- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 20 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-10148 by Jackie Baillie on 15 November 2000, whether there has been any change in the funding arrangements for the central heating initiative and what progress there has been in discussions with Scottish Gas, Scottish Power, Scottish Hydro-electric and Transco.
Answer
A further £5 million is being put into the Central Heating Programme this year so that councils considering transfer to community ownership can install central heating systems on the same timescale as the other local authorities taking part. Good progress has been made in our discussions with the energy companies and they have agreed to support the programme through the Energy Efficiency Commitment. Support will also be provided by Transco through its Affordable Warmth Programme.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 17 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the first supplementary question to question S1O-3585 by Susan Deacon on 14 June 2001, what guidance and procedures have been issued to education authorities in relation to prescribing the morning-after pill.
Answer
No specific guidance has been issued to Education Authorities on emergency contraception or the morning after pill, since the Executive is aware that there are no current plans to introduce the supply of the pill by school nurses.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 17 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive on what evidence the statement "This autumn a poor Scottish student will have #1000 more to live on than a new student in 1979" by the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning in Scotland on Sunday on 1 July 2001 is based.
Answer
A young Scottish student starting a full-time course in Scotland from this month will have access to a total maintenance package of grant and loan worth £4,315, where their family income is £15,000 or below. Up to £2,000 of this support will be payable as bursary. It may be supplemented in individual cases by supplementary grants and payments from Hardship Funds. In 1979, the full maintenance grant was £1,100 or £3,361 at current prices.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 16 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the ministerial statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government on 28 June 2001, why there has been a net reduction of #30 million in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 Enterprise and Lifelong Learning budgets and what impact this will have on the delivery of the Enterprise and Lifelong Department's priorities.
Answer
The net reduction of £30m in the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning budgets occurs within the spending plans for the Students Awards Agency for Scotland and amounts to £10m in each of the 3 years 2001-02 to 2003-04.
This reduction will have no impact on the delivery of the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department's priorities.
On new loans the budget makes provision to reflect estimated future write-offs for non-recovery and the difference between the cost of capital charge and the interest earned over the whole life of the loan. The data underpinning these estimates is reviewed on a regular basis. The most recent review indicates that the estimated provision should be at a rate 5% less than that previously calculated.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 16 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the ministerial statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government on 28 June 2001, why there has been a net reduction of #35 million in the 2002-03 and 2003-04 Social Justice budgets, and what impact this will have on the delivery of social justice priorities.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16746.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 15 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are known to have been injured by air guns in each of the last three years.
Answer
The information requested is given in Table 9, page 15 of the Statistical Bulletin "Recorded Crimes & Offences Involving Firearms, Scotland, 1999" published by the Scottish Executive in September 2000, a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib 14877).
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 15 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the money made available for improving services for older people, as announced in the ministerial statement by Susan Deacon on 5 October 2000, was new money.
Answer
On 5 October the Minister announced that an additional £25 million per annum had been set aside to provide free nursing care and that an additional £30 million, £36 million and £60 million would be provided to local authorities in the years 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04 respectively. She also announced that £10 million per annum would be provided on a continuing basis to local authorities to reduce delays to discharge from hospital. The availability of none of these resources had previously been announced.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 15 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to increase the recruitment of police officers.
Answer
The number of police officers in Scotland reached an all time high in March 2001. The funding made available to the police service, which is more than a third higher in real terms than ten years ago, is intended to sustain this level. These resources, combined with the resources made available to improve intelligence-led policing, should significantly enhance the ability of the police to prevent crime and catch criminals.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 15 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive when it proposes to set a target date for the implementation of development funding transfers in relation to the new executive agency for housing.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is currently working with local authorities and Scottish Homes to agree arrangements for the transfer of development funding to local authorities. We do not intend to set a target date for transfer.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 15 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact growing up in a smoking environment has on the physical and intellectual development of a child.
Answer
There is evidence that children exposed to passive smoking are at increased risk of serious respiratory illness, asthma attacks, and middle ear disease. Infants are at an increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome.
The World Health Organisation have published evidence that children of smokers perform more poorly in school than children of non-smokers.
