Chamber and committees

It is for local licensing authorities to determine what conditions must be met before a licence for a house in multiple occupation is granted. HMO licensing and planning control are not linked in law and not all HMOs require planning permission. Some authorities require confirmation that the property has any necessary planning permission before granting an HMO licence, some grant conditional licences requiring that planning permission must be obtained, and others do not consider planning issues in the licensing process.

I have nothing further to add to the answer given to question S1O-5472 on 5 September 2002, which is available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

We continue to work through Scottish Development International to promote Scotland as a quality location for value-added, high-skill call centres, emphasising our educational strengths, providing support and assistance with identifying locations and training, and offering financial support where appropriate. Financial services and telecommunications are priority areas for Scottish Development International and are being actively targeted in key overseas markets.

Boards of management are accountable to the Scottish ministers through powers delegated to the Scottish Further Education Funding Council in the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992.

An extensive consultation exercise seeking views on future governance and accountability arrangements in the further education sector is currently under way. The appointment of boards of management is one issue on which views are being sought.

Industrial relations and employment issues within further education colleges, which are autonomous bodies in terms of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992, are for the colleges themselves to address.

Arrangements whereby staff in colleges of further education may appeal against disciplinary action would normally be covered by the disciplinary code of the college concerned and by general employment law provisions.

We will consider further the alignment of the student support for further and higher education students in the light of the forthcoming lifelong learning strategy.

Decisions on awards from Hardship Funds allocations are made by colleges and universities who are best placed to assess whether individual students need this additional support. The current arrangements for Hardship Funds and the Mature Students Bursary Fund (MSBF) aim to retain as much of that discretion as possible while at the same time targeting the support to those students who need it most. We have asked institutions for feedback on the first year of MSBF and will consider whether any changes should be made to the arrangements in the light of their comments.

I understand that Clydeport owns some 21 hectares (approximately 55%) of the development site and Glasgow City Council owns 17 hectares (approximately 44%). The remaining 1% is made up of various ownerships held on long leases.