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-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-07791

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 PFI or PPP projects cost more or less to the public purse over their lifetime than projects funded in the traditional manner.

The public privatepartnership procurement route must show value for money against a conventional procurementroute before being selected. This involves consideration of whole life costs andbenefits, for example risk transfer, for the length of the contract. So, whilstcosts may initially seem higher, approved PPP projects present better value formoney than a conventional procurement route over the lifetime of the project.

Question reference: S2W-07790

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 central analysis is made of the overall impact of PFI or PPP contracts on its budget.

Question reference: S2W-07794

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

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-356 by Susan Deacon on 27 August 1999, whether it monitored these properties to determine whether the public purse received value for money for their disposal.

Responsibility for ensuring thatthe public purse receives value for money from property transactions rests withNHSScotland bodies

For every property transactiona NHSScotland Body must have a property adviser and in major or potentially complexdisposal cases must have in addition an independent valuer. It is the responsibilityof these professional advisers to confirm that the price at which the property isbeing sold represents the market value of the property having regard to its fullpotential. This is especially important when property is being sold without exposureon the open market as it ensures that in respect of these transactions value formoney is being achieved.

The role of the Scottish Executive is to monitor that transactions have been completed in accordance with proceduresdetailed in the NHS Scotland Property Transactions Handbook. This has beendone and no issues were raised by the trust’s auditors.

Question reference: S2W-07811

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 what assessment is carried out on prisoners at HM Prison Kilmarnock who spend long periods of time in their cells.

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

Normally prisoners who spendlong periods in their cells are prisoners under cellular confinement to maintaingood order and discipline, prisoners at risk of self-harm or suicide, prisonerswith mental health problems and young offenders on social care orders. Prisonersunder any of these conditions are kept in either segregation or health care.

Prisoners held in segregationare subject to multi-disciplinary case conferences, which identify and assess individualneeds for the management of difficult prisoners and their reintegration back intothe mainstream population.

Prisoners held under confinementin the health centre for mental health or self-harm issues or young prisoners onsocial Care Orders are also subject to multi disciplinary case conferences. Thefrequency of these case conferences is dependent on need.

Question reference: S2W-07760

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-27403 and S2W-286 by Mr Jim Wallace and Cathy Jamieson on 2 August 2002 and 4 June 2003 respectively, whether it has received any further notices under paragraph 6.8 of the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock and, if so, on what dates.

Question reference: S2W-07740

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 7 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how much public money has been paid to non-public bodies under PFI and PPP schemes in each year since 1999.

Question reference: S2W-07759

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give details of each default notice received under paragraph 46 of the Minute of Agreement between the Secretary of State for Scotland and Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd for the Design, Construction, Management and Financing of a Prison at Kilmarnock, including the date on which each notice was received and the nature of each default.

Question reference: S2W-07762

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 7 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-284 by Cathy Jamieson on 4 June 2003 what the reasons are for the position on this matter.

Question reference: S2W-07746

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 23 April 2004
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 7 May 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what public sector capital projects involving private finance are (a) planned and (b) under way, detailing their start and estimated completion dates; what the total estimated capital investment is for these projects, and what annual public expenditure will be required to service these projects over the life of the projects, expressed in both cash and real terms.