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: S4W-02126

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 26 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of policing the Scottish Defence League demonstration in Irvine on 6 August 2011.

Question reference: S4W-02064

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 26 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are considered (a) unintentionally and (b) intentionally homeless in North Ayrshire.

The latest available statistics in the following table provide the number of applications in North Ayrshire where the applicant household was assessed as either priority unintentionally homeless or as priority intentionally homeless, from 1 January to 30 September 2010.

2010

January - March

April - June

July - September

Unintentional – priority need	160	153	132
Intentional – priority need	11	16	11
Non priority need	5	2	5

Information for the period 1 October 2010 to 31 March 2011 will be available from
30 August when the 2010-11 homeless statistics bulletin is published.

Question reference: S4W-02062

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 26 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition is of unintentionally homeless.

The Scottish Government does not have a definition of unintentionally homeless.

Rather, the definition of intentionally homeless is set out in section 26 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987:

A person becomes homeless intentionally if he/she deliberately does or fails to do anything in consequence of which he/she ceases to occupy accommodation which is available for his/her occupation and which it would have been reasonable for him/her to continue to occupy.

Question reference: S4W-02058

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 26 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to bring forward general schemes to help first-time house buyers.

The Scottish Government’s Low-Cost Initiative for First Time Buyers (LIFT) brings together a range of schemes to help first time buyers. For 2011-12, we are continuing to invest in the Open Market Shared Equity Scheme and the New Supply Shared Equity with Developers Scheme, and other shared equity developments are being considered within the Innovation and Investment Fund.

In addition, the Scottish Government recently agreed to support work by Homes for Scotland to develop a private sector mortgage indemnity scheme to help first-time buyers and others aspiring to purchase a new home.

Question reference: S4W-01978

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 01 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 25 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with the UK Government regarding (a) job creation, (b) implementation of the Work Programme and (c) boosting growth in Scotland.

The Scottish Government is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues relating to creating employment opportunities, the Work Programme and economic growth. By way of example, John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth, attended the Finance Quadrilateral meeting of Finance Ministers, which was chaired by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, on 14 July 2011 at which issues relating to the economy and jobs were discussed. The Work Programme was one of the topics raised by the Cabinet Secretary in a discussion with Chris Grayling, the UK Minister of State for Employment, on the same date.

Question reference: S4W-01980

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 25 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-00685 by Fergus Ewing on 23 June 2011, what further practical measures it will consider to attract employment to North Ayrshire.

Scottish Government is working with North Ayrshire Community Planning Partners, led by North Ayrshire Council, to consider options to address unemployment in the area. The recently published Economic Development and Regeneration Strategy and Action Plan will be underpinned by Steering Group to oversee its progress and delivery. Initial discussions have taken place between Scottish Government and North Ayrshire Council on how we can work together and the creation of a Steering Group to develop this will allow us to identify the next stages in the process.

Question reference: S4W-01979

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 25 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether North Ayrshire will be made a priority area in terms of job creation.

Scottish Government is continuing to support North Ayrshire Council to identify opportunities to attract employment to the area. Officials are working with North Ayrshire Community Planning Partners, led by North Ayrshire Council, to consider options to address unemployment in the area. The recently published Economic Development and Regeneration Strategy and Action Plan will be underpinned by a Steering Group to oversee its progress and delivery. The steering group is in the process of being set up and bringing employers to the area will be a main topic for discussion.

Question reference: S4W-01985

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 24 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what areas in the west of Scotland will be targeted by Community Jobs Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-01826

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how much NHS Ayrshire and Arran plans to spend on procurement in 2011-2012.

Question reference: S4W-01824

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what ministerial visits to general medical practices have been carried out in the North Ayrshire Council area since 2007.

The Information requested is not routinely recorded and therefore not held in the format requested. Systems were put in place on 8 March 2010 to collect this information more easily and we have provided this information in the following table.

Minister

Date

Venue

Event

Nicola Sturgeon MSP

Cabinet Secretary for Health, Wellbeing and Cities Strategy

7 April 2010

Townhead Practice, Irvine

Launch of the BeWell Patient Portal