Chamber and committees

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

I refer the member to the question S2W-11075 answered on 19 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.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

I refer the member to the question S2W-11075 answered on 19 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.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

It is being held under both section 7 and 13. A copy of the code of practice can be found on the Scottish Executive website at http:/www.scotland.gov.uk.

Under the terms of a Service Level Agreement with the Home Office, the Executive pays a percentage of the total UK cost of both compensation payments made under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICS), and the administration costs of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and Appeals Panel. That percentage is based on a rolling average of Scottish claims on the scheme over the previous three years. The exact percentage figure is, therefore, not known until the start of the payment year in question. Over recent years that figure has ranged between 11 and 13% and, in order to attempt to ensure there is no shortfall in what is a demand-led scheme, our spending proposals for 2005-08 reflects a maximum 13% of the Home Office baseline for the scheme for that period. CICS spending is currently under review and adjustments may be made to the baseline as appropriate in light of the outcome of the review.

Provisional information indicates that in the year ended 31 December 2003, the median waiting time in NHS Lanarkshire for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant in the specialty of orthopaedics, following GP referral, was 184 days.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.

NHS Lanarkshire is committed to ensuring that it meets the Executive’s target of a maximum waiting time of 26 weeks for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant, following referral by a General Medical/Dental Practitioner from 31 December 2005.

The National Waiting Times Unit has agreed local performance improvement targets and plans with individual NHS boards, including NHS Lanarkshire, which set out the progress to be made in 2004-06 towards delivery of this commitment.

To assist with the achievement of the 26-weeks target, the Centre for Change and Innovation is driving forward the implementation of a £7 million national service redesign initiative for Orthopaedic outpatient services, which was launched in May 2004 and for which NHS Lanarkshire is a pilot site.

In the coming weeks, I will announce full details of new, reduced waiting times commitments for both outpatient consultations and in-patient and day case treatment.

On 30 June 2004, 2,347 residents of Lanarkshire NHS Board were waiting for hospital admission for orthopaedic surgery.

The national maximum waiting time for orthopaedic surgery is nine months from the date a patient is placed on the in-patient/day case waiting list until the date of hospital admission. This guaranteed waiting time will be reduced to six months from the end of 2005.

The National Waiting Times Unit has agreed local performance improvement targets and plans with individual NHS boards, including NHS Lanarkshire, which set out the progress to be made in 2004-06 towards delivery of this commitment.

In the coming weeks, I will announce full details of new, reduced waiting times commitments for both outpatient consultations and in-patient and day case treatment.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond.  His response is as follows:

The Scottish Prison Service Annual Report 2003-04 was laid before Parliament on 14 October 2004, and was published on 15 October 2004.

The Constitutional Reform Bill makes provision to establish the Supreme Court.  It does so with full regard to the requirements of the ECHR.

Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights requires that, in determination of civil rights and obligations, everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law. The Supreme Court will give a fair and public hearing, it will do so within a reasonable time and its judges are to be appointed and hold office in a way which fully meets the requirements of ECHR in relation to judicialindependence.

Once in operation the President of the Court will decide the composition of panels of judges most appropriate for each case.  In doing so it will take account of the need for particular knowledge or expertise. This will include Scots law and procedure. The proposals for the Supreme Court are flexible enough to allow, as now, for Scottish majorities through the use of additional judges from the Court of Session.