- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 9 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are used to determine whether there should be ministerial involvement in a procurement exercise.
Answer
I refer the member to the question S2W-11414 answered on 9 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 9 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what projects currently being procured by it or other relevant bodies are defined as “major projects”, as referred to by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 (Official Report col. 10412).
Answer
At present, the Scottish Executive has approximately 32 major projects (defined asproject with estimated value of at least £5 million) at various stages of the procurement process.
Information on PPP projects in Scotland, including those that are currently being procured, is available on the Scottish Executive Financial Partnerships Unit’s website at www.scotland.gov.uk/ppp on the project list.
Information relating to the procurement activities of other bodies is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 9 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued any supplementary guidance to officials on the use of construction management since July 1999 and, if so, whether it will place such guidance in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
I refer the member to the question S2W-11424 answered on 9 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 9 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any amendment to HM Treasury guidance on the use of construction management since July 1999 and, if so, whether it will place any relevant documents in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
Revised guidance on procurement and contract strategies was issued by HM Treasury’s Office of Government Commerce (OGC) in 2003. While it does not explicitly refer to construction management, it emphasises the need for risks to be identified and investigated, as such the revised guidance would tend to suggest that construction management should be used with caution.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 9 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive which bodies funded by it are not required to involve ministers in key procurement decisions.
Answer
It is the responsibility of chief executives and boards of individual agencies and non-departmental public bodies to decide whether, in its case, ministerial involvement is appropriate in key procurement decisions.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 9 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued on the conduct of gateway reviews in relation to major projects, as referred to by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 (Official Report col. 10412).
Answer
The Executive has established the Centre of Expertise, part of the Scottish Procurement Directorate, which delivers a programme of Gateway Review training for officials, including Senior Civil Servants. Information on the conduct of Gateway Reviews is also available electronically, and guidance is included in the Construction Client Pack, which is published on the Executive’s website. The Gateway Review process was first introduced by the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), which has assisted the Executive in developing Gateway Reviews in Scotland. OGC’s guidance on Gateway Reviews is published on its website at:
http://www.ogc.gov.uk/index.asp?id=377.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 04 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 8 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on the implementation of recommendations contained in the Sensory Impairment Action Plan, launched in January 2004, relevant to people with visual impairment and how such progress is being monitored.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is working closely with Deafblind Scotland, the Royal National Institute for the Blind and the Scottish Council in Deafness in taking forward the recommendations within the Sensory Impairment Action Plan. Good progress is being made and is being monitored by a Steering Group.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 4 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve the median waiting times for appointments with an orthopaedic surgeon.
Answer
The Executive has not set any targets for median waiting times. Our policy is to reduce waiting times for all patients, with particular priority being given to treating those patients who have experienced the longest waits. That is why we are committed to ensuring that from December 2005 no patient will wait more than 26 weeks for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant, following referral.
I refer the member to the answer to S2W-11086, on 25 October 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 October 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 3 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive why the spending plans in the Justice section of Building a Better Scotland Spending Proposals 2005-2008 include a commitment to provide 500 additional prisoner places when the focus of the Justice portfolio is to “continue to focus on reducing crime, particularly violent and drug-related crime and reducing reoffending”.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:
The Scottish Prison Service is committed to helping prisoners address their offending behaviour. The spending plans include a commitment to provide additional places which will reduce levels of overcrowding in the prison estate and provide fit-for-purpose facilities for SPS staff to work with prisoners with the aim of reducing re-offending.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 2 November 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-2726 by Cathy Jamieson on 17 June 2004, what criteria it will use to decide whether Reliance is ready to provide a consistent satisfactory service as set out in the contract.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
The Scottish Prison Service seek Statements of Assurance from partner agencies as to their readiness and in conjunction with rigorous assessment of Reliance’s readiness, make the decision whether they are ready to rollout to further phases.
