- 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 how current housing policies will allow the creation of sustainable mixed communities.
Answer
A housing supply comprisinga mix of different tenures that meets the housing needs of a range of householdsis one of the many conditions required to create sustainable mixed communities.The Scottish Government’s forthcoming consultation on social housing will includeproposals aimed at improving the integration of social housing and other tenures.
- 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 whether the proposed Housing Support Fund will assist all first-time buyers or a specific group.
Answer
The government’s intentionbehind the work to create a Scottish Housing Support Fund, which I announced duringthe housing debate in Parliament on 21 June 2007, is to attract private investmentto enable additional help to be provided for a wide range of people who struggleto afford a first home of their own. The targeting of assistance to first-time buyerswill be informed by the outcome of the current spending review and subsequent discussionswith private sector lenders and investors.
- 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 it intends to consult the public and public bodies in determining where proposed reductions in public spending should be made.
Answer
Along with my CabinetSecretary and ministerial colleagues, I will be in dialogue with a range of stakeholdersover the summer to gather evidence and views on how we can use the strategic spendingreview to set plans that will enable us to fulfil our purpose and achieve our strategicobjectives.
Parliament will playits role in scrutinising the government’s spending plans after we have announcedthem later in the autumn.
- 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 a real-terms public spending increase of 2.4% will lead to a fall in the level and quality of services financed through central funding initiatives.
Answer
Strategic SpendingReview 2007 will focus on achieving the Government’s purpose and five strategicobjectives. We will work with our partners to deliver the best possible public serviceswith the available resources.
- 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 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.
- 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 John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the delay in the comprehensive spending review will not adversely affect the delivery of essential services.
Answer
We will publish ourspending plans as soon as possible after the announcement of the UK ComprehensiveSpending Review. However, there will be an impact on the notice we can give deliverybodies of their allocations for 2008-11. We will work with delivery partners tominimise disruption and ensure the on-going smooth delivery of services to customersin circumstances that are outwith the control of the 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 Nicola Sturgeon on 13 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it intends to take to reduce smoking-attributable mortality in all ages and genders in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area, in light of it having the highest such mortality rate of any NHS board area.
Answer
The Scottish Government is makingsubstantial levels of specific funding available to Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHSBoard for the provision of smoking cessation services and related tobacco controlactivity to reduce the incidence of smoking related morbidity and mortality in thearea. In 2007-08, the Board’s allocation is £2,569,000 including £800,000 for thetobacco control element of the Keep Well initiatives in East and North Glasgow.
Greater Glasgow and Clyde NHSBoard is strongly committed to reducing smoking prevalence within the area and havehad a comprehensive tobacco control strategy in place for a number of years. Thesubstantial increases in the funding made available by the Scottish government overthe last three years, has enabled the board to considerably expand these tobaccocontrol activities. As a result, a comprehensive, integrated, smoking cessationservice has been established across the board area and a range of other tobaccocontrol measures, such as prevention and education, are being pursued. Theboard is also currently reviewing the overarching tobacco control strategy in lightof recent developments, including structural changes, to ensure that the contributionof all relevant health improvement partners within local Community Health Partnershipsis harnessed effectively to reduce smoking-related harm within the area.
