Questions and answers

Question reference: S1W-05388

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 30 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how many private sector homes are classified as being below tolerable standard in each local authority area for the last four years for which figures are available and what this number represents as a percentage of private sector homes in each area.

There are two sources of estimates of the number of dwellings below tolerable standard (BTS) in Scotland. The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) provides a national estimate (generally every five years) - the latest of which, for 1996, gave an estimate of 27,000 BTS dwellings in Scotland. The SHCS estimate cannot be broken down by local authority area; however local authorities themselves produce annual estimates of the number of BTS dwellings in their areas - although the amalgamation of these estimates for 1996 was very different, at 84,000, from the SHCS estimate for that year.

The following table presents local authorities' estimates of the number of below tolerable standard (BTS) dwellings in the private sector in their areas in each of the last four years. Some authorities are not able to provide a full tenure breakdown of their BTS dwelling estimate; the table below, therefore, also gives each authority's estimate of the total number of BTS dwellings in their area and the number for which the tenure was not known. Information on the total number of private sector dwellings in each local authority in these years is not held centrally.

ESTIMATED NUMBER OF DWELLINGS BELLOW THE TOLERABLE STANDARD:
(PRIVATE SECTOR) 1996 TO 1999
	1996			1997			1998			1999
Local	Private	Tenure	Total	Private	Tenure	Total	Private	Tenure	Total	Private	Tenure	Total
Authority	Sector	not known	BTS	Sector	not known	BTS	Sector	not known	BTS	Sector	not known	BTS
Scotland	40,797	25,381	84,048	57,469	4,552	78,264	50,351	7,328	73,575	52,816	2,478	69,792

Aberdeen City	2,118	-	2,348	2,018	-	2,237	2,005	-	2,220	1,764	-	1,971
Aberdeenshire	1,602	863	2,467	1,615	821	2,438	-	-	2,712	-	-	2,650
Angus	2,179	-	2,179	-	618	660	-	618	660	-	631	673
Argyll & Bute	6,401	-	7,142	6,285	-	6,887	6,221	-	6,699	6,124	-	6,552

Clackmannanshire	537	-	821	472	-	623	356	-	507	165	-	248
Dumfries & Galloway	880	-	880	880	-	880	-	458	458	443	-	443
Dundee City	475	-	475	445	-	445	414	-	414	365	-	365
East Ayrshire	497	-	629	393	-	393	360	-	360	336	-	336

East Dunbartonshire	30	-	30	31	-	31	21	-	21	17	-	17
East Lothian	1,126	-	1,134	1,081	-	1,084	1,081	-	1,081	-	1,076	1,076
East Renfrewshire	60	-	108	54	-	54	52	-	102	44	-	62
Edinburgh, City of	5,065	-	7,286	4,765	-	6,845	4,595	-	6,493	4,482	-	6,232

Eilean Siar	2,959	-	2,959	2,859	-	2,859	-	2,815	2,815	2,786	-	2,786
Falkirk	217	-	223	213	-	219	213	-	219	213	-	219
Fife	1,156	-	1,156	993	-	993	930	-	930	811	-	811
Glasgow City	-	15,303	25,428	14,513	-	23,642	14,513	-	23,642	13,791	-	21,913

Highland	2,011	3,088	5,392	4,954	-	5,222	3,704	1,395	5,337	4,953	-	5,174
Inverclyde	2,869	-	2,999	2,718	-	2,813	2,675	-	2,880	2,675	-	2,880
Midlothian	5	-	5	2	-	2	2	-	2	9	-	9
Moray	426	255	681	414	268	682	414	277	691	633	-	635

North Ayrshire	-	2,981	2,981	2,726	-	2,726	2,600	-	2,600	2,548	-	2,548
North Lanarkshire	665	-	665	634	-	655	763	-	795	706	-	730
Orkney	-	1,509	1,509	-	1,509	1,509	-	980	1,026	976	-	1,026
Perth & Kinross	2,015	-	2,038	1,870	-	1,888	1,854	-	1,854	1,784	-	1,784

Renfrewshire	2,850	-	6,306	2,850	-	6,306	1,009	-	1,051	951	-	980
Scottish Borders, The	2,432	-	2,518	2,295	-	2,361	4,178	-	4,528	3,878	-	4,203
Shetland	-	515	515	-	469	469	-	446	446	-	432	432
South Ayrshire	394	-	394	421	-	421	449	-	449	457	-	457

South Lanarkshire	1,244	320	1,645	1,405	320	1,806	1,152	320	1,553	1,146	320	1,547
Stirling	559	-	559	538	-	538	536	-	536	535	-	535
West Dunbartonshire	-	528	528	-	528	528	229	-	446	199	-	450
West Lothian	25	19	48	25	19	48	25	19	48	25	19	48

Comparisons of these estimates between local authorities and over time need to be made with considerable care. Councils use a wide range of data sources and methods to derive them. For most councils sample survey evidence is combined with information from administrative sources; the conduct and timing of the most recent surveys and the types of administrative sources used vary significantly between councils.

The Scottish Executive has commissioned independent research into the methods used locally (by authorities) and nationally (in the SHCS) to compile estimates of the number of BTS dwellings. The aim of the research is to identify key elements of a methodology which would provide reliable and comparable estimates at both local and national level. A report of this research will be published later in the year.

Question reference: S1W-05391

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 30 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that all local authorities fulfil their statutory obligations under the Housing (Scotland) Act, 1987 and whether it is aware of any local authorities being in breach of their obligations.

