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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 MSPs 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: S3W-26881

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 11 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the operation of the low income, low assets (LILA) route to bankruptcy and (a) abolish the £100 application fee and (b) provide access to LILA for homeowners.

A review of the low income, low assets (LILA) route into bankruptcy after one year of operation is currently being conducted by the Accountant in Bankruptcy and a report will be published by the end of September 2009.

The £100 application fee is payable by all debtors who apply for bankruptcy not just those who demonstrate eligibility by virtue of the LILA criteria. The fee is intended to meet the administration costs associated with the award process. We do not expect the review to produce evidence to support the abolition of the debtor application fee. If there were no fee, the administration costs would otherwise have to be borne by the public purse.

By definition, LILA allows for assets of low value only. The amendment of the LILA criteria to allow access through this route to homeowners would result in increased costs for debtors, and for the Accountant in Bankruptcy, to establish that there was little or no equity in the home.

We are looking at alternatives to allow access to bankruptcy for a wider group of people by way of a certificated route. This will allow homeowners access to bankruptcy if they consider this is the best course of action for them.

Question reference: S3W-26749

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 August 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what it would cost per annum to implement a minimum pay rate of £7 per hour for all staff covered by its public sector pay policy.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Contact details for each of the bodies subject to the Scottish Government''s Public Sector Pay Policy are as follows:

The Scottish Government and its associated departments: www.scotland.gov.uk;

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service: www.copfs.gov.uk, and

Executive Agencies, Non-Departmental Public Bodies and Public Corporations “ contact details for each body can be found on the Government''s Public Bodies website:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/Links.

Question reference: S3W-26748

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 August 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the lowest hourly pay rate is for staff covered by its public sector pay policy and how many staff are employed at that rate, broken down by public body.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Contact details for each of the bodies subject to the Scottish Government''s Public Sector Pay Policy are as follows:

The Scottish Government and its associated departments: www.scotland.gov.uk;

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service: www.copfs.gov.uk, and

Executive Agencies, Non-Departmental Public Bodies and Public Corporations “ contact details for each body can be found on the Government''s Public Bodies website http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/Links.

Question reference: S3W-26750

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 August 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff covered by its public sector pay policy have a pay rate of under £7 per hour, broken down by public body.

The information requested is not held centrally.

Contact details for each of the bodies subject to the Scottish Government''s Public Sector Pay Policy are as follows:

The Scottish Government and its associated departments: www.scotland.gov.uk;

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service: www.copfs.gov.uk, and

Executive Agencies, Non-Departmental Public Bodies and Public Corporations “contact details for each body can be found on the Government''s Public Bodies website:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/Links.

Question reference: S3W-26887

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 10 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many central heating systems were installed, not including legacy central heating programme installations, as part of the Energy Assistance Package by the end of August 2009.

Question reference: S3W-26888

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 10 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many individual applications to the Energy Saving Trust for the Energy Assistance Package have resulted in work being allocated to contractors and what percentage this represents of all applications.

The Energy Assistance Package provides a range of measures to applicants and details of those and the numbers benefiting can be found at:

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/scotland/Scotland/Energy-Assistance-Package/Programme-Statistics.

The latest statistics available cover the period from April to the end of July.

Of the 1,477 referred to Stage 4 by the end of July, the managing agent has indicated that 1,324 were accepted, subject to survey, and 1,296 of those were allocated to survey. Of those allocated to survey, 21 have subsequently cancelled and 611 have been identified as qualifying for Stage 4 measures.

Of the 611 the managing agent is progressing 349 applications (57%) i.e. awaiting permissions, agreeing specifications etc and 262 applications (43%) have been allocated to a contractor for work to be undertaken.

Question reference: S3W-26883

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 10 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) households and (b) individuals contacted the Energy Saving Trust for the Energy Assistance Package by the end of August 2009.

Question reference: S3W-26892

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 10 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that existing contractors in different communities across Scotland can contribute to the delivery of the Energy Assistance Package.

The managing agent is responsible for delivery of the measures available under Stage 4 of the Energy Assistance Package. This is achieved through a network of surveyors and installers appointed by the managing agent following an open tendering processes, consistent with EU procurement rules, based on quality and price.

The Scottish Government continues to support the approach taken by the managing agent to secure a wide contractor base capable of meeting the requirements of the service according to the specification provided.

Question reference: S3W-26886

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 10 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many legacy Warm Deal applications and legacy central heating programme installations have been carried out following the commencement of the Energy Assistance Package.

Question reference: S3W-26894

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 10 September 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason the threshold for fuel poverty in the Scottish Housing Quality Standard is different to that used in the Energy Assistance Package.