answer
Decisions have not yet been taken on the level of funding to individual police boards for the next financial year. As announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review the total revenue funding available for the police in 2000-01 is £741.9 million which is an increase of 3.8% on this years figure. On current estimates of inflation this represents an increase in real terms of 2.36%.
- Asked by: Bill Aitken, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 30 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the level of funding available to police boards for the next financial year will be at least at current levels in real terms.
Answer
Decisions have not yet been taken on the level of funding to individual police boards for the next financial year. As announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review the total revenue funding available for the police in 2000-01 is £741.9 million which is an increase of 3.8% on this years figure. On current estimates of inflation this represents an increase in real terms of 2.36%.
