- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 23 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23990 by Mr Andy Kerr on 25 March 2002, what specific action it is taking to improve the number of (a) women, (b) people from ethnic minorities and (c) disabled people in senior civil service grades and how progress in this area is monitored.
Answer
The range of measures is set out in our Diversity Strategy, launched in November 2000. Our efforts in the last year have been concentrated in three main areas: awareness raising within the organisation; diversity proofing personnel processes with the aim of removing unnecessary barriers, and outreach work with under represented groups. With regard to monitoring, we produce regular reports against targets for the Executive's Management Group and for Cabinet Office.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 23 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional financial support it plans to make available to Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire to cope with the job losses at the Faslane and Coulport naval dockyards.
Answer
The number of any job reductions cannot be confirmed until Babcock Naval Services has reviewed its requirements. However, Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire (SED) is currently considering the potential impact on the local economy and will meet shortly with representatives from the Clyde Base.Once the scale of any job losses is known, SED will assess the likely cost of the assistance offered to any employees affected. Support will be provided for those affected through dedicated local response teams in conjunction with the Executive's PACE framework. It will be for SED to discuss with Scottish Enterprise any requirement for additional financial assistance which cannot be met from its existing budget.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 23 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the group lending model proposed for the microcredit programme is suitable for mixed gender groups.
Answer
Evidence from pilot schemes in the west of Scotland has shown that the group lending model is suitable for women, and women are expected to be the main beneficiaries of the extended scheme. Evaluation of the programme will, however, assess carefully the impact of the scheme on any mixed gender groups established.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 22 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many central heating systems were installed under its central heating installation programme in (a) private sector, (b) local authority and (c) housing association properties in each local authority area in 2001-02.
Answer
The information requested for the private sector part of the central heating programme is not held by local authority area, but 3,500 installations were delivered across Scotland in 2001-02. A report on the results of the programme across all sectors of the stock in 2001-02 will be published later this year. Tables A and B show the position for the local authorities and housing associations respectively.Table A: Local authorities
| Local Authority | Number of Dwellings |
| Aberdeen | 83 |
| Angus | 6 |
| Argyll and Bute | 28 |
| Dundee | 604 |
| East Ayrshire | 133 |
| East Dunbarton | 8 |
| East Lothian | 0 |
| East Renfreshire | 61 |
| Edinburgh | 140 |
| Falkirk | 0 |
| Fife | 319 |
| Glasgow | 1,352 |
| Highland | 24 |
| Inverclyde | 84 |
| Midlothian | 21 |
| Orkney | 60 |
| Renfrewshire | 121 |
| Shetland | 28 |
| South Lanarkshire | 863 |
| West Dunbarton | 72 |
| Total* | 4,007 |
Note:*Local authority stock in Aberdeenshire, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Moray, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Perth and Kinross, Scottish Borders, South Ayrshire, Stirling, West Lothian and Western Isles all have central heating and so were not included in the programme.Table B: Housing associations
| Local Authority Area | Number of Dwellings |
| Edinburgh | 102 |
| Dundee | 109 |
| Falkirk | 61 |
| Glasgow | 281 |
| Inverclyde | 22 |
| North Lanarkshire | 12 |
| Stirling | 19 |
| Total | 606** |
Note:**This is an estimated figure. Communities Scotland are responsible for the housing association programme. They estimate that central heating will be installed in a total of 871 housing associations dwellings in 2001-02.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 22 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many private sector properties in each local authority area are still to have a central heating system installed under its central heating installation programme.
Answer
The information requested is not held by local authority area, but we estimate that across Scotland there are 40,000 over 60s in the private sector without central heating or with a system which is broken and beyond repair. Over 3,500 systems have been installed to date. The remainder will be installed between now and March 2006.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 22 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) private sector, (b) local authority and (c) housing association properties in each local authority area will have a central heating system installed under its central heating installation programme in 2002-03.
Answer
We cannot identify the number of private sector households that will benefit from the central heating programme by local authority area, but Eaga's budget will provide for 4,600 owner-occupiers and private sector tenants across Scotland in 2002-03 to receive central heating. Allocations for local authorities and housing associations have not yet been finalised for 2002-03, because most of them are still finishing the programme for 2001-02, and so it is not possible to provide the information requested at (b) and (c). The budget for this sector means that around 6,000 local authority tenants and 1,200 housing association tenants should benefit from the programme in 2002-03.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 18 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23615 by Allan Wilson on 12 March 2002, whether it will provide a definition of income which will be contained in the regulations providing for the exemption from water and sewerage charges.
Answer
The Water and Sewerage Charges (Exemption) (Scotland) Regulations 2002, made on 27 March 2002 and which came into force on 1 April 2002, provided a definition of net annual income. This was defined as any income received by a person liable to pay water and sewerage charges, less:Any funds raised and paid over by that person as a donation to a charity;Any funds raised and paid over by that person to a parent organisation, andAny grant paid to that person under any enactment for the purposes of capital expenditure.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Mike Watson on 18 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it is providing to the Scottish Maritime Museum in 2002-03.
Answer
The Scottish Maritime Museum is receiving resources of £160,000 in 2002-03 as their share of the funding injection package of £1.26 million over three years announced in December 2000 for the three main industrial museums - the Scottish Fisheries Museum, the Scottish Maritime Museum and the Scottish Mining Museum.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve communication between the police, the procurator fiscal service and the victims of crime and their families.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24440.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 March 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 17 April 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review how victims of crime and their families are treated by the criminal justice system.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is demonstrating its continuing commitment to victims and their families within the criminal justice system through the implementation of the Scottish Strategy for Victims. The strategy has been developed by the main criminal justice agencies with the objectives of improving support and information for victims as well as increasing opportunities for victims to participate in the criminal justice system. Each of the agencies has published an action plan to support the strategy and implementation is monitored by the Victims Steering Group, a multi-agency forum which promotes the interests of victims and their families within the justice system. As a result, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has established the Victim Liaison Office to improve the availability of information about the progress of individual cases reported to Procurators Fiscal for victims and bereaved next of kin. The police have also resolved the data protection issues in relation to passing information to Victim Support Scotland to make it easier for victims of crime who wish it, to get the support they need. In addition, the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill includes provisions to give victims certain rights to improve the position of victims and their families in the criminal justice system. Thus certain victims of crime, if they wish it, will have a statutory right to be informed of an offender's release from prison; to make representations to the Parole Board before a decision is taken on the release of a prisoner, and to receive information about the outcome of Parole Board reviews and licence conditions. The Executive also plans to pilot a scheme which will allow victims to make a statement about the impact of the crime to better inform decisions.