I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-32289 on 19 March 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The Scottish Government continues to engage regularly with the UK Government at both official and ministerial level and I hope to meet with the new European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services during his next visit to Brussels.

Scottish Government ministers and officials engage fully with representatives of all of the sectors which make up the financial services industry in Scotland, particularly though discussions at meetings of the Financial Services Advisory Board, and with appropriate industry representative bodies to ensure we are fully apprised of issues around financial services regulation which may have a particular impact in Scotland.

Scottish Government ministers are also fully engaged through regular meetings of the Joint Ministerial Council (E) and in addition, officials both in Scotland and in our EU office liaise closely with colleagues from the UK Government and the European Commission to ensure they remain fully informed of national and international thinking on these matters.

The Scottish Government continues to engage with the UK Government and the European Commissioner for Internal Markets and Services in relation to issues concerning the reorganisation of UK banks. I recently wrote to the new European Commissioner Michel Barnier setting out the importance of the financial services industry to the life and economy of Scotland and outlining the role of the pioneering collaboration offered by the Financial Services Advisory Board.

I hope to meet with Commissioner Barnier on my next visit to Brussels.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27290 on 26 March 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Scottish Ministers have previously indicated they are willing to contribute to an initial phase for Fastlink/Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) which will provide improved connections between the City Centre, the SECC and the new Southern General Hospital. Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and Glasgow City Council are now finalising the outline business case for Fastlink/BRT for submission and more detailed discussion with the Scottish Government in relation to supporting measures to improve public transport in Glasgow and the West of Scotland.

The Scottish Government believes that only full independence will offer the Scottish Government the widest set of fiscal and economic policy levers which would allow us to properly determine the best approach to the development and regulation of financial services in Scotland, including making decisions on which institution(s) should be involved in each of the main aspects of ensuring an efficiently functioning market, financial stability and consumer protection

It is clear that although the importance of the financial system to national economies means that financial regulation will remain primarily a national issue - international and European rules are increasingly becoming more important in order to ensure a global response to the current financial crisis and the development of systems to help identify and mitigate these types of risk in the future.

It is vital that Scotland is in a position to influence the development of measures to regulate systemic risk in the financial services sector, taking into account the continuing, and welcome, presence of major banks and wider financial services sector in Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31487 on 25 February 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has not entered into such a contract.

There will be a monthly payment cycle with payments due based on value of work completed during the month. Assessment and payment period is monthly resulting in the contractor being paid a maximum of one month after the end of the month in which the value has been earned “ i.e. paid in arrears. Retention amounts are also applied to each Stage of the Contract, and retention monies for the Adult & Children''s Hospitals are held for two years after handover of each works stage.

The contract is an NEC3 Engineering and Construction Contract and the payment terms follow the principles of the standard contract terms. Details of this contract were provided in the answers to questions S3W-29003 and S3W-29017 on 24 November 2009 and S3W-29188 on 2 December 2009.

Published NEC3 documentation includes the following endorsement from the Office of Government & Commerce (OGC) advises public sector procurers that the form of contract used has to be selected according to the objectives of the project, aiming to satisfy the Achieving Excellence in Construction (AEC) principles. This Edition of the NEC (NEC3) complies fully with the AEC principles. OGC recommends the use of NEC3 by public sector construction procurers on their construction projects.

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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has not entered into a contract permitting 99% of costs paid in advance.