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: S3W-32256

Asked by: Aileen Campbell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive how many non-domestic properties there are in each Scottish Assessors Association property classification category, broken down by rateable value of (a) up to £18,000, (b) £18,001 to £34,999, (c) £35,000 to £49,999, (d) £50,000 to £64,999, (e) £65,000 to £89,999, (f) £90,000 to £119,999, (g) £120,000 to £249,999, (h) £250,000 to £499,999, (i) £500,000 to £999,999 and (j) £1,000,000 and over.

Question reference: S3W-32257

Asked by: Aileen Campbell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 March 2010
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what the aggregate rateable values of non-domestic properties are, broken down by rateable value of (a) up to £18,000, (b) £18,001 to £34,999, (c) £35,000 to £49,999 (d) £50,000 to £64,999, (e) £65,000 to £89,999, (f) £90,000 to £119,999, (g) £120,000 to £249,999, (h) £250,000 to £499,999, (i) £500,000 to £999,999 and (j) £1,000,000 and over.

Question reference: S3W-31686

Asked by: Aileen Campbell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 8 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what rail passenger numbers have been on the Larkhall-Glasgow line in each four-week period since the service was established in 2005.

Over the last five years from December 2005 until February 2010 the number of rail passengers on the Larkhall“Glasgow line in each four week period since the service was established are:

	Year
Period	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10
1		345,096	354,768	364,955	438,166
2		328,598	350,935	381,020	365,429
3		316,572	335,350	375,270	362,531
4		311,978	328,143	360,140	354,711
5		335,946	352,522	380,511	390,097
6		355,889	356,087	400,939	396,497
7		379,723	394,775	401,971	419,840
8		373,903	398,062	417,381	421,288
9		373,855	394,776	410,926	434,930
10	326,096	325,423	341,332	341,807	340,946
11	347,852	367,470	379,224	401,876	396,171
12	348,336	376,494	395,458	400,318
13	319,060	333,464	405,436	440,610

The annual figures are:

2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10
1,341,344	4,524,411	4,786,868	5,077,724	4,320,606

Question reference: S3W-31807

Asked by: Aileen Campbell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 March 2010

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration is given to the good behaviour of an offender in prison when decisions are made regarding parole or early release.

Question reference: S3W-29115

Asked by: Aileen Campbell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 2 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many bids were made to each tranche of the Town Centre Regeneration Fund, broken down by local authority area.

One hundred and thirty-two applications were made the first round of the Town Centre Regeneration Fund and 136 to the second. The breakdown of bids by local authority area is:

Local Authority Area	Bids
Local Authority Area	Tranche One	Tranche Two
Aberdeen City	2	2
Aberdeenshire	17	19
Angus	3	6
Argyll and Bute	7	4
Clackmannanshire	1	0
Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles)	1	1
Dumfries and Galloway	7	3
Dundee City	1	1
East Ayrshire	4	4
East Dunbartonshire	1	1
East Lothian	3	1
East Renfrewshire	2	1
Edinburgh City	4	4
Falkirk	1	1
Fife	13	14
Glasgow City	6	7
Highland	5	5
Inverclyde	2	2
Midlothian	1	4
Moray	1	3
North Ayrshire	7	5
North Lanarkshire	1	5
Orkney Islands	0	1
Perth and Kinross	4	4
Renfrewshire	3	3
Scottish Borders	7	7
Shetland Island	1	1
South Ayrshire	3	5
South Lanarkshire	13	13
Stirling Council	4	1
West Dunbartonshire	5	4
West Lothian	2	2
Multiple	0	2
Total	132	136

Question reference: S3W-29113

Asked by: Aileen Campbell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 2 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many bids to the second tranche of the Town Centre Regeneration Fund were substantially similar or identical to bids rejected in the first tranche and what these bids were.

Question reference: S3W-29340

Asked by: Aileen Campbell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 1 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-26996 by John Swinney on 18 September 2009, which (a) data zones and (b) council wards in the South Lanarkshire local authority area are in the (i) 15% and (ii) 5% most deprived such areas in Scotland, according to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, published on 29 October 2009.

Of South Lanarkshire''s 398 data zones, there are 11 in Scotland''s 5% most deprived areas using the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 2009, down from 13 data zones in SIMD 2006. Ten data zones have remained there in 2009, three data zones moved out and only one new data zone moved in. The data zones in the 5% most deprived in SIMD 2009 are listed in the following table.

Of South Lanarkshire''s 398 data zones, there are 52 in Scotland''s 15% most deprived areas using the SIMD 2009, down from 56 data zones in SIMD 2006. Forty eight data zones have remained there in 2009, eight data zones moved out and only four new data zones moved in. The data zones in the 15% most deprived in SIMD 2009 are listed in the following table.

