- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Des McNulty on 28 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many houses in Dundee are now centrally heated as a result of its central heating installation programme.
Answer
Since the Central Heating Installation Programme for owner-occupiers and private renters began, in September 2000, Eaga have installed central heating in 892 dwellings in the DD postcode area. Dundee Council have installed central heating in 1,251 dwellings since April 2000. All council houses in Dundee will have central heating by 31 March 2004, except where the tenant has refused the offer or the building is to be demolished. All owner-occupiers and private renters in Dundee who apply for free central heating will have it by 31 March 2006.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Des McNulty on 28 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many houses owned by Dundee City Council had no central heating in each year since 1999.
Answer
No such estimate has been made centrally. The answer given to question S1W-34573 today, sets out the number of council dwellings in which central heating has been installed under the Central Heating Instalation Programme in 2001-02 and 2002-03. 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/search_wa.Dundee Council will be given sufficient resources for 2003-04 to ensure that all council dwellings have central heating by 31 March 2004, except where the tenant has refused the offer or the building is to be demolished.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Des McNulty on 26 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30388 by Hugh Henry on 22 October 2002, why the information on Eaga Partnership Scotland's website on central heating, insulation and survey waiting times is shown on maps of England and Wales only.
Answer
We have asked Eaga to add the information to their website as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 14 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 25 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will undertake a review of the role and value of children's homes in order to ensure that the most effective action is being taken to deliver a high quality service that best meets the needs of looked after children in residential care, in the light of the findings of the article by G Heron and M Chakrabarti, "Examining the perceptions and attitudes of staff working in community based children's homes: are their needs being met?", in Qualitative Social Work, Volume 1, 2002.
Answer
We have no plans to carry out such a review. Residential care plays an important part in the range of care options available for looked after children. It can be the most appropriate placement for some young people. Residential units are being inspected by the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care against National Care Standards published by Scottish ministers to ensure that they provide a high quality service. The research for the article by Harron and Chakrabarti was completed in 1999, before the establishment of the Commission and the National Care Standards. In addition the Executive continues to invest substantially in training and development in this field through funding the Scottish Institute of Residential Child Care. The Chief Social Work Inspector is preparing plans for a review of the quality of services for all looked after children.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Elaine Murray on 19 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking in the light of the on-going review of the national lottery to ensure that the distribution of lottery money in Scotland meets Scottish needs and priorities.
Answer
The consultation paper on lottery distribution policy, "Review of Lottery Funding", was published jointly by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Scottish Executive, the National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Assembly on 29 July 2002 for consultation until 30 October 2002. The consultation paper set out a range of issues for consideration including two major themes of making the lottery more responsive to the needs and priorities of communities, and ensuring that funding is fairly distributed to all areas and communities across the UK. I have written to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport conveying Scottish ministers' views in the light of the Scottish consultation responses. Copies of the letter have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 26471).As part of our on-going consideration of the review, I met the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and the Minister for Culture, Sport and the Welsh Language of the National Assembly for Wales on 27 February to discuss a range of issues on the National Lottery, including Scottish aspects.The outcome of the lottery review is expected to be announced in summer 2003.The Lottery Distributing Bodies (Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Screen, sportscotland, Community Fund, New Opportunities Fund, and Heritage Lottery Fund) are meantime engaged in a wide range of activities to ensure that the distribution of lottery money in Scotland meets Scottish needs and priorities.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Watson on 17 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how the #600,000 recently announced by the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport for improved opportunities to participate in sports for children and young people with special needs will be allocated.
Answer
The £600,000 will be paid into the Scottish Physical Recreation Fund and managed by it specifically for Scottish Disability Sport (SDS). This will enable SDS to provide the specialist support needed to ensure that children and young people with special needs can participate fully in the Active Primary Schools and Schools Sports Development Officer Programmes, which will attract significant additional resources over the next three years.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Watson on 17 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of any existing funding, or of the #600,000 recently announced by the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, for improved opportunities to participate in sports for children and young people with special needs will be allocated to local authority and independent specialist schools run by charitable organisations.
Answer
None. I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-34419 today. 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/search_wa.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Watson on 12 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership is of the advisory group set up to provide advice to the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport on plans to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns; what stage the celebration preparations have reached, and how much money will be allocated to celebrate the event.
Answer
The membership of the advisory group includes the Lord Provost of Edinburgh (Chair); Professor Michael Lynch, University of Edinburgh; Andrew Mathieson, Scottish Tourism Forum; Peter Irvine, Unique Events; Graeme Munro, Historic Scotland; Alison Lindsay, National Archives of Scotland; Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland; Pat Watters, Convention of Local Authorities; Eric Miller, Scotland Office; and John Mason, Hamish Blair, Andrew Slorance and Lesley Fraser from the Scottish Executive.The advisory group first met on 6 February 2003 to review various proposals to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the Union of the Crowns. These proposals are being developed and costed by Historic Scotland, VisitScotland and others, and the budget for them will be finalised once the programme has been announced.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Des McNulty on 12 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average length of time has been between receipt of an application and completion of installation under its central heating installation programme in Dundee.
Answer
Eaga say that the average waiting time is currently nine months.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 11 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31441 by Nicol Stephen on 21 November 2002, how much funding is currently available to local authorities under capital allocation arrangements to assist in the schools rebuilding and refurbishment programme.
Answer
General consent to incur expenditure on their non-housing capital programmes, including education, is allocated to local authorities on the basis of a formula agreed with COSLA. The total such allocation for the current financial year is £314.246 million. The allocation is neither project nor programme specific. Local authorities themselves decide what proportion to spend on capital investment in schools.
