- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence there is that the tourism industry will be assisted by virtue of the 2005 G8 summit having been held at Gleneagles.
Answer
The experience of previous G8 summit venues indicates that the long-term effect in tourism terms of playing host to the G8 summit in 2005 will be positive. Through international TV news coverage, it showcased many iconic aspects of what makes this country attractive to visitors. Visits to the visitscotland.com website increased by 17% for the first six days of July 2005 compared to the same period in 2004, equating to an additional 25,000 visits to the website. Hosting G8 further enhanced Scotland’s reputation by demonstrating that we can successfully host the largest of major international events, thus helping to progress our strategic objective for major events of being one of the world’s foremost events destinations by 2015.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-15618 and S2W-20862 by Cathy Jamieson on 4 April and 12 December 2005, how the Scottish Prison Service can confirm that it has at all times met its contractual commitment of employing one of more registered mental health nurses whilst stating that the contract does not require the contractor to employ registered mental health nurses but does commit the contractor to having “nursing staff with mental nursing skills and qualifications”.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:
My answer to S2W-15618 confirmed that Kilmarnock Prison Services Ltd had met its contractual commitment in relation to the provision of nursing. The answer to S2W-20862 confirmed what the contractual commitment was. This question asks about the contractual commitments of the SPS in relation to the employment of registered mental health nurses. The SPS has no such contract.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20861 by Cathy Jamieson on 30 November 2005 and without specific reference to the contract between the Scottish Prison Service and Premier Prison Services Ltd for the operation of HM Prison Kilmarnock, whether it considers that, in general, a contract which places the onus on the contractor to report any of its own contractual failings is the best system by which to ensure that contractual failures are brought to light.
Answer
Yes, so long as it is complemented with mechanisms appropriate to the particular contract to monitor performance in pursuit of best value for money for the tax payer.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average cost per prisoner is for (a) prisoners on the open estate and (b) prisoners in regular prisons.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
I refer the member to my answer to S2W-16418 on 18 May 2005. 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: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 20 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the new EU budget 2007-2013 will have on agricultural funding.
Answer
The new EU budget 2007-13 was agreed in December 2005. The total budget for EU expenditure 2007-13 has been set at €862.3 billion.
Within this, provision for Pillar II of the CAP which funds agri-environment schemes and other rural development measures, was reduced during the budget negotiations and now stands at €69.75 billion for the seven year period. The UK share of Pillar II funds for 2007-13 is not yet known.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 13 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the number of available secure unit places for children under the age of 16, given the statement by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in paragraph 11.1 of his inspection report of March 2005 on HM Young Offenders Institute Polmont that seven such people were held there between May 2004 and March 2005 as a result of there being no space in a secure unit.
Answer
On 18
September 2002 ministers announced specific plans to reconfigure the secure estate with the creation of an additional 29 extra secure places.
Distribution of the additional 29 places announced on 24 March 2003. These will be able to offer much needed facilities for girls only and, as far as possible, avoid under 16s being remanded to young offenders’ institutions.
When complete by 2007 the secure estate will therefore consist of:
18 boys only at Kibble
24 mixed at St Philip’s
18 girls only at Good Shepherd
18 mixed at Rossie
31 mixed at St Mary’s
12 mixed in Edinburgh
four mixed in The Elms.
By 2007, Scotland will have an increase of 40 places since 2000.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 20 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been paid by the NHS in Scotland in each of the last five years in respect of medical negligence, broken down by NHS board.
Answer
The information held centrally on claim settlements made after April 2000 does not differentiate between clinical and non-clinical claims. The cost of settlements made in relation to clinical and, where appropriate, non-clinical claims against NHSScotland in each financial year since 2000-01, broken down by NHS board, is detailed in the table.
| NHS Board | 2000-01 (£) | 2001-02 (£) | 2002-03 (£) | 2003-04 (£) | 2004-05 (£) |
| Argyll and Clyde | 91,550 | 265,519 | 2,558,831 | 270,041 | 1,219,640 |
| Ayrshire and Arran | 158,263 | 828,865 | 671,398 | 230,560 | 234,702 |
| Borders | 12,500 | 5,000 | 20,111 | 13,650 | 157,580 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 407,500 | 701,116 | 362,018 | 219,096 | 65,927 |
| Fife | 280,647 | 51,693 | 125,346 | 492,449 | 320,806 |
| Forth Valley | 434,007 | 292,525 | 112,954 | 2,518,400 | 553,359 |
| Grampian | 186,061 | 175,375 | 77,250 | 199,313 | 912,877 |
| Greater Glasgow | 981,944 | 2,894,856 | 2,078,799 | 1,419,508 | 1,441,834 |
| Highland | 40,600 | 220,276 | 197,581 | 1,324,739 | 159,490 |
| Lanarkshire | 746,336 | 51,480 | 406,282 | 569,846 | 275,250 |
| Lothian | 252,962 | 815,557 | 1,933,644 | 879,506 | 437,323 |
| Orkney | 0 | 5,500 | 0 | 0 | 29,120 |
| Shetland | 2,550 | 7,700 | 78,345 | 10,200 | 2,000 |
| Tayside | 225,552 | 138,353 | 98,150 | 105,163 | 2,460,004 |
| Western Isles | 104,990 | 5,500 | 0 | 0 | 1,500 |
| State Hospitals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Common Services Agency | 0 | 0 | 0 | 55,000 | 49,000 |
| Scottish Ambulance Service | 0 | 3,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 3,925,462 | 6,462,315 | 8,720,709 | 8,307,471 | 8,320,412 |
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21258 by Cathy Jamieson on 15 December 2005, how this answer indicates what the definition of a breach of contract is.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21860 on 20 January 2006. 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: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21259 by Cathy Jamieson on 15 December 2005, how this answer indicates what the distinction is between “failure to meet a particular contractual commitment” and a “breach of contract”.
Answer
I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:
The response referred to the terms of the contract. It makes no such distinction as it does not define a breach of contract.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 20 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any discussions with the UK Government about responsibilities under the International Law Commission’s draft articles on Responsibility of States for internationally wrongful acts which would result if the articles were to be ratified, in particular article 15, which state that an omission of action is a breach of these articles, in respect of allegations that US agencies are using Scottish airports as refuelling stops for flights in which it is alleged that suspected terrorists are being carried to countries where the practice of torture is used for the purposes of interrogation.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has not had any discussions with the UK Government about the International Law Commissions draft articles on Responsibility of States for internationally wrongful acts.
