- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 27 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion and number of businesses established with the assistance of Business Gateway start-up grants were still in operation beyond the (a) first, (b) second, (c) third, (d) fourth, and (e) fifth year.
Answer
This is an operationalmatter for Scottish Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executive to write to you inresponse to this question.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers the role and value of social enterprise is to society and the economy.
Answer
Social enterprisecan combine trading and business skills with social, community and environmentalaims to make a real contribution to the purpose and five strategic objectives of the Scottish Government and we are committed to helping the sector reach its potentialin Scotland.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it gives to the social enterprise sector.
Answer
Our current frameworkfor support to the social enterprise sector is contained in Better business – a strategy and action plan forsocial enterprise in Scotland (Bib. number 42840) which highlights the importantcontribution a social enterprise business model can make to life in Scotland. It also contains a £1.5 million action plan for 2007-08intended to grow and develop social enterprise. We intend to build on the foundationof this strategy in considering the need for further support as part of the forthcomingspending review.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of Scottish GDP is generated by social enterprises.
Answer
It has been estimatedthat social enterprises in Scotland contribute around £600 million to GDP, butwe currently do not have moreprecise figures. Research we will do as part of Better business – a strategy and action plan for socialenterprise in Scotland, a copyof which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 42840), will help clarify this further.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been raised through water rates in each year since 1995.
Answer
| | £ Million |
| 1996-97 | 524.8 |
| 1997-98 | 548.6 |
| 1998-99 | 597.5 |
| 1999-2000 | 640.4 |
| 2000-01 | 753.8 |
| 2001-02 | 865.3 |
| 2002-03 | 894.2 |
| 2003-04 | 950.9 |
| 2004-05 | 932.1 |
| 2005-06 | 973 |
The information istaken from the annual accounts published by Scottish Water and its predecessor organisations.Figures for 2006-07 have yet to be published. The local authorities were responsiblefor the water industry prior to 1996. The information sought from that time is notheld centrally.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the total amount of uncollected water rates has been in each year since 1995.
Answer
The questions raisedare of an operational nature. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive of ScottishWater to reply. His response is:
| Financial Year | £ Million |
| 1996-97 | 65.3 |
| 1997-98 | 64.3 |
| 1998-99 | 57.4 |
| 1999-2000 | 61.1 |
| 2000-01 | 78.8 |
| 2001-02 | 101.4 |
| 2002-03 | 100.1 |
| 2003-04 | 90.5 |
| 2004-05 | 67.8 |
| 2005-06 | 31.9 |
The information istaken from the annual accounts published by Scottish Water and its predecessor organisations.Figures for 2006-07 have yet to be published. The local authorities were responsiblefor the water industry prior to 1996. The information sought from that time is notheld centrally.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average age of first-time house buyers has been in each year since 1995.
Answer
Estimates of the medianage of first-time buyers in Scotland are set out in the following table. Thesedata are sourced from the Council of Mortgage Lenders. The notes to the tables explainthe coverage of the estimates and the reasons for a possible break in comparabilitybetween 2004 and 2005, at which point the Regulated Mortgage Survey replaced theSurvey of Mortgage Lenders.
Mortgage lenders definefirst-time buyers as those whose names have not previously been on a mortgage contract.As such these figures include divorcees and others who have previously been owner-occupiersbut have not been named mortgage holders.
Median Age ofFirst-Time Buyers taking out Loans for House Purchase – Scotland
| Year | |
| 1995 | 31 |
| 1996 | 30 |
| 1996 | 31 |
| 1998 | 30 |
| 1999 | 30 |
| 2000 | 30 |
| 2001 | 30 |
| 2002 | 32 |
| 2003 | 33 |
| 2004 | 34 |
Source: Survey ofMortgage Lenders (SML).
Median Age ofFirst-Time Buyers taking out Loans for House Purchase - Scotland
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many first-time house buyers there have been in each local authority area in each year since 1995.
Answer
The requested informationis not held centrally.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals have been registered as homeless in each local authority area in each year since 1995.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-313 on 7 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 14 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how the non-executive board members of Scottish Water are appointed and what period of time each appointment covers.
Answer
Scottish Water''s Board members were appointed by ministers in 2002 after a widely advertised recruitment campaign under rules laid down for public appointments by the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland (OCPAS). Current members were re-appointed for second terms of three years, again in accordance with OCPAS rules. Current membership and terms of appointment are given in the following table:
| Name | Position | Start date | End Date |
| Mr Ronnie Mercer | Interim Chair Chair | 18 April 2006 1 October 2007 | 30 September 2007 30 September 2011 |
| Mr Ian McMillan | Member | 1 April 06 | 31 March 2009 |
| Mr Graeme Crombie | Member | 1 April 2006 | 31 March 2009 |
| Mr David Gray | Member | 1 April 2005 | 31 March 2008 |
| Professor Paul Jowitt | Member | 1 April 2005 | 31 March 2008 |
| Ms Rita Theil | Member | 1 April 2006 | 31 March 2009 |
| Mr Pat Kelly | Member | 1 April 2006 | 31 March 2009 |
The following is the original answer (published on 14 August 2009); see below.
Scottish Water''s Board members were appointed by ministers in 2002 after a widely advertised recruitment campaign under rules laid down for public appointments by the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland (OCPAS). Current members were re-appointed for second terms of three years, again in accordance with OCPAS rules. Current membership and terms of appointment are given in the following table:
| Name | Position | Start date | End Date |
| Mr Ronnie Mercer | Interim Chair Chair | 18 April 2006 | 30 September 2007 |
| Mr Ian McMillan | Member | 1 October 2007 | 30 September 2011 |
| Mr Graeme Crombie | Member | 1 April 2006 | 31 March 2009 |
| Mr David Gray | Member | 1 April 2006 | 31 March 2009 |
| Professor Paul Jowitt | Member | 1 April 2005 | 31 March 2008 |
| Ms Rita Theil | Member | 1 April 2005 | 31 March 2008 |
| Mr Pat Kelly | Member | 1 April 2006 | 31 March 2009 |
