- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the availability of venture capital finance to small businesses.
Answer
The Scottish Executive keeps the financial needs of small business under continued review. I am very pleased that the change of status afforded to Scottish Equity Partners - formerly Scottish Development Finance, Scottish Enterprise's investment arm - has allowed the company to raise £80 million for a new Venture Capital Fund aimed at early stage and growth technology companies. This will provide access to equity funding for an increasing number of Scottish small businesses.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the economic and social consequences will be of delaying the construction of the M74 Northern Extension until the completion of a public inquiry and what the cost of the inquiry will be.
Answer
If a public inquiry is necessary then that is part of the statutory process and is not a delay. It is not possible to estimate the cost of an inquiry until the scope of any objections to the scheme are known.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its intention to end the "postcode lottery of care" as described by the Minister for Health and Community Care on 14 December 2000 (Official Report, col.1039) will result in services being equally available in all health board areas and, if so, when this will be achieved.
Answer
Our National Health: a plan for action; a plan for change, published on 14 December, sets out fully the range of measures which will be taken to develop and achieve strong national and clinical standards across NHSScotland.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive why Glasgow City Council is to receive the 27th highest increase in aggregate external finance over the years 2001-02 to 2003-04.
Answer
Glasgow City Council's grant allocation was calculated by formula based on long-established methods of establishing each council's need to spend on services. A floor mechanism was also introduced to ensure that all councils would benefit from increases of at least 5%, 4% and 3.4% over the three years. Glasgow continues to receive substantially more grant per person than any other mainland council and has benefited by £16 million from the floor.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce the number of student nurses who drop out of training colleges due to a perceived poor quality of clinical placements offered.
Answer
We have continually urged universities and NHS Trusts to work together to minimise the drop-out rate of student nurses and midwives, by addressing a range of issues including:
the preparation of the clinical mentors who support students during placements;
the timing, nature and support provided for students' early experiences of clinical placements;
course design to facilitate student progression through successive academic challenges and clinical experiences;
availability of student support services for nursing students.The discontinuation rate can most accurately be measured retrospectively, after each cohort has completed its programme of study. Figures calculated on this basis by the National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for Scotland, give evidence of an improvement over recent years.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 30 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking or plans to take to ensure effective and systematic implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is committed to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Making it Work Together - a Programme for Government emphasised our commitment to improving the lives of our nation's children and set out a range of targets to that end. The UK Government submitted its second report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child - which included a Scottish chapter - in August 1999. We will consider carefully the UN Committee's observations on that report once received.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to establish any new non-departmental public bodies in 2001 and, if so, to specify these.
Answer
As part of our drive to modernise government structures, the Executive is carrying out a radical review of all Scottish Public Bodies. We will consider what role public bodies should play in the devolved Scotland and how they should operate and be accountable to Ministers and Parliament. We will be considering the scope for reduction in the number of public bodies through abolition and merger, and the circumstances in which new ones should be created.I shall make a statement on the way ahead following the review around the end of May.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the rate of inflation will be in 2003-04.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not forecast inflation. For reference, the latest HM Treasury forecast for inflation, covering the period to 2003, was published in Building Long-Term Prosperity for All: Pre-Budget Report (November 2000).
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in the event of any large-scale stock transfers, local authority housing rent arrears which exist at the time of the transfer will remain the responsibility of local authorities or transfer to the relevant housing association.
Answer
The arrangements for dealing with rent arrears will be a matter for negotiation between the relevant council and acquiring landlord, and will be set out in the contract of sale.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 January 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 25 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to provide schoolchildren with greater opportunities to participate in creative activities outwith school hours.
Answer
The Scottish Executive supports and encourages such opportunities.
Scotland's National Cultural Strategy, published in August 2000, promotes creativity in the arts and other cultural activity, especially by children and young people. A key priority is to recognise and celebrate schools as centres of creativity.
The Executive is providing £27 million to 2002 under the Excellence Fund Core Programme for study support, some of which will have a creative element.The New Opportunities Fund has made available over £23 million for out of school hours learning activity and over £25 million for out of school care. The learning activity includes creative ventures in the arts to help raise the self-esteem and confidence of pupils. Many out of school clubs provide good opportunities for participation in creative activities.
