- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 30 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to (a) ensure that the rules and applications for 50% rates relief for rural post offices are uniformly applied across Scotland and (b) establish a uniform definition of what constitutes a rural post office for the purposes of the scheme.
Answer
Responsibility for interpreting the legislative framework within which local authorities are required to operate rests with the individual authority and subsequently, where a ratepayer disagrees with that interpretation, the Courts.The Non Domestic Rating (Rural Areas and Rateable Values Limits) (Scotland) Order 1997 designates rural areas for the purposes of the rural (village shop) rate relief scheme. The method used is based on the General Register Office for Scotland post code method of urban/rural classification.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 30 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to extend the 50% rates relief scheme available to post offices in rural areas to those in deprived urban areas and which local authorities currently operate an additional 50% relief scheme for post offices in rural areas.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no plans to extend the scope of the existing rural (village shop) rate relief scheme to post offices in deprived urban areas. Post offices in deprived urban areas may be eligible for rate relief under the small business rate relief scheme announced by Andy Kerr on 11 December 2001.The level of discretionary rate relief granted by local authorities under the rural (village shop) scheme is entirely a matter for each local authority. Information on the level of discretionary rate relief granted specifically to post offices by each local authority is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 July 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 29 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what degree of overcrowding there was in Scottish prisons in total and broken down by prison, also expressed as a percentage of the capacity of prisons, on 31 January, 31 March and 30 June 2002.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The available information is in the following tables:Position at Friday 1 February 2002
| | Available capacity | Total | % of available capacity |
| South and West | |
| Barlinnie | 825 | 1,064 | 129.0% |
| Cornton Vale | 230 | 232 | 100.9% |
| Dumfries | 162 | 111 | 68.5% |
| Greenock | 254 | 313 | 123.2% |
| Kilmarnock | 548 | 541 | 98.7% |
| Low Moss | 375 | 237 | 63.2% |
| Polmont | 422 | 389 | 92.2% |
| Shotts | 516 | 513 | 99.4% |
| Area Total | 3,332 | 3,400 | 102.0% |
| North and East | |
| Aberdeen | 155 | 193 | 124.5% |
| Castle Huntly | 151 | 132 | 87.4% |
| Edinburgh | 578 | 658 | 113.8% |
| Glenochil | 489 | 487 | 99.6% |
| Glenochil YOI | 58 | 56 | 96.6% |
| Inverness | 108 | 129 | 119.4% |
| Noranside | 121 | 100 | 82.6% |
| Perth | 582 | 527 | 90.5% |
| Peterhead | 296 | 293 | 99.0% |
| Area Total | 2,538 | 2,575 | 101.5% |
| All Scotland Total | 5,876 | 5,976 | 101.7% |
Position at Friday 29 March 2002
| | Available capacity | Total | % of available capacity |
| South and West | |
| Barlinnie | 818 | 1,115 | 136.3% |
| Cornton Vale | 230 | 237 | 103.0% |
| Dumfries | 122 | 139 | 113.9% |
| Greenock | 254 | 317 | 124.8% |
| Kilmarnock | 548 | 526 | 96.0% |
| Low Moss | 345 | 264 | 76.5% |
| Polmont | 422 | 434 | 102.8% |
| Shotts | 516 | 518 | 100.4% |
| Area Total | 3,255 | 3,550 | 109.1% |
| North and East | |
| Aberdeen | 155 | 172 | 111.0% |
| Castle Huntly | 151 | 127 | 84.1% |
| Edinburgh | 578 | 724 | 125.3% |
| Glenochil | 496 | 483 | 97.4% |
| Glenochil YOI | 58 | 56 | 96.6% |
| Inverness | 108 | 135 | 125.0% |
| Noranside | 121 | 100 | 82.6% |
| Perth | 582 | 567 | 97.4% |
| Peterhead | 296 | 287 | 97.0% |
| Area Total | 2,545 | 2,651 | 104.2% |
| All Scotland Total | 5,806 | 6,201 | 106.8% |
Position at Friday 28 June 2002
| | Available capacity | Total | % of available capacity |
| South and West | |
| Barlinnie | 860 | 1,200 | 139.5% |
| Cornton Vale | 230 | 266 | 115.7% |
| Dumfries | 178 | 178 | 100.0% |
| Greenock | 254 | 353 | 139.0% |
| Kilmarnock | 548 | 537 | 98.0% |
| Low Moss | 318 | 295 | 92.8% |
| Polmont | 422 | 471 | 111.6% |
| Shotts | 508 | 498,518 | 98.0% |
| Area Total | 3,318 | 3,798 | 114.5% |
| North and East | |
| Aberdeen | 155 | 210 | 135.5% |
| Castle Huntly | 156 | 145 | 92.9% |
| Edinburgh | 578 | 793 | 137.2% |
| Glenochil | 496 | 497 | 100.2% |
| Glenochil YOI | 76 | 73 | 96.1% |
| Inverness | 108 | 138 | 127.8% |
| Noranside | 121 | 112 | 92.6% |
| Perth | 582 | 543 | 93.3% |
| Peterhead | 296 | 286 | 96.6% |
| Area Total | 2,568 | 2,797 | 108.9% |
| All Scotland Total | 5,886 | 6,595 | 112.0%" |
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 15 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio of ancillary staff to general practitioners is in Scotland compared with England and Wales.
Answer
The information requested is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 4 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide funding for a feasibility study into the possibility of re-opening Reston railway station.
Answer
The reopening of a railway passenger station at Reston is a local transport issue. As such we would expect the relevant local authority to take such a project forward.Local authorities may apply for funding of feasibility studies for public transport improvements from the Public Transport Fund (PTF). Studies or projects supported by the PTF would have to satisfy eligibility criteria and compete with other bids. Applications for the current round must be submitted by 12 August.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 4 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive why the Borders railway line is not included in the list of "Up-front" transport improvements to be put in place before congestion charges are introduced referred to in the Have Your Say leaflet issued by the City of Edinburgh Council.
Answer
The wording and distribution of the Have Your Say consultation leaflet is a matter for City of Edinburgh Council.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 4 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the consultation documents on Edinburgh's new transport initiative and copies of the Have Your Say leaflet have made available to the public in the Scottish Borders area.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26947.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has formally responded to the Sheriff Principal's report on the review of the provision of sheriff courts in East Lothian and the Borders as referred to in its news release SE0042/2000.
Answer
There has been no formal response to the Sheriff Principal's report beyond the statement made by the Deputy Minister for Justice at the conclusion of the Member's Debate on court provision which took place on 12 January 2000. Ministers accepted the recommendations of the Sheriff Principal in their entirety and there were no further matters to report to the Parliament at that time.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 June 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 3 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-26177 by Mr Jim Wallace on 10 June 2002, what costs were incurred by (a) Keppie Design (b) Currie & Brown, (c) White Young Green and (d) Melville Dundas on the refurbishment of Peebles Sheriff Court.
Answer
I have been advised by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service that the individual fees paid to the consultants who provided the feasibility report on Peebles Sheriff Court are subject to commercial confidentiality. However, I can advise that the total fees paid to date to the consultants are £17,480.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 May 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 1 July 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for grants under the central heating installation programme have been rejected on the basis that (a) failed heating systems required to be replaced immediately before any grant could be approved and (b) applicants had not been aware of their eligibility for the central heating installation programme when installing systems, expressed also as a percentage of the total number of rejected applications.
Answer
The information requested is not collected.
