Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-07764

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 11 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-33537 and S1W-34414 by Mr Jim Wallace on 27 February and 31 March 2003 respectively, whether the Crown Office can provide a record of convictions in relation to offences of violence or other similar category of offences at HM Prison Kilmarnock.

Question reference: S2W-07796

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 11 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive by how much the economy has grown since 1999 and how this compares with other European economies.

GDP growth in Scotland between1999 and 2003 was 7.2%. The comparable figure for the UK (at basicprices) was 9.0%. The UK growth figure for GDP at market prices is 10.1%.

GDP for Scotland is measuredin basic prices whilst GDP figures for other countries are measured in market pricesso they are not strictly comparable. The difference between the two measures isthat the basic price measure does not take taxes and subsidies into account.

Growth in GDP (Market Prices)

Country	% Growth 1999-2003
Austria	6.6%
Belgium	6.3%
Denmark	5.5%
Finland	10.7%
France	7.9%
Germany	4.2%
Greece	18.2%
Italy	5.6%
Netherlands	4.2%
Portugal	4.4%
Spain	12.0%
Sweden	9.6%
UK	10.1%
EU15	7.6%

Source: OECD Quarterly National Accounts

Question reference: S2W-07813

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 11 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2298 by Cathy Jamieson on 9 September 2003, what conclusions the Scottish Prison Service has reached in considering how best to prepare and publish more disaggregated performance information for individual prisons.

Question reference: S2W-07795

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 10 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would support the Children's Commissioner in seeking to ensure that all children have their rights protected and, in particular, whether it would support the commissioner in reporting serious breaches of the rights of children to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child should she find it necessary.

The Executive is committed toand supports the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Wewill continue to contribute to UK reports submitted to the UN Committee on the Rightsof the Child, which monitor implementation of the Convention. The Executive wouldexpect to have the opportunity to address any concerns on breaches of children’srights in the first instance, where these relate to devolved matters.

Question reference: S2W-07814

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 10 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what value of, fines have been written off due to (a) the offender receiving a prison sentence or (b) an alternative disposal for failure to pay in each of the last six years.

The information requested forthe number of fine defaulters and the value of the fines written off due to theoffender receiving a prison sentence is given in tables 30, 30a, 30b, 33, 33a and33b of Prison Statistics Scotland, 2002, published by the Scottish Executive in 2003, copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre(Bib. number 29169).

The available information onthe number of supervised attendance orders given to offenders who failed to paya fine is given in table 32 of Criminal Justice Social Work Statistics, 2002-03published by the Scottish Executive in 2003, copies of which are available in the Parliament’sReference Centre (Bib. number 30274). Information on the number and value of thefines involved is not held centrally.

Question reference: S2W-07787

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 10 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the PPP protocol that it agreed with the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) in 2002 has had and how it has monitored implementation of the protocol.

TheExecutive/STUC staffing protocol covers several areas relating to staffing issuesin PPP projects. In general, consultation and communication with trades unions ismore prominent and is started earlier on in the PPP process than previously. Thereare more public bodies, particularly local authorities with their schools PPP projects,considering the different ways in which facilities management services can be deliveredwithin a PPP project. It is too early in the protocol’s implementation to judgeits effect on the two tier workforce issue.

It is for the public sector procuringbody to monitor compliance with the protocol. The Executive is in regular contactwith public bodies undertaking PPP projects and is able to provide guidance andadvice on various issues, including compliance with the protocol. Both the Executiveand the STUC will keep the operation of the protocol under review.

Question reference: S2W-07793

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 10 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish analyses of full business cases in relation to out-turn costs for each public sector capital project involving private finance since 1999 and indicate whether each project would have cost more or less under traditional public procurement.

SinceMay 1998, the NHS in Scotland has had a policy of publishing full business cases forsigned projects. The Scottish Executive introduced a similar policy for all its PPP projectsin June 1999, and all public sector bodies are expected to follow suit. One of theconditions of funding for the schools PPP projects is that the full businesscase be made public.

The PPP procurement route mustshow value for money against a conventional procurement route before being selected.Value for money is assessed at outline business case stage and full businesscase stage. All PPP projects in Scotland have demonstrated value for money at full businesscase stage.

Question reference: S2W-07789

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 10 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how much, in total, has been provided in capital resources through all PFI and PPP projects and what the average rate of interest paid to all lenders has been for the provision of that capital.

Question reference: S2W-07792

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 10 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the full business case for each public sector capital project involving private finance and whether it will make a commitment to do so for each new project under consideration.

Question reference: S2W-07781

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 10 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what costs have been incurred by each local authority on external consultants and advisers for PFI and PPP projects in each year since 1999.