Official Report 401KB pdf
It seems as if Hugh Flinn has waited all day. The floor is yours.
I have nothing to add to the content of the report. I think that the figures speak for themselves on this occasion.
The figures do speak for themselves. There has been a marked improvement, which is to be commended. Obviously, we have still not reached the levels that we would desire. The latest figures seem to show a drop-off, although the overall trend is positive. I take it that there is nothing significant in the level of questions answered dropping back down to 75 per cent from the previous figure.
I do not think so. It is more that in the previous four-week period, an exceptionally high proportion of questions was answered. The figure of 75 per cent is more in line with performance in the four-week period before that.
Are you aware that we are reaching maximum output? Are we reaching optimum levels of performance, or is there still room for improvement?
That is a matter on which the Executive should comment. That said, over the past six or seven months, the underlying figures show a sustained trend of improvement.
I take it that you are aware of the points that Dennis Canavan raised last week at the end of First Minister's question time. He highlighted a couple of questions that had been kicking about in the system for a very long time. The good news is that the overall picture does not bear out the view that the situation is bad or getting worse. It is clear from the figures, or from the instances that Dennis Canavan raised, that there remain isolated examples of questions that are outstanding for a long time.
I could not comment on the reasons for difficulties in individual cases. As the figures show, some types of question have always fallen in the category of questions answered in eight weeks or more. However, over the past year, the number has decreased significantly.
Thank you.