Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for ��˿�� to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-04420

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2003
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 10 December 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will respond to any concerns by surveyors that the pilot sellers' surveys may operate in the interest of the seller.

For buyers and their lendersto have confidence in a survey that is commissioned by a seller, it will haveto provide objective, reliable and reasonably comprehensive information on thecondition of the house. Surveyors are disinterested professionals and we expectthat they will produce a single survey that meets the needs of both sellers andbuyers and will be accepted by all parties.

We do, however, anticipate abenefit to the seller in terms of improved marketing of their property andincreased confidence in the condition of the house.

Question reference: S2W-04421

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2003
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 10 December 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any added liability placed on a seller in the pilot sellers' survey schemes.

Question reference: S2W-04417

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2003
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 10 December 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-3052 by Nicol Stephen on 21 October 2003, what representations it has received on re-regulating the bus industry.

Question reference: S2W-04429

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2003
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 9 December 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address underperformance in Scottish Qualifications Authority exams amongst pupils from areas with the highest poverty levels.

The National Priorities inEducation and the school improvement framework are the vehicles through whichwe work with education authorities and schools to seek improvement ineducational outcomes for all pupils. As part of the drive for improvement, allpublicly funded secondary schools have set targets for exam performance for2005.

We recognise that there areparticular barriers that can prevent pupils who live in areas of highdeprivation from achieving their potential in exam performance. A number ofpolicy initiatives seek to offer support that will help to overcome thesebarriers. These include Surestart, integrated community schools and programmesfor study support, among others. The curriculum review and the increase inopportunities for those who wish to pursue vocational qualifications are alsoimportant developments focused on addressing underperfomance. There is anadditional allowance of around £50 million within the local governmentsettlement to cover education deprivation.

Question reference: S2W-04491

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2003
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 8 December 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to making representations to Her Majesty's Government about the proposal by the Refugee Scotland Project that open door hostel accommodation should be developed as an alternative to detention at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre which would also allow the children of asylum seekers to attend local schools.

Question reference: S2W-04073

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 November 2003
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 3 December 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to integrate dispersed asylum seekers into local communities.

The Executive has provided around£2 million of funding since September 2001 for a range of projects which assistasylum seekers to integrate into the local community. These include facilitiessuch as drop in centres, language classes and child care provision and theFramework for Dialogue project being run by the Scottish Refugee Council in partnershipwith Glasgow City Council and the Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector. Inaddition we have spent a further £3 million on language services and onimplementing the Scottish Refugee integration Forum Action Plan.

Question reference: S2W-04072

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2003
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 26 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive at what point its responsibilities end for the provision of services to dispersed asylum seekers.

Question reference: S2W-04071

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 November 2003
Current Status: Answered by Margaret Curran on 25 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with the Home Office over the recommendations made in the inspection reports on the Dungavel House immigration removal centre.

Question reference: S2W-04070

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 November 2003
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 24 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address the issue of chronic underemployment in Glasgow.

The Executive is workingwith key partners to raise the economic activity rate in Glasgow fromits current rate of 68.7% during the 12 months to May 2003, closer to the Scotlandrate of 79%. This is being done by ensuring that more Glasgowresidents have the skills and the support to tackle particular barriers toemployment which will allow them to take advantage of job opportunities beingcreated in the city.

Recognising the need forgreater co-ordination of welfare to work initiatives, the Executive is workingwith the City Council, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, Greater Glasgow HealthBoard, Careers Scotland, ESF, the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, and JobcentrePlus to support the Glasgow Welfare to Work Forum, launched in June 2003. It isactively pursuing a number of actions to ensure that Glasgow hasa healthyand dynamic economy providing good quality jobs for Glasgowresidents.

Employment policy isreserved to the UK Government.

Question reference: S2W-03960

Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2003
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 19 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support Scottish involvement in UK Trade and Investment and the British Council's proposal to open a British music industry office in New York.

Scottish DevelopmentInternational works alongside UK Trade and Investment to support Scottish musiccompanies in world markets, and will work closely with any British Musicindustry office that is established in New York. Scottish Development International’sfield operations team in the USA can also offer tailored in-market support andtemporary office facilities in all major US cities where appropriate.