- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 22 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of the pilot study of the online British Sign Language interpreting service.
Answer
The Scottish Government funded Deaf Connections to conduct a time-limited online British Sign Language (BSL)/English interpreting pilot during 2007-08. The pilot was funded to test the new approach to interpreting provision and to start to explore if it could contribute to a better deployment of the limited number of interpreters available in Scotland.
Whilst the evaluation suggested that an online interpreting service can be useful in a number of situations, particularly in rural areas or when the interpreting assignment is of a short duration the service should not be seen as an alternative to the existing traditional, face-to-face service. The evaluation suggested that the deaf people who used the online interpreting service preferred it to online services delivered in English. Interpreters felt the pilot had allayed their initial professional concerns.
The pilot demonstrated that an online interpreting service can work and that technical difficulties and professional concerns can be overcome. The lessons from the pilot are helpful to policy makers and have contributed to the government''s understanding of online services for people who use BSL.
A copy of the evaluation of the pilot carried out by Deaf Connections is available on the Scottish Government website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Equality/disability/remit/projects/.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 19 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24353 by Stewart Stevenson on 10 June 2009, what type of rolling stock will be deployed for services west of Airdrie to Helensburgh Central station.
Answer
The current assumption is that class 334''s will be used between Airdrie and Helensburgh from the commencement of services in December 2010.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 19 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24356 by Stewart Stevenson on 10 June 2009, how the revised additional passenger boardings of 13,878 between 7 am and 7 pm compare with the (a) original passenger boarding assumption set out in the business case and (b) actual passenger boarding numbers for the existing lines.
Answer
(a) The original business case assumed 12,678 passenger boardings for the hours between 7 am to 7 pm.
(b) Daily passenger numbers (boarding and alighting combined) for the existing lines (Helensburgh/Drumgelloch and Bathgate to Edinburgh Waverley) are as follows:
| Helensburgh/Drumgelloch 2008-09 | Total Daily Passenger Count |
| Helensburgh Central | 2,442 |
| Cardross | 618 |
| Craigendoran | 722 |
| Dalreoch | 1,221 |
| Dumbarton Central | 2,558 |
| Dumbarton East | 1,509 |
| Dalmuir | 2,497 |
| Hyndland | 3,522 |
| Partick | 5,797 |
| Charing Cross | 7,139 |
| Glasgow Queens Street | 18,077 |
| High Street | 2,255 |
| Bellgrove | 1,792 |
| Springburn | 662 |
| Carntyne | 823 |
| Shettleston | 2,143 |
| Garrowhill | 1,665 |
| Easterhouse | 1,270 |
| Blairhill | 1,690 |
| Coatbridge Sun | 1,621 |
| Coatdyke | 1,275 |
| Airdrie | 3,195 |
| Drumgelloch | 721 |
Note: Where a station is used on more than one route it is not possible to split out the specific data for a particular route.
| Bathgate/Edinburgh Waverley 2008-09 | Total Daily Passenger Count |
| Edinburgh Waverley | 2,757 |
| Haymarket | 1,520 |
| Edinburgh Park | 803 |
| Uphall | 860 |
| Livingston North | 1,729 |
| Bathgate | 1,801 |
Note: Where a station is used on more than one route it is not possible to split out the specific data for a particular route.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 19 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24356 by Stewart Stevenson on 10 June 2009, what percentage growth in patronage was assumed when planning the procurement of rolling stock.
Answer
Patronage growth for the Airdrie to Bathgate route was assumed to be 3% year-on-year when planning the procurement of rolling stock. In addition, Transport Scotland has taken account of modelling work which allows for a further 750 passengers per day at the peak times between 7 am to 9 am.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 19 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24358 by Stewart Stevenson on 10 June 2009, which peak services will operate as 2 x 3 coach units and how this compares with the current capacity of trains at peak times.
Answer
The timetable for Airdrie to Bathgate is currently under detailed development by First ScotRail and until such time as this is concluded we are unable to confirm individual trains which will comprise of six coaches.
The detailed development will identify the most suitable trains for 2 x 3 coach units.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Alex Neil on 18 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that equality impact assessments should be applied to singe outcome agreements.
Answer
It is not the Scottish Government''s role to determine on whether an authority has appropriately complied with its public sector equality duties. However, as the Scottish Government is engaged with community planning partnerships (CPPs) in the development of single outcome agreements (SOAs), it recognises its responsibility to work with partners to ensure that equality is properly considered and reflected.
To support this, in March 2009 the Scottish Government and COSLA issued advice on Equality and Single Outcome Agreements “ Getting to Best Practice. This advice is intended to help community planning partners to consider how they may move beyond fulfilling their individual equalities obligations and toward jointly incorporating and reflecting equality in the ongoing development of SOAs.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 18 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will cost the Accountant in Bankruptcy to administer the Debt Arrangement Scheme.
Answer
The estimated cost of developing the Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS) case management system to meet the immediate demands of changes to regulations is £32,000.
This figure also provides for an assessment on the future suitability of the DAS IT system which, in technology terms, is aging. This work would be required irrespective of any changes to DAS.
Based on 3,000 DAS applications per annum, the estimated costs to operate the DAS scheme will be around £500,000 per annum. That figure is based on total cost and includes all support costs, a proportion of accommodation, management, governance and control etc.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 18 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people it anticipated would apply for bankruptcy through low income, low assets (LILA).
Answer
Based on the findings of a working group on debt relief and Citizen''s Advice Scotland figures, it was estimated that between 4,500 and 6,500 debtors who were stuck in the debt cycle and urgently requiring debt relief would apply for bankruptcy through low income, low assets (LILA) route.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 18 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average debts are for people who have applied for bankruptcy through low income, low assets (LILA).
Answer
A review of the low income, low asset (LILA) route into bankruptcy, published in October 2008, is available on the Accountant in Bankruptcy website at
www.aib.gov.uk.
Based on a sample of 2,011 debtors who became bankrupt between 1 April 2008 and 31 July 2008, the report found that the average LILA debtor has around £17,288 of debt and the majority of debtors owe between £5,000 and £19,999.
A further review of the LILA route into bankruptcy is currently underway and is due to report findings by August 2009.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 June 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 18 June 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have applied for bankruptcy through low income, low assets (LILA).
Answer
The Accountant in Bankruptcy maintains the Register of Insolvencies in Scotland and publishes statistics on personal insolvencies in Scotland, quarterly on their website at
www.aib.gov.uk and by financial year in their annual report, which is also available on their website.
The Accountant in Bankruptcy considers debtor applications and assesses eligibility for bankruptcy. Debtor applications for bankruptcy are all considered via the same application process and applications are not specifically considered as low income, low assets applications.
