- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that there is an improvement in Inverclyde Council's DLO/DSO accounting arrangements and no repeat of the failure by a number of trading activities to achieve their financial objectives.
Answer
The Accounts Commission has made a number of recommendations for all DLO/DSOs across Scotland and I expect all councils to act upon them. The unaudited DLO/DSO results for 1998-99 show that Inverclyde Council has acted to reduce the number of DLO/DSOs that failed to achieve their statutory objectives from 5 in 1997-98 to 1 in 1998-99. I expect the council to make every effort to ensure no DLO/DSO fails to achieve the statutory objective in subsequent years.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for ensuring that each Scottish local authority has adequate internal audit resources available to scrutinise the authority as a whole and whether it will encourage the establishment, where one does not currently exist, of an audit committee or similar structure to allow council members to discharge this responsibility.
Answer
The allocation of resources and committee structures are matters for local authorities themselves. We encourage all authorities to ensure that they have robust internal audit systems in place.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive which Scottish local authorities have yet to issue a statement on their strategic objectives in service delivery recognising the clear separation of client and contractor and demonstrating how they will ensure value for money.
Answer
This issue was raised by the Controller of Audit in his report 1998-99 Overview of DLOs and DSOs in Scotland. I have referred your questions to the Controller of Audit who will write to you to provide further explanation and information.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will explain the variation in the percentage of rent arrears across Scottish local authorities and which authorities have (a) no formal rent recovery policies (b) no rent arrears recovery timetable (c) delays in pursuing arrears and (d) take no action in respect of former tenants arrears.
Answer
Rent arrears management is the responsibility of individual local authorities and the detailed information requested is not held centrally. The Accounts Commission and Scottish Homes are jointly carrying out a study into rent arrears management in local authorities and housing associations. The study is due to be completed next summer.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive which Scottish local authorities have yet to put in place arrangements to ensure that corrective action is taken when poor financial performance is indicated from monitoring reports.
Answer
I refer Mr Gibson to my answer to question S1W-1523.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what action will be taken to ensure that all Scottish local authorities implement best practice to address basic accounting and control weaknesses, including the absence of bank and other reconciliations, internal control deficiencies, weaknesses in the compilation and maintenance of asset registers and the lack of reconciliation between the assessment roll and valuation roll.
Answer
These matters are dealt with through the audit process. The audit process exists to identify weaknesses in local authorities' systems, highlight these weaknesses to local authorities and make recommendations as appropriate. The Accounts Commission for Scotland is responsible for securing the audit of local authorities in Scotland. Auditors appointed by the Commission make recommendations and ensure that these are implemented.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive which Scottish local authorities do not yet account for DLO/DSO income expenditure on a full accruals basis.
Answer
I refer Mr Gibson to my answer to question S1W-1523.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive which Scottish local authorities have still to review bonus schemes to ensure that the DLO/DSO bonus earning capacity of each scheme is consistent with contract prices and achievement of statutory financial objectives.
Answer
I refer Mr Gibson to my answer to question S1W-1523.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive which Scottish local authorities have yet to produce business plans for their DLOs/DSOs explaining how their activities can be run profitably given the income generated from work undertaken for council departments.
Answer
I refer Mr Gibson to my answer to question S1W-1523.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 August 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to review recent data indicating that internet websites encouraging suicide are contributing to the high level of suicides among young people in Scotland.
Answer
I am not aware of the data referred to. There is a range of factors that contribute to suicide rates and these include the accessibility of means of suicide. The regulation of Internet services are a reserved matter under the Scotland Act 1998.
