Chamber and committees

Deciding on sentences for women offenders is entirely a matter for Courts. The Scottish Prison Service is required under law to receive anybody who is sent to them from Court. Expectant mothers and mothers of babies and young children are no exception.

Nobody likes the idea of a baby being brought up in prison but separating mothers and their newborn babies can have a lasting and damaging effect. The Scottish Prison Service together with social work services considers each case on its individual merits taking into account the demands of parenting very young children in a prison environment. Decisions to maintain a baby with its mother or to separate them are always based on the best interests of the child.

The Scottish Government has not published specific advice to registered social landlords who act as factors for owner-occupiers living in the same building as their tenants.

There is some related guidance on the general subject of refurbishing blocks of flats that contain both social rented housing and owner-occupied housing given that the social rented element is required to meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. This is discussed in paragraphs 2.9-2.12 of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard Delivery Plan Guidance published in July 2004 which is available here:

http://www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/stellent/groups/public/documents/webpages/cs_007224.pdf.

In addition, the Scottish Housing Regulator''s Performance Standards covers activities such as factoring and sets out a broad expectation for social landlords that provide factoring services should be:

 fair, efficient and effective factors for other property owners and manage factoring funds on behalf of owners in a proper and accountable manner (Performance Standard AS5.2).

The electronic link to this and wider guidance on Performance Standards is available here:

http://www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk/stellent/groups/public/documents/webpages/shr_as5.2factoring.hcsp#TopOfPage.

The Scottish Housing Regulator has published a set of high-level performance standards that registered social landlords (RSLs) and local authorities should achieve across their range of housing services. The Performance Standards include the broad expectation that, in their factoring activities, local authorities and RSLs should be:fair, efficient and effective factors for other property owners and manage factoring funds on behalf of owners in a proper and accountable manner.

There are no specific service standards laid down for private sector property managers and factors in relation to work that they undertake or commission on behalf of their clients. Those that are members of trade or professional bodies will be required by the body to comply with any code of practice that it has established. Otherwise service delivery by property managers and factors is a contractual matter between them and their customers, enforceable in the courts.

The Scottish Government has announced plans to work with the industry to develop a national accreditation scheme for residential property managers that is open to local authorities and RSLs offering factoring services as well as private sector property managers. Property managers that join the scheme will have to meet high standards of service, including obtaining quotations for necessary works from a range of contractors, and could have their accreditation removed if they fail to meet standards.

The table below provides a breakdown of the rolling stock that is currently operated under the First ScotRail passenger franchise in Scotland. The rolling stock fleet is owned in part by three different rolling stock leasing companies each of which has a different parent bank group:

Angel Trains is owned by a consortium of investors including the Babcock and Brown European Infrastructure Fund, Babcock and Brown Public Partnerships, AMP Capital Investors (AMP Capital) and Deutsche Bank.

HSBC Rail is a member of the HSBC Group.

Porterbrook Leasing Company Ltd is owned by Abbey, part of the Santander Group, but is being purchased by a consortium of investors including Antin Infrastructure Partners, Deutsche Bank and Lloyds TSB with completion expected before the end of 2008.

Type	Class	Number of Units	Rolling Stock Leasing Company
Diesel	156	48	Angel Trains
Diesel	158	40	Porterbrook
Diesel	158	7	Angel Trains
Diesel	170	50	Porterbrook
Diesel	170	9	HSBC Rail
Electric	314	16	Angel Trains
Electric	318	21	HSBC Rail
Electric	320	22	HSBC Rail
Electric	322	5	HSBC Rail
Electric	334	40	HSBC Rail
Locomotive Hauled Coaching Stock (form part of Sleeper services)	Mark 3	53	Porterbrook
Locomotive Hauled Coaching Stock (form part of Sleeper services)	Mark 2	22	HSBC Rail

 

The Scottish Government does not hold details of the ownership of rolling stock operated by other train operating companies in Scotland.

Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) are required to pay VAT at the appropriate rates on all expenses they incur. Their main activity, the letting of social housing, is an exempt supply for the purposes of VAT. This means that RSLs are unable to reclaim from HM Revenue and Customs any input tax they incur in connection with this activity.

Information on the share structure of such companies is not held by the Scottish Government. In addition, ownership information on some companies who generate electricity in Scotland, especially smaller generators, may not be universally available.

The information on the shareholding structure of companies which is available can be accessed through the Companies House website.

Information on banks as equity investors in PFI projects, where held, is provided in the following table. The information reflects the position when the original project contracts were signed. Equity investors are able to sell their investment subsequently.

The major funding for PFI projects is from institutions providing debt finance, many of which are banks. Information on these institutions, where held, can be found on the Scottish Government website under ˜done deals at www.scotland.gov.uk/ppp. The institutions listed are those at the point of original contract signature. After a project becomes operational, it may be refinanced and funders may change. This information is not recorded centrally.

Table of Banks as Equity Investors in PFI Projects (where Information Held)

Project	Bank
Glasgow schools	Bank of Scotland
Highland school PPP1	Royal Bank of Scotland
Aberdeenshire schools PPP1	Bank of Scotland
Edinburgh schools PPP1	Bank of Scotland
East Ayrshire schools	Nord LB
North Ayrshire schools	Nord LB
South Ayrshire schools	Bank of Scotland
Perth and Kinross schools	ABN Amro Bank NV
Baldovie Waste to Energy	Barclays
Angus A92	Barclays
Perth and Kinross office accommodation	Royal Bank of Scotland
Stirling College	Bank of Scotland
North Ayrshire	Bank of Scotland
NHS Ayrshire and Arran Crosshouse Maternity Hospital	Allied Irish Bank
NHS Greater Glasgow Larkfield	Bank of Scotland
NHS Highland New Craigs Hospital	Bank of Scotland
NHS Lanarkshire Wishaw Hospital	Bank of Scotland
NHS Lanarkshire Victoria and Stobhill ACADS	Barclays
NHS Lothian Findlay House	Bank of Scotland

 

Advice and guidance on the development of multi-use games areas is provided in Scottish Planning Policy 11: Open Space and Physical Activity (Bib. number 46842) which provides guidance on planning for development of new indoor and outdoor facilities for sport and recreation.

Sportscotland has published advice and guidance on a wide range of topics in relation to the development of sports facilities including planning, design and construction. Sportscotland also has developed a Facilities Planning Model as a planning tool to inform decisions about the provision of community sports facilities.

As a statutory consultee, sportscotland would be involved in the consideration of planning applications for the development of multi-use games areas where they are proposed on playing fields or other sports facilities as listed in Scottish Planning Policy 11: Open Space and Physical Activity (Bib. number 46842). Any potential impact on the existing facilities would be a material consideration for sportscotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-16841 on 3 November 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.