- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 24 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to conduct research into the prevalence of low income or disadvantaged groups living in properties in poor condition and to provide a breakdown of this data by housing sector.
Answer
The Scottish House Condition Surveys (SHCS) collect information about the physical condition of Scotland’s homes and the views of the people who live in them. The surveys provide good quality information about the nature of our housing and our communities.
The most recent survey results were published in the SHCS 2002 report, this is available from the SHCS publications website www.shcs.gov.uk
The SHCS2002 report presents analysis of the household type (i.e. small family, single pensioner, etc), economic status of the householder, condition of the housing and the housing sector (tenure).
Detailed additional follow-up reports using the SHCS 2002 data have been published. These include the Fuel Poverty report, the effect of Housing and Health in Scotland and most recently (February 2005) the Housing and Disrepair in Scotland report. All are available from the SHCS publication website.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 23 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers are trained in the awareness of dyslexia.
Answer
The numbers of teachers trained in the awareness of dyslexia is not held centrally.
The early identification of dyslexia is a priority area. The Executive provides £7.2 million to local authorities for the training and development of teaching and support staff working with pupils with additional support needs, including dyslexia.
In addition, over the period 2002-05, voluntary organisations have been awarded £335,000 to produce dyslexia specific training materials. This includes Count Me In, a teaching pack which provides a range of tools and materials to assist teachers with the identification of dyslexia. Dyslexia Scotland has also been awarded £100,000 for 2005-07 to improve good practice across schools in relation to dyslexia.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 17 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 23 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many schoolchildren have been diagnosed with dyslexia in each of the last five years.
Answer
The number of schoolchildren diagnosed with dyslexia in each of the last five years is not held centrally.
However, we do collect statistics on those with specific learning difficulties, which includes dyslexia, where children have a record of needs (RoN) (1999-2001) or a record of needs and/or an individualised educational programme (IEN) (2002-03). These figures are provided in the table.
| School Census Year | No of pupils with Specific Learning Difficulties | Method of Recording |
| 2003 | 6,377 | RoN and/or IEP |
| 2002 | 4,909 | RoN and/or IEP |
| 2001 | 1,445 | RoN |
| 2000 | 1,542 | RoN |
| 1999 | 1,389 | RoN |
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 03 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 22 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on how many briefings the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions conducted in Scotland in (a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001, (d) 2002, (e) 2003 and (f) 2004 as part of civil contingency preparations.
Answer
This information is not held by the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 March 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote among employers equality of treatment of workers who have been diagnosed with cancer in light of the recent CancerBACUP survey.
Answer
Employment legislation is a reserved matter.
On 25 November 2004 the UK government introduced the Disability Discrimination Bill which will amend the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 so that more people diagnosed with cancer will be brought within the scope of the Act.
In addition, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has produced a Framework for Vocational Rehabilitation demonstrating Government’s commitment to provide direction and leadership on vocational rehabilitation.
Healthy Working Lives (HWL) – A plan for action was launched by the Scottish Executive in August 2004. This covers all aspects of workplace health, including the promotion of employment and job retention, particularly for people with health or other disadvantages.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 14 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is concerned at the '1.27 billion debt owed by Glasgow City Council and what plans it has to assist the local authority to reduce the scale of the debt.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is content with the arrangements for sound and effective management of this debt. The Scottish Executive provides revenue support in the form of Loan Charge Support to meet the costs of servicing this debt, except for a small element which is met in the main by income from housing rents and housing support grant.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 14 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many answers to parliamentary questions it gave where a full response was unavailable as the information was not held centrally in (a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001, (d) 2002, (e) 2003 and (f) 2004.
Answer
The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 10 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many men (a) were diagnosed with and (b) died from prostate cancer in each year since 1996-97, broken down by NHS board area.
