- 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 action will be taken to ensure that all Scottish local authorities implement best practice to address basic accounting and control weaknesses, including the absence of bank and other reconciliations, internal control deficiencies, weaknesses in the compilation and maintenance of asset registers and the lack of reconciliation between the assessment roll and valuation roll.
Answer
These matters are dealt with through the audit process. The audit process exists to identify weaknesses in local authorities' systems, highlight these weaknesses to local authorities and make recommendations as appropriate. The Accounts Commission for Scotland is responsible for securing the audit of local authorities in Scotland. Auditors appointed by the Commission make recommendations and ensure that these are implemented.
- 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 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: Monday, 13 September 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive which Scottish local authorities have yet to produce business plans for their DLOs/DSOs explaining how their activities can be run profitably given the income generated from work undertaken for council departments.
Answer
I refer Mr Gibson to my answer to question S1W-1523.
- 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 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive which Scottish local authorities have yet to issue a statement on their strategic objectives in service delivery recognising the clear separation of client and contractor and demonstrating how they will ensure value for money.
Answer
This issue was raised by the Controller of Audit in his report 1998-99 Overview of DLOs and DSOs in Scotland. I have referred your questions to the Controller of Audit who will write to you to provide further explanation and information.
- 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.
