- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 29 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to assist Inverclyde Council in dealing with issues identified in the 1996-97 audit report which have not yet been successfully progressed, including the errors and differences in financial statements, the poor documentation to support accounts, the unreliability of fixed asset valuation and the unsatisfactory state of control arrangements in key areas, including banking reconciliations.
Answer
This is a matter for Inverclyde Council. We expect the council to address its difficulties and implement all recommendations that the external auditor made in the 1996-97 audit report. The external auditor will follow up these recommendations through the audit process.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
-
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
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government to ensure that claimants in Scotland who are eligible for council tax benefit and housing benefit do not lose their benefit entitlement due to technical breaches by local authorities of the claiming and awarding procedures used.
Answer
Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit are reserved matters administered by local authorities on behalf of the Department of Social Security (DSS). Benefit claimants should not lose their entitlement due to technical breaches by local authorities.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
-
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
-
Date lodged: Monday, 09 August 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it agrees with the view of Strathclyde Passenger Transport that football fans in Glasgow should not travel to matches by Underground.
Answer
The operation of the Glasgow Underground is a matter for the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 09 August 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what it considers to be the impact on confidence in public transport in Glasgow as a result of the closing down of the Underground system for five hours on 31 July.
Answer
The operation of the Glasgow Underground is a matter for the Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
-
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
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
-
Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 28 September 1999
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure that there is an improvement in Inverclyde Council's DLO/DSO accounting arrangements and no repeat of the failure by a number of trading activities to achieve their financial objectives.
Answer
The Accounts Commission has made a number of recommendations for all DLO/DSOs across Scotland and I expect all councils to act upon them. The unaudited DLO/DSO results for 1998-99 show that Inverclyde Council has acted to reduce the number of DLO/DSOs that failed to achieve their statutory objectives from 5 in 1997-98 to 1 in 1998-99. I expect the council to make every effort to ensure no DLO/DSO fails to achieve the statutory objective in subsequent years.
- Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 September 1999
-
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
-
Date lodged: Monday, 13 September 1999
-
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.
