Chamber and committees

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:The SPS Board, as members of the Senior Civil Service, are set appropriate performance targets following discussion between the individual and their line manager, related to the role the individual performs and are linked to the agency's business aims and objectives including the SPS key performance indicators set out in the SPS Annual Report.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:No. The SPS has carried out research into the rates of return to custody but the data is not on a prison specific basis. Details are published in the SPS research bulletins.

The information requested is contained in the following table for the three Scottish Executive private finance initiative contracts. It is the responsibility of other public authorities to monitor their own private finance initiative contracts. The figures include the costs of technical and professional supervision and non-technical monitoring of contractual performance and penalty clauses. They include an estimate of staff time involved. Payments cover the monitoring of construction of new works as well as operation and maintenance. The cost of monitoring contracts during construction would occur whether the contract was under conventional procurement or the private finance initiative. These respective costs are evaluated before the PPP commences and the PPP has to demonstrate better value for money.Broadly equivalent costs are incurred in relation to professional fees for the preparation, construction and operation of conventionally-funded projects.

	Skye Bridge	M6 DBFO	Kilmarnock Prison
1997-98	74,359	1,219,547	Nil
1998-99	45,403	1,108,260	Nil
1999-2000	32,156	1,073,500	240,000
2000-01	39,357	341,472	230,000
2001-02	11,019	200,000	240,000

Note:1. The figures for 2001-02 for the Skye Bridge and M6 DBFO are lower than the previous four years because the previous four years include costs related to monitoring the construction phase.

The draft framework decision on the confiscation of crime-related proceeds, instrumentalities and property seeks to ensure approximation of confiscation provisions across member states. It is based on the premise that, in order to combat effectively cross-border organised crime, effective measures must be in place to trace, freeze, seize and confiscate the proceeds of crime. The Scottish Executive is studying the draft framework decision to determine what the implications might be for Scotland.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:In the process of monitoring performance against the contract, the SPS requires Kilmarnock Prison Services Limited (KPSL) to provide detailed information on a wide range of outputs. Where relevant, that information has helped inform answers to parliamentary questions. On occasion the SPS has sought and will seek information from the operator in relation to parliamentary questions consistent with the Scottish Executive published policies for dealing with parliamentary questions and the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information.We are committed to being open and accountable and have published, with the agreement of KPSL, the Kilmarnock contract.

Negotiations within the European Union on the proposed directive on legal aid are being conducted by the United Kingdom Government, taking due account of the views of the devolved administrations. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the United Kingdom Government on a wide range of EU-related issues, including this directive.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:In addition to those listed in the answer given to question S1W-24351, SPS meets the costs of non-domestic business rates as it does for every Scottish prison.

Negotiations within the European Union are conducted by the United Kingdom Government, taking due account of the views of the devolved administrations. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the United Kingdom Government on a wide variety of EU-related issues, including those to be discussed on 5 and 6 September; and is represented as necessary at meetings in Brussels, whether at working groups of officials or Councils at ministerial level.

No. The guidance is in respect of How to Appoint and Manage Advisors to PFI Projects. Such guidance was not relevant to the appointment to perform the financial review of the SPS Estates Review.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:Except where disclosure of parts of the contract would not be in the public interest as specified in Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information, SPS are making arrangements to publish the contract. Once this work has been done in association with the contractor a copy will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.