- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 3 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-12836 by Johann Lamont on 16 December 2004, how many responses there were to the consultation, broken down by category, and whether the analysis of responses will be published well in advance of the publication of the white paper.
Answer
The information requested isprovided in
Making Development Plans Deliver: Analysis of ConsultationResponses which was published on 15 December. This can be viewed on the Scottish Executive’s website,
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/planning/mdpdacr-00.asp.The white paper is expectedto be published in spring 2005.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 27 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how it can encourage entrepreneurs or philanthropists to invest in education.
Answer
We are actively working with a number of philanthropists who currently are investing or have expressed an interest in investing in education.
We are keen to develop those discussions and we are actively doing so.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 20 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the —20 million saving from improvements in prescribing practice, as referred to in Building a Better Scotland — Securing Efficiency Effectiveness and Productivity, will apply in 2005-06, if the appropriate plan is not developed until the summer of 2005.
Answer
NHS Scotland is alreadyworking on measures to improve prescribing practice and Health Department officialswill be working with the service to finalise in the new year a plan to focus effortto deliver the target efficiency improvement during 2005-06.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 19 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a substantive answer to question S2W-10452, lodged on 9 September 2004.
Answer
I refer you to the answer to question S2W-10452 on 24 December 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.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 19 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a substantive answer to question S2W-10453, lodged on 9 September 2004.
Answer
I refer you to the answer given to question S2W-10452 answered 24 December 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.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive when it first highlighted the possibility of developing a National Planning Policy Guideline for Clyde regeneration.
Answer
As part of the vision to 2025, the National Planning Framework identifies the Clyde Corridor as an area in the Central Belt where major change is taking place. The Glasgow and Clyde Valley Structure Plan approved by the Scottish ministers in 2002 identified the Clyde Waterfront and the Clyde Gateway as priorities for regeneration and renewal. Regeneration of the Clyde is therefore being addressed without the need for a National Planning Policy Guideline.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 24 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has adopted the guidance from HM Treasury issued in 2003, and reiterated by Sir Peter Gershon, to appoint a professional finance director to each department.
Answer
As the First Minister has madeclear we have a strong commitment to extending the existing level of professionalismwithin the Scottish Executive. This includes the finance function, which is unifiedwithin the Executive under a Finance Director and already includes a number of professionallyqualified staff. With the planned retirement of the current post holder, we willadvertise for a suitably qualified Finance Director early in 2005.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 September 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 24 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the professional finance officers in its departments currently meet the criteria for financial directors, as laid out in Sir Peter Gershon’s report, Releasing resources to the front line Independent Review of Public Sector Efficiency.
Answer
I refer the member to the question S2W-10452 answered on 24 December 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.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 24 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive why there are no individual costings for the five areas of reform contributing to the estimate for time-releasing savings of £300 million, as referred to in Building a Better Scotland — Efficient Government, Securing Efficiency, Effectiveness and Productivity.
Answer
We will publish technical noteson the time-releasing efficiency savings projects by April 2005.
- Asked by: Ms Wendy Alexander, MSP for Paisley North, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 24 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive why the total cash savings identified on pages 20 to 27 of Building a Better Scotland £ Efficient Government, Securing Efficiency, Effectiveness and Productivity amount to £627.7 million when £stand alone£ savings of £1.7 billion are planned.
Answer
The cash savings on pages 20-27 do not amount to £627.7 million. The savings shown from portfolios (including procurement savings from health and local government) equal £674.7 million, shown as follows:
| Portfolio | Page | Savings (£ million) |
| Administration | 20 | 8 |
| Communities | 20 | 9 |
| Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service | 21 | 3 |
| Education and Young People | 22 | 12 |
| Enterprise and Lifelong Learning | 23 | 5 |
| Environment and Rural Development | 24 | 5 |
| Scottish Water | 24 | 95 |
| Finance and Public Service Reform |
| Local Government | 24 | 325 |
| Central Government | 25 | 0.7 |
| Health | 25 | 166 |
| Justice | 26 | 30 |
| Tourism, Culture and Sport | 27 | 2 |
| Transport | 27 | 14 |
| Total | | 674.7 |
The original publication contained an error on page 26, where it stated that the Justice savings would be £28 million. The correct figure, given on page 4, is £30 million. Page 25 of the Efficient Government Plan states that, overall (including the savings from health and local government), the potential savings from procurement amount to £200 million. The outstanding £70 million required to make the total of £745 million will come from additional procurement savings in the Scottish public sector. These figures are the annually recurring cash-releasing efficiency savings from 2007-08. The figure of £1.7 billion refersto the total amount of efficiency savings that will be saved over the three yearperiod 2005-06 to 2007-08.