South Lanarkshire Data Zones in the 5% and 15% Most Deprived Areas (SIMD 2009)

Data Zone	In The 5% Most Deprived?	In The 15% Most Deprived?	Data Zone	In The 5% Most Deprived?	In The 15% Most Deprived?
S01005874	Yes	Yes	S01005880	No	Yes
S01005913	Yes	Yes	S01005891	No	Yes
S01005947	Yes	Yes	S01005892	No	Yes
S01005959	Yes	Yes	S01005917	No	Yes
S01005965	Yes	Yes	S01005928	No	Yes
S01005990	Yes	Yes	S01005932	No	Yes
S01005995	Yes	Yes	S01005939	No	Yes
S01005998	Yes	Yes	S01005951	No	Yes
S01006040	Yes	Yes	S01005954	No	Yes
S01006061	Yes	Yes	S01005957	No	Yes
S01006063	Yes	Yes	S01005961	No	Yes
S01005672	No	Yes	S01005966	No	Yes
S01005675	No	Yes	S01005967	No	Yes
S01005683	No	Yes	S01005982	No	Yes
S01005694	No	Yes	S01005987	No	Yes
S01005701	No	Yes	S01005988	No	Yes
S01005748	No	Yes	S01005992	No	Yes
S01005752	No	Yes	S01006000	No	Yes
S01005755	No	Yes	S01006007	No	Yes
S01005757	No	Yes	S01006008	No	Yes
S01005759	No	Yes	S01006012	No	Yes
S01005762	No	Yes	S01006034	No	Yes
S01005764	No	Yes	S01006041	No	Yes
S01005832	No	Yes	S01006058	No	Yes
S01005855	No	Yes	S01006062	No	Yes
S01005869	No	Yes	S01006065	No	Yes

The SIMD is only calculated at data zone level, it does not rank wards in terms of levels of deprivation. However, it is possible to look at the number of data zones within each ward in the 5% and 15% most deprived areas. This is shown in the following table.

The wards of Coatshill/low Blantyre, Forth and Spittal/Blairbeth no longer have any data zones in the 15% most deprived since SIMD 2006. The wards of Burgh, Burnbank/Blantyre, Douglas and Whitehill have also seen relative improvements.

Lanark South ward sees one data zone moving into the 15% most deprived.

South Lanarkshire Electoral Wards Containing Data Zones in the 5% and 15% Most Deprived Areas (SIMD 2009)

Electoral Wards (2001)	Number Of Data Zones In The 5% Most Deprived	Number Of Data Zones In The 15% Most Deprived	Total Number Of Data Zones
Blackwood Ward		1	6
Burgh Ward	1	1	6
Burnbank/Blantyre Ward	1	4	8
Cadzow Ward		1	6
Cairns Ward		1	7
Cambuslang Central Ward		2	4
Cathkin/Springhall Ward	1	4	8
Douglas Ward		2	5
Fernhill Ward		3	5
Hallside Ward	1	2	8
Hamilton Centre North Ward		1	5
High Blantyre Ward	1	2	7
Hillhouse Ward	1	3	5
Kirkhill/Whitlawburn Ward	2	2	5
Lanark South Ward		1	5
Larkhall East Ward		3	7
Larkhall South Ward		3	5
Larkhall West Ward		1	6
Lesmahagow Ward		1	6
Low Waters Ward	1	3	5
Rutherglen West Ward	1	4	6
Silvertonhill Ward		1	6
Udston Ward	1	3	4
Whitehill Ward		2	5
Woodhead/Meikle Earnock Ward		1	7

Question reference: S3W-29114

Asked by: Aileen Campbell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 1 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many bids to the Town Centre Regeneration Fund were (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful in each tranche and what the total value of these bids was in each case.

A total of 132 applications were made to the first round of the Town Centre Regeneration Fund seeking £127 million. Of these, 36 were successful and 96 unsuccessful. In total, £40.5 million was offered to first round applicants. The total value of unsuccessful bids was £76 million.

In the second round, 136 applications were received with a total value of £94 million. Of these, 30 secured funding and the remaining 106 were unsuccessful. Successful bids attracted £19.5 million in funding; the total value of unsuccessful bids was £63 million.

Question reference: S3W-28979

Asked by: Aileen Campbell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in taking forward the intention, announced at the Rural Gathering on 25 September 2009, to pursue transfer of the measure dealing with supporting community facilities from the Rural Priorities scheme to the LEADER programme and increase the potential LEADER intervention rate.

The Scottish Government supports the LEADER approach of local projects determined by local decision making. In relation to the proposed change to the delivery mechanism for community facilities support to LEADER, Local Action Groups (LAGs) support the strategic direction but have made representations concerning certain practical issues.

My immediate aim is to support applicants and potential applicants. As a transitional arrangement, to ensure continuity of support for delivery of community facilities, new applications should continue to be submitted through the Rural Priorities framework. Appropriate procedures for handling these applications are currently being worked up by officials. Applicants who have already submitted applications through Rural Priorities will not require to submit a fresh application.

The amount of funding to transfer and the timing has yet to be determined. It is intended that any funding transferred would be added to the current LEADER allocation. There is currently no intention to change the process under which LAGs administer LEADER funding.

I also wish to address some of the match funding concerns of applicants during the current economic position and help get more good projects off the ground. I have therefore decided to increase the potential funding support available from LEADER for new projects from up to 50% to up to 90% from 1 January 2010. LAGs will still maintain the discretion to vary the rate as they see fit. Projects that have already been approved will not be able retrospectively to apply for an increased rate. I have decided that, initially, this increase should operate for a trial period of one year.

Question reference: S3W-28384

Asked by: Aileen Campbell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 30 October 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what support is available to help local communities identify and develop areas of common land.

Common good land and assets are the responsibility of local authorities and it is up to them how to involve local communities in the management of these areas.

There is a statutory duty on councils to have regard to the interests of the area in which the common good formerly related. Under the principles of best value they are also required to demonstrate responsiveness to the needs of communities. How these obligations are fulfilled is a matter for local authorities to decide.