- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the proposed timetable is for the completion of new school buildings to be financed under PPP schemes.
Answer
The timetable (actualand estimated) for the completion of new school buildings under PPP schemes canbe found on the Scottish Executive Financial Partnerships Unit’s website at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Finance/18232/futuredealsfor those schools PPP projects in procurement and at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Finance/18232/donedealsfor those schools PPP projects which have reached financial close.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will mitigate the effect of the lower budgetary growth anticipated in future spending settlements.
Answer
The government willexercise financial discipline and deliver a programme of efficiency and reform toaddress the effects of the lower Budgetary growth that is anticipated in futurefunding settlements received from the UK Government.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will meet its commitment to freeze council tax in the next financial year.
Answer
The government’s commitmentto freeze council tax levels at 2007-08 levels will be taken forward as part of the Spending Review. The outcome of the Spending Review will be announced laterthis year. Discussions with local government are on-going as to how best the counciltax freeze can be achieved.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the fourth annual report of the Homelessness Monitoring Group on the implementation of the Homelessness Task Force report.
Answer
I refer the memberto answer to question S3W-1134 on 26 June 2007. Following consideration of the material referred to,conclusions will be published.All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facilityfor which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will proceed with the rebuilding of the Dumbarton and Vale of Leven academies under the previously agreed PPP scheme.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-2573 on 14 August 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that freezing the current council tax levels for all local authorities will enable them to exercise their responsibilities adequately in line with projected inflation.
Answer
I am currently havingvery constructive discussions with local government about a package of measuresto enable local authorities to maintain and improve the frontline public servicesthey deliver and to deliver a freeze in council tax levels.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made against each of the 59 recommendations in the Homelessness Task Force report.
Answer
The last progressreport on implementation of the recommendations of the Homelessness Task Force isavailable on the Scottish Government website at
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Housing/homeless/H-M-G/HMG23HTFandHMGprioritiesand http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Housing/homeless/H-M-G/HMG23HTFandHMGprioritiesa.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it anticipates any delay in proceeding with new school buildings to be financed under PPP schemes.
Answer
The Government hasquickly confirmed that we will honour existing offers of financial support for schoolPPP projects. As a result, we do not anticipate any delays.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to proceed with previously agreed PPP schemes for new schools in West Dunbartonshire referred to in the 2007-08 spending proposals of the previous administration and, if not, how it will provide the new school facilities promised to the people of West Dunbartonshire and other local authorities with similar proposals already in place.
Answer
We said before theelections that PPP could continue as one of several delivery options open to publicsector bodies. These are complex procurements involving high procurement costs forboth public and private sector participants. Some procurements have been in processfor many months, and we do not wish to incur even higher costs and possibly delaykey investments in infrastructure. West Dunbartonshire Council’s schools projectis making good progress and we will continue to discuss progress on the projectwith West Dunbartonshire Council.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether replacing council tax with a local income tax will provide flexibility to local authorities in exercising their responsibities.
Answer
In exercising theirresponsibilities, local authorities allocate their resources on the basis of localneeds and local and national priorities. Replacing council tax with a local incometax will not change this.
