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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.

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Question reference: S3W-02876

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 29 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the total value of the housing stock to be, broken down into (a) privately owned homes, (b) council owned homes and (c) housing association homes.

The value of the housingstock varies considerably depending on market conditions. The latest estimates arebased on November 2006 valuations of the sample of 3,090 dwellings in the 2003-04Scottish House Condition Survey for which both a full social interview and a fullphysical survey were obtained. The estimates are shown in the following table.

Category	Tenure	Value (Billions)	Sub Tenure	Value (Billions)
a	Privately owned homes	£255	Owner-occupied stock	£234
a	Privately owned homes	£255	Private rented stock	£21
b	Local authority/other public sector stock	£28
c	Housing association/ housing co-operative stock	£18
Total		£301

The total value ofScotland’s housing stock was estimated, on this basis,to be £301 billion in November 2006.

Question reference: S3W-03482

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 20 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 29 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the incidence was of poverty in (a) 1960, (b) 1970, (c) 1980, (d) 1990, (e) 2000 and (f) the most recent year for which figures are available and what comparative information it has for (i) the United Kingdom as a whole, (ii) each EU member state and (iii) each OECD nation.

The incidence of povertyin Scotland each year since 1994-95 is published in Scottish Households BelowAverage Income 2005-06 – Revised (Bib. number 43209). Information onthe incidence of poverty in Scotland prior to 1994-95 is not held centrally.

The incidence of povertyin the UK in 1979, 1981, 1987, 1998-99, 1990-91 – 1995-97 is published in HouseholdsBelow Average Income: An Analysis of the Income Distribution – 2005-06 (Revised)(Bib. number 42543).

Information on theincidence of poverty in each EU member state is included in the EU Survey on Incomeand Living Conditions published by the Central Statistics Office (Bib. number 43453).

Information on theincidence of poverty in each OECD nation is not held centrally, however informationcan be found at the OECD Family Database website:

http://www.oecd.org/document/4/0,3343,en_2649_34819_37836996_1_1_1_1,00.html.

Question reference: S3W-02647

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 July 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 29 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the population lived in (a) an owned property and (b) a council house in (i) 1950, (ii) 1960, (iii) 1970, (iv) 1980, (v) 1990, (vi) 2000 and (vii) the most recent year for which figures are available.

The information requestedis provided in the following table. Data on tenure for Scotland are not available prior to the 1961 Census.

Population byTenure: Scotland 1961-2006

	Owner Occupied %	Rented			Total Population
	Owner Occupied %	Privately %	From Housing Association %	From Public Authority %
1961	23	30		48	5,179,432
1971	28	15		58	5,050,625
1981	35	8	1	55	4,954,328
1991	56	6	2	36	4,921,151
2001	66	7	5	21	4,976,005
2006	70	7	8	14	5,116,900

Sources: Census, 2006Scottish Household Survey and mid-year population estimates from the General RegisterOffice (Scotland).

Notes:

1. Private rentingincludes renting with a job or business.

2. 1971 and 1981 tenuredata do not include non-permanent accommodation.

3. Public authoritiesinclude local authorities, new towns and Scottish Homes (Scottish Special HousingAssociation prior to April 1998). Scottish Homes transferred ownership of its stockduring 2005.

4. Housing associationscame into operation in late 1970s.

5. 2001 data from2001 Census adjusted tenure tables on Housing Statistics branch reference site (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/18531/13575).

6. In 2003, Dumfries and Galloway, Glasgow and Scottish Borders councils transferred their housing stock to housingassociations.

7. For 2006, percentagesare based on Scottish Household Survey household data, with total population fromGRO(S) mid-year estimates. Figures have been adjusted to take account of respondentsin local authorities with complete stock transfers who said they rented their accommodationfrom a public authority.

Question reference: S3W-03092

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 28 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals it estimates are involved in the supply of illegal drugs.

Question reference: S3W-03089

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 28 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many heroin addicts there are (a) known and (b) estimated to have been in each year since 1970.

(a) The number ofknown heroin addicts since 1970 is not held centrally.

(b) Estimates of theprevalence of problematic opiate and/or benzodiazepine misuse in Scotland were carried out for 2000 and 2003. Table 1 shows theestimated numbers across Scotland and the 95% confidence interval.

Table 1. EstimatedNumbersof Problem Drug Users (Opiates and/or Benzodiazepines): Scotland2000 and 2003

	2000	2003
Scotland point estimate (95 % confidence range)	55,800 (43,664 – 78,443)	51,582 (51,456 – 56,379)

2000

2003

Scotland point estimate

(95 % confidence range)

55,800

(43,664 – 78,443)

51,582

(51,456 – 56,379)

Source: Estimatingthe National and Local Prevalence of Problem Drug Misuse in Scotland, Centre for Drug Misuse Research, Universityof Glasgow Scottish Centre for Infection and EnvironmentalHealth http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/local/prevreport2004.pdf.

Question reference: S3W-03091

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 28 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what quantity of illegal drugs has been seized in each year since 1970, broken down by class and type of substance.

Question reference: S3W-02994

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage recycling.

We provide supportto local authorities and other delivery bodies through the Strategic Waste Fundto increase recycling rates. Future funding for recycling is being considered aspart of the Spending Review and, in line with the commitment in our Its timeto look forward: The first 100 days of an SNP Government my officials recentlyheld a workshop with local authorities and other delivery partners to discuss futureplans for increasing recycling.

Question reference: S3W-02990

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total value has been of tuition fees paid to higher education institutions by foreign students in each year since 1990.

The total income ofScottish Higher Education Institutions from fees paid by non EU students was:

1994-95	£46,172,000
1995-96	£50,543,000
1996-97	£53,895,000
1997-98	£56,353,000
1998-99	£57,682,000
1999-2000	£62,868,000
2000-01	£68,502,000
2001-02	£78,420,000
2002-03	£95,443,000
2003-04	£107,829,000
2004-05	£124,774,000
2005-06	£143,896,000

Source: Higher EducationStatistics Agency.

Data for 1990 to 1993are not held centrally.

Question reference: S3W-02995

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 27 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-2221 by Stewart Maxwell on 30 July 2007, what the average cost is of constructing a home for private sale.

Question reference: S3W-02993

Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 August 2007
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 27 August 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive which local authority areas have a policy of collecting household waste for recycling.