Answer
(a) Number of Men Diagnosed with Prostate Cancer (ICD-10 C61) Each Year, by Year of Diagnosis and Health Board Area of Residence: 1996-2001
| Heath Board Area of Residence | Year of Diagnosis |
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 |
| Argyll and Clyde | 172 | 134 | 150 | 163 | 168 | 164 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 136 | 144 | 148 | 146 | 161 | 163 |
| Borders | 73 | 64 | 58 | 34 | 55 | 40 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 70 | 47 | 74 | 68 | 63 | 65 |
| Fife | 179 | 152 | 137 | 123 | 113 | 132 |
| Forth Valley | 151 | 129 | 93 | 138 | 140 | 150 |
| Grampian | 223 | 196 | 230 | 249 | 205 | 230 |
| Greater Glasgow | 334 | 305 | 285 | 281 | 282 | 362 |
| Highland | 71 | 111 | 123 | 124 | 131 | 70 |
| Lanarkshire | 188 | 181 | 185 | 151 | 176 | 165 |
| Lothian | 370 | 313 | 312 | 320 | 374 | 378 |
| Orkney | 10 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Shetland | 11 | 5 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 3 |
| Tayside | 173 | 157 | 153 | 170 | 161 | 173 |
| Western Isles | 10 | 15 | 19 | 12 | 6 | 12 |
| Scotland | 2,171 | 1,961 | 1,983 | 1,994 | 2,050 | 2,115 |
Source: Scottish Cancer Registry, ISD.
Data Extracted: February 2005.
(b) Number of Deaths from Prostate Cancer (ICD-10 C61) Each Year, by Year of Death and Health Board Area of Residence: 1996-2003
| Heath Board Area of Residence | Year Of Death |
| 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
| Argyll and Clyde | 75 | 57 | 46 | 73 | 66 | 66 | 64 | 58 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 62 | 44 | 44 | 60 | 58 | 68 | 69 | 72 |
| Borders | 26 | 24 | 25 | 27 | 22 | 20 | 23 | 22 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 24 | 21 | 26 | 28 | 27 | 30 | 23 | 32 |
| Fife | 53 | 55 | 62 | 60 | 46 | 51 | 71 | 46 |
| Forth Valley | 42 | 43 | 33 | 31 | 44 | 45 | 34 | 46 |
| Grampian | 73 | 85 | 80 | 84 | 78 | 78 | 82 | 74 |
| Greater Glasgow | 106 | 107 | 109 | 109 | 127 | 120 | 125 | 128 |
| Highland | 35 | 30 | 39 | 44 | 45 | 39 | 40 | 40 |
| Lanarkshire | 71 | 62 | 53 | 65 | 73 | 79 | 75 | 61 |
| Lothian | 99 | 98 | 82 | 107 | 111 | 109 | 95 | 117 |
| Orkney | 1 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| Shetland | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Tayside | 70 | 69 | 67 | 66 | 69 | 58 | 59 | 80 |
| Western Isles | 3 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 5 |
| Scotland | 743 | 708 | 677 | 769 | 773 | 777 | 775 | 786 |
Source: General Register Office (Scotland) (GRO(S)).
Date Extracted: August 2004.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 10 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the approximately '9 billion of debt owed by local authorities has an impact on the delivery of core services, such as care for elderly people and services for disabled people.
Answer
Local authorities’ accumulateddebt as at 31 March 2004 of £9 billion is made up from past years’ capital investmentprogrammes and around 75% is directly supported by the Scottish Executive through revenue support grant in the form of Loan Charge Support. In 2003-04this support amounted to £861 million. The remaining debt is financed from otherrevenue streams, mainly from income from housing rents and housing support grant.
The Executive’s support has enabledauthorities to make significant investments over many years in infrastructure includingcapital investment to assist with the delivery of services for elderly people anddisabled people, such as new residential care homes.
The Executive is also continuingto support around £300 million of new capital investment each year as part of thethree-year settlement for local government finance. This will run alongside self-supportedor “prudential” capital investment by local authorities which authorities undertaketo fund themselves.
- Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 28 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 10 March 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Glasgow City Council regarding the cost of servicing its £1.27 billion debt and whether the £121 million a year repayments represent a competitive rate.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with all local authorities and Joint Boards of Policeand Fire, with regard to their respective levels of outstanding debt, and the annuallevel of revenue support from the Scottish Executive to meet the costs of servicingthis debt.
It is up to each local authorityto negotiate with their lender(s) the best terms in servicing loans and they areunder a legislative duty of Best Value which includes sound management of resourcesand accountability.