Question reference: S1W-04396

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 15 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 28 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive why the percentage of Glasgow school leavers who are still unemployed four months after leaving school has increased year-on-year since 1996-97 and what plans it has to reverse this trend.

Question reference: S1W-05161

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 27 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list those local authorities (a) who have a low forecast level of capital receipts raising capacity and whose net capital allocation has been adjusted up and (b) who have a high forecast level of capital receipts raising capacity and whose net capital allocation has been adjusted down, showing the capital allocations before and after adjustments for each local authority in the years 1999-2000 and 2000-01.

The information requested is shown in the table below. The allocations for 2000-01 are provisional.

	1999-	2000	2000	-2001
	Base formula allocation	Formula Allocation adjusted for receipts	Base formula allocation	Formula allocation adjusted for receipts
Council	£000s	£000s	£000s	£000s

Aberdeen City	7269	6660	8035	6319
Aberdeenshire	7875	8184	8749	8368
Angus	4451	4873	4887	5204
Argyll & Bute	8564	9695	9552	10272
Clackmannanshire	2621	2814	2761	2874
Dumfries & Galloway	7240	8051	7900	8596
Dundee City	6369	6221	7024	6994
East Ayrshire	4569	4937	5017	5251
East Dunbartonshire	4392	4076	4812	4553
East Lothian	4026	4351	4445	4404
East Renfrewshire	3707	4005	4040	4251
Edinburgh (City of)	15632	14338	17563	16590
Eilean Siar	8306	9250	8947	9619
Falkirk	5159	4619	5661	5945
Fife	11740	11315	13159	13598
Glasgow City	26597	24797	30012	28827
Highland	14906	15597	16339	17241
Inverclyde	5325	5565	5864	6216
Midlothian	3475	3403	3790	3619
Moray	3991	4106	4369	4415
North Ayrshire	6613	7024	7415	7767
North Lanarkshire	11397	10458	12696	12137
Orkney Islands	3373	3653	3475	3681
Perth & Kinross	6513	6816	7348	7546
Renfrewshire	7116	7075	7862	8086
Scottish Borders	5797	5128	6366	6979
Shetland	0	0	0	0
South Ayrshire	4343	4696	4764	4457
South Lanarkshire	11271	11425	12590	12065
Stirling	4309	3899	4695	4544
West Dunbartonshire	3898	4192	4244	4382
West Lothian	5295	4917	5845	5429
SCOTLAND TOTAL	226139	226139	250228	250228

Question reference: S1W-05178

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 27 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what the specific grant allocation was for local government in 1999-2000, and what it will be in 2000-01, in real terms.

Question reference: S1W-05167

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 27 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive why the grant-aided expenditure figure for school transport of #46.569 million in 1999-2000 will remain exactly the same in 2000-01.

The GAE allowances for individual services are not spending targets or limits, but contribute towards the calculation of councils' total grant allocations. The factors determining that calculation in respect of school transport did not change between 1999-2000 and 2000-01. In 2000-01 Government Supported Expenditure will rise by 3.7% to £6,746 million. Within that, provision for education will increase by 4.3%. It is a matter for local authorities to determine their spending priorities and allocate resources accordingly.

Question reference: S1W-05168

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 27 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive why the grant aided expenditure figure for school transport in 2000-01 showed variances over its 1999-2000 figure ranging from -56% in the case of East Lothian to +248% in the case of Glasgow.

Grant aided expenditure for school transport was allocated in 1999-00 on the basis of school age population adjusted by a secondary indicator of rural settlement pattern. For 2000-01 COSLA agreed the use of a new secondary indicator, population dispersion as a more plausible measure of councils' relative school transport costs, which has resulted in a different distribution. "Damping" arrangements have been introduced to give extra support to councils facing a reduction in GAE as a result of the change in indicator.

Indicators used for GAE distribution are set out in the Grant Aided Expenditure 2000-01 Green Book, copies of which are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

Question reference: S1W-04469

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 27 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3568 by Susan Deacon on 11 February 2000, why the waiting times for coronary artery bypass grafts and other cardiac surgery vary widely between health boards and what it will do to reduce both waiting times and the level of variance.

The variations between Health Boards in waiting times for coronary artery bypass surgery and other cardiac surgery are the result of a number of different factors, of which the severity of disease in individual patients is a key factor.

It is for clinicians to determine the priority to be assigned in any given case. Those who need surgery on an emergency or urgent basis may never be on the waiting list at all. The Coronary Heart Disease Task Force has drawn up standard criteria for the management of patients awaiting cardiac surgery, based on clinical need. These will ensure that patients on the waiting list are managed actively and the system will respond appropriately, especially if there is any deterioration in a patient's condition.The Task Force is working with cardiologists throughout Scotland to draw up common referral practices and is developing the concept of a national Managed Clinical Network for cardiac surgery. These initiatives, together with the work to establish national maximum waiting times for cardiac surgery, will help to overcome any geographical bias, while enhancing equity of access to services.

Question reference: S1W-04306

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 27 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will implement self-financing pay awards, similar to those in local authorities, in 2000-01 for staff under its own direct responsibility.

Question reference: S1W-04744

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 23 March 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what the financial indebtedness is of each local authority relating to the total interest charges incurred for paying invoices after the due date to (a) all firms and (b) firms employing fewer than 50 people, since the introduction of the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

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