- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will explain the variation in the percentage of rent arrears across Scottish local authorities and which authorities have (a) no formal rent recovery policies (b) no rent arrears recovery timetable (c) delays in pursuing arrears and (d) take no action in respect of former tenants arrears.
Answer
Rent arrears management is the responsibility of individual local authorities and the detailed information requested is not held centrally. The Accounts Commission and Scottish Homes are jointly carrying out a study into rent arrears management in local authorities and housing associations. The study is due to be completed next summer.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive over what time period the #10.8 million underpayment in rate support grant to Fife Council in financial year 1997-98 resulting from the overstatement of rateable valuations of non-domestic properties will be recovered by Fife Council.
Answer
The adjustment in respect of Fife Council's original overstatement of its estimated non-domestic rate income for 1997-98 was made in a single payment to the Council on 3 February 1999.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive when the "Three tiers" report referred to in the Controller of Audit's Overview Report on the 1997-98 Audits of Local Authorities is to be published.
Answer
The Accounts Commission report Three Tiers? Comparing the Cost of Managers in Councils was published on Thursday 16 September 1999.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive why the 1997-98 audits in respect of Aberdeenshire, Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee, East Dunbartonshire, Edinburgh, Highland, Inverclyde, West Dunbartonshire and West Lothian councils remain outstanding beyond their due submission date of 30 June 1999 and when these audits are expected to be submitted to the Controller of Audit.
Answer
The completion of these outstanding audits is a matter for the Accounts Commission for Scotland. I have referred your question to the Controller of Audit who will write to you giving the reasons for the delays and the dates for likely completion.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what its plans are for ensuring that each Scottish local authority has adequate internal audit resources available to scrutinise the authority as a whole and whether it will encourage the establishment, where one does not currently exist, of an audit committee or similar structure to allow council members to discharge this responsibility.
Answer
The allocation of resources and committee structures are matters for local authorities themselves. We encourage all authorities to ensure that they have robust internal audit systems in place.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 27 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive how much revenue and how many jobs are lost to Scotland due to passengers flying from airports outwith Scotland (a) on package holidays (b) on business and (c) for other extraneous reasons.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is not aware of any data on the revenue and employment consequences of passengers flying from airports outwith Scotland.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 27 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made or will make representations to Her Majesty's Government requesting that steps be taken to ensure that passengers travelling on package holidays from Scottish airports are not subjected to unfair flight supplements.
Answer
The application of flight supplements for passengers travelling on package holidays from Scottish airports is a matter for the commercial judgement of operators. If there is evidence of abuse of a monopoly position or anti-competitive practice then such matters should be taken up directly with the Director General of Fair Trading. The Director General can act directly on the activities of industry and commerce by investigating and remedying anti-competitive practices. The Scottish Executive would refer evidence of such matters to the competition authorities.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 27 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive which Scottish local authorities have still to implement business continuity or disaster recovery plans in relation to the year 2000 IT transition.
Answer
The Accounts Commission report Millennium Countdown Year 2000 Compliance published in May 1999 reported that 25 authorities planned to have contingency plans in place by 30 September and the other 7 planned to have plans in place by 30 November. The Accounts Commission is undertaking a second assessment of local authorities Year 2000 compliance and the results of that will be announced at the National Infrastructure Forum in October.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 27 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what procedures are in place to ensure that Scottish local authorities assess rateable values accurately.
Answer
Valuations in Scotland are carried out by independent Assessors in accordance with an extensive framework of statute and case law that includes a judicial appeal process. Most rateable values are determined by reference to the actual rents applying both for the subjects being valued and subjects comparable in size, character and situation.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 23 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of passengers resident in Scotland fly on package holidays from airports outwith Scotland.
Answer
In 1998, the latest year for which figures are available, the percentage of package holiday passengers resident in Scotland who flew from airports outwith Scotland was 29%.**Information derived from the International Passenger Survey (IPS) by the Office for National Statistics. The IPS is a sample survey and the results are, therefore, subject to sampling error.
