Seòmar agus comataidhean

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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Criathragan Hide all filters

Displaying 415 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S2W-32041

Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 9 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many small business start-ups there were in the Stirling local authority area in the last three years and how this number and the rate of business start-ups in the area compare with the average across Scotland.

Data on the number of VATregistrations and de-registrations are releasedannually by the Small Business Service, an agency of the Department for Tradeand Industry. These figures are used to monitor the number of businessstart-ups and closures; they are not available by business size.

These figures do not accountfor all UK business activity as only companies with a turnover above the VATthreshold are required to register.

The following table showsthe latest figures on the number of VAT registrations and the VAT registrationrate per 10,000 resident adults for the Stirling local authority area and in Scotland forthe period 2003 to 2005:

Local Authority	2003	2004	2005
Registrations
Stirling local authority area	300	270	270
Scotland	11,980	11,980	11,525
Registration Rate per 10,000 Resident Adults
Stirling local authority area	43	39	39
Scotland	29	29	28

Source:Small Business Service, DTI.

Question reference: S2W-32045

Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 9 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how successful Scottish Enterprise has been in attracting inward investment and new international companies to the Stirling local authority area.

In the five years to March 2006,Scottish Development International and its partners helped attract six projectsto Stirling local authority area involving planned investment of£39.709 million and the planned creation or safeguarding of 990 jobs.

Scottish Development Internationalcontinues to work closely with Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley to develop appropriate inward investment opportunitiesfor the area.

Question reference: S2W-32011

Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 9 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it has invested in providing broadband connectivity in Stirlingshire.

Question reference: S2W-32015

Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 9 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the latest annual estimate is of the number of people in the Stirling parliamentary constituency who earn the national minimum wage or below.

Question reference: S2W-32046

Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 9 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the claimant count (a) number and (b) unemployment rate have been in each ward of Stirling Council in the most recent month for which figures are available.

The Claimant Count gives thenumber of people claiming unemployment related benefits and is produced by the Officeof National Statistics. The following table shows the claimant count number andthe claimant count rate for each ward in Stirling in January 2007. Please note thatthe rates are calculated using the resident working age population rather than theeconomically active population.

Table 1 Claimant CountUnemployment for Wards in Angus, January 2007

	Number	Rate
Bridge of Allan	25	1.0%
Logie	3	0.1%
Wallace	71	2.7%
Raploch	122	5.1%
Town Centre	91	3.3%
Argyll	61	2.4%
King’s Park and Cambusbarron	31	1.4%
Torbrex	32	1.4%
Broomridge	70	3.0%
Borestone	74	3.8%
Bannockburn West	66	2.6%
Bannockburn East	43	1.9%
Polmaise	79	2.6%
Sauchenford	91	3.3%
Dunblane West	28	1.1%
Dunblane East	24	0.9%
Highland	52	2.4%
Teith	23	1.0%
Trossachs	35	1.4%
Campsies	28	1.2%
Strathendrick	35	1.5%
Blane Valley	17	0.6%
Total	1,101	2%

Source: Office for National Statistics.

Notes:

1. Data are numbers of peopleclaiming unemployment related benefits.

2. Proportions for wards arecalculated using the mid-2005 resident working age population.

Question reference: S2W-32014

Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 9 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the overall change has been since 2003 in the number of jobs in the (a) Stirling parliamentary constituency and (b) Central Scotland region.

The following table shows thenumber of employee jobs in 2003 and 2005 (latest data) and also the net change inlevels of employee jobs between 2003 and 2005 for the Stirling parliamentaryconstituency and the Central Scotland region.

Table 1 Employee Jobs in 2003and 2005 for Selected Areas and the Change in Employee Jobs Between 2003 and 2005

	2003	2005	Change between 2003 and 2005
Stirling	33,700	36,900	3,200
Central Scotland	109,600	115,500	5,900

Source: Annual Business Inquiry

1. Figures have been roundedto the nearest hundred.

2. These figures are aggregatesfrom which agriculture class 0100 (1992 SIC) have been excluded. The Scottish Executiveare currently working on agricultural data at parliamentary constituency level asnoted in the answer to question S2W-31371 by Ross Finnie on 5 February 2007.

3. These statistics are workplace based.

4. Parliamentary constituencybased on 1995 revision.

5. Central Scotland is definedas the Falkirk, Stirling and Clackmannanshire local authorities.

Question reference: S2W-32023

Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by George Lyon on 9 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration has been given to the relocation of an Executive agency to Stirling.

All local authority areas,including Stirling, are considered for all location reviews.

A full list of locationreviews is available on our website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/Relocation/StoryFar.

We are committed to theprinciple of dispersing public sector jobs all across Scotland andwork with local authorities and local enterprise companies, including Stirling, toidentify potential locations that would be most suitable for the bodies orunits covered by the policy.

Question reference: S2W-32027

Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what amount of private sector grant was approved by Stirling Council for aids and adaptations for householders in each year since 1999.

The amount of private sectorgrant approved by Stirling for carrying out improvements for people withdisabilities is shown in the following table.

Amountapproved for aids and adaptations in Stirling: 1998-99 to 2005-06

Year	Amount Approved (£)
1998-99	106,000
1999-2000	226,000
2000-01	144,000
2001-02	154,000
2002-03	177,000
2003-04	195,000
2004-05	203,000
2005-06	289,000

Source:IMP1B returns submitted by local authorities to the Scottish ExecutiveDevelopment Department Analytical Services Division (Housing Statistics).

Notes:

1. Figureshave been rounded to the nearest thousand.

2. Thefigures shown represent amounts approved for work identified by localauthorities specifically as improvements for disabled. They do not includegrants for more general improvements which may include elements of benefit topeople with disabilities, such as improved accessibility.

Question reference: S2W-32022

Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the level of expenditure by Communities Scotland on infrastructure in the Stirling local authority area and what major projects have been completed in that area since 1999.

Communities Scotland hasinvested some £25 million on the provision of affordable housing in the StirlingCouncil area since 1999. An element of this investment has been directedtowards providing infrastructure works to facilitate the provision ofaffordable housing.

Since 1999, CommunitiesScotland has provided funding to a range of significant housing projects in theStirling local authority area such as Westhaugh, Cornton; Endrick Gardens,Balfron; Lagrannoch, Callander and Allan Park, Stirling.

Question reference: S2W-32012

Asked by: Dr Sylvia Jackson, MSP for Stirling, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 9 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation it has had with BT concerning any technical problems preventing consumers in Stirlingshire from obtaining broadband connections as a result of being located too far from their telecom exchanges.