- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of the Scottish Borders Housing Association’s statement that it is seeking £4 million from Scottish Borders Council to address the association’s financial deficit and the impact of such action on Scottish Borders Council’s reserves and its council tax payers.
Answer
Claims under the indemnities contained in the sale and purchase agreement are primarily a matter between Scottish Borders Council and Scottish Borders Housing Association. It would be inappropriate for the Executive to comment on any action currently being taken by the association.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can review the underwriting of a £38 million residual loan debt in respect of former Scottish Borders Council houses in the event that Scottish Borders Housing Association attempts to recover the deficit resulting from its stock transfer agreement in March 2003.
Answer
Treasury has undertaken to provide funding to redeem residual housing debt remaining with a council on the transfer of its housing to community ownership. In the case of Scottish Borders Council, Treasury met this commitment in March 2003 when the council received £80.6 million to redeem its residual debt and associated breakage costs.
Any borrowings currently held by Scottish Borders Housing Association are a matter for the association.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what average price per house has been paid by housing associations for local authority properties in each year since the inception of the Scottish Borders Housing Association.
Answer
There have been only two whole stock transfers in Scotland since the transfer of Scottish Borders Council’s stock to Scottish Borders Housing Association. The price paid for Dumfries and Galloway Council’s housing stock was an average of £2,767 per unit and the price paid for Glasgow City Council’s housing, before grant, was £310 per unit. A small number of partial transfers have taken place at nil price mainly because of the high element of demolition and new build involved in these estate based regeneration projects.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the average price of £3,061 per house paid by Scottish Borders Housing Association to Scottish Borders Council as part of the stock transfer programme in 2003 represented value for money.
Answer
The valuation prepared by the independent valuer sought to achieve a price which delivered fair value to the public purse and which would enable the purchaser to prepare a fundable business plan. On this basis, the Executive was satisfied that the purchase price of £23.3 million represented value for money.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what contractual conditions are in place with regard to writing off the housing debt of housing associations.
Answer
There are no contractual arrangements in place with regard to writing off the housing debt of housing associations.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates the Fuel Poverty Forum has met since its inception.
Answer
The Fuel Poverty Forum met on 24 February 2003, 17 June 2003, 17 September 2003, 16 December 2003, 30 March 2004, 15 June 2004, 15 September 2004, 7 July 2005 and 4 October 2005.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 23 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when it has had met, and what discussions it has had with, the Fuel Poverty Forum regarding fuel price rises.
Answer
The Scottish Executive Fuel Poverty Forum meets quarterly to work collectively towards delivering the Scottish Executive fuel poverty target. Fuel prices are reserved to the UK Government and as such have not constituted a formal agenda item. However the Forum regularly discusses what can be done to protect those most vulnerable to price increases.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 21 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies there are for social workers, broken down by grade and local authority area.
Answer
The latest vacancy figures for local authority social workers, broken down by grade and local authority area, are published on the Scottish Executive website at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/02/06165620/0.
Information on vacancy levels in the independent sector is not collected centrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 21 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many invitations to visit local authorities were declined by ministers in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 21 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many visits the First Minister made to local authorities in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
