Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the tables I gave MSPs after my statement of 6 October, which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

All the laptop computers for MSPs were purchased in April 1999 by the then Scottish Office, under Government competitive procurement rules. Suppliers were invited to bid for supply of validated models meeting the precise specification required for compatibility with the Parliament network and dial-in service. As normal for specific, lower value procurements of this kind, bids were invited and submitted as 'Commercial in Confidence' to ensure suppliers did not lose competitive advantage by disclosing prices for particular products to their commercial rivals. All bids were then evaluated for both technical quality and price, the successful bid being that offering greatest value for money. Owing to the inherently competitive nature of this procurement process, and the eagerness of suppliers to secure business with the new Scottish Parliament, the successful bid established an extremely advantageous price for equipment of this quality and specification.The ICT market is a highly volatile one. The cost of equipment decreases with its age whilst the quality of the equipment increases, and in both cases this change happens within weeks. It is therefore not meaningful to compare equipment or prices with those of 6 months ago, since, whenever IT equipment is specified and costed, it is most likely to be different from the specification and cost of equipment with similar functionality defined some months later.

Centralised provision is co-ordinated through the Public Information team. A main point of information at the Parliament site is the Visitor Centre in the Committee Chambers building. Remote access is available through the Enquiry Unit that answers written, email and telephone questions. A local rate number is available as well as a national rate number in order to offer a consistent service across Scotland. Public Information staff operate the main Switchboard ensuring easy access to basic information.Public information is also available through the Partner Library network of seventy six public libraries throughout Scotland - one in each parliamentary constituency plus additional Partner Libraries in Portree, Dornoch and Ullapool to reflect the unique geographic and transport problems faced by constituents in the Highlands and Islands. Partner Libraries act as focal points in local communities for information about MSPs, the Parliament, it's business and decisions. The Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) has a dedicated Library Liaison Officer charged with developing the Partner Library network. All Partner Libraries have been offered a full collection of core parliamentary publications, funded from the SPICe budget. They all receive WHISP, SPICe research publications, and will shortly receive the video of the opening ceremony. The majority of Partner Libraries provide public access to the Internet enabling constituents to access the Scottish Parliament website.Wider public access to information about the Scottish Parliament is increasingly available through electronic community information programmes being developed in the Scottish public library sector as part of national information and lifelong learning strategies such as New Library Network, Government Direct, the National Grid for Learning and Enabling Seamless Access.

In a very short period of time, the Scottish Parliament was defined and its core functions and processes initiated and installed in the interim accommodation at the Mound. This was achieved thanks to a significant amount of work by the staff, which has ensured that the business of the Parliament was, and is, supported during this set-up period.The Scottish Parliament is a new and evolving organisation whose working culture and practices are still being settled and defined. The SPCB will undertake a cyclical review of the cost effectiveness and quality of all its services as part of normal business practice and has already commenced this by reviewing staffing complement and structures. In the meantime comments on, and proposals for, services are welcomed, and those pertaining to IT should be channelled in the first instance through the MSP IT User Group, or direct to either the Head of IT or the Director of Communications.

To date £16 million has been allocated under the Rough Sleepers Initiative to 21 local authorities and 2 voluntary bodies, as set out in the table below. We will shortly issue guidelines for bids for a further £20 million which will be allocated early next year for the 2 years 2000-01 and 2001-02.

Information about the number of people applying under the homeless persons legislation is given in Housing Trends in Scotland; Quarter ended 31 December 1998 (ref HSG/1999/4) a copy of which is held by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

LA	Total Allocations	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000
Aberdeen	£540,666		£232,184	£308,482
Argyll and Bute	£8,000			£8,000
Dundee City	£906,750	£70,313	£249,812	£586,625
East and West Dunbartonshire	£45,500	£0	£11,200	£34,300
East Lothian	£246,105	£20,000	£56,526	£169,579
Edinburgh City	£4,791,208	£821,000	£2,379,328	£1,590,880
Falkirk	£529,550	£0	£7,250	£522,300
Fife	£430,531	£141,535	£118,330	£170,666
Glasgow City	£5,649,900	£1,072,900	£2,223,700	£2,353,300
Highland	£33,500	£16,700	£16,800	£0
Inverclyde	£81,400	£13,600	£33,500	£34,300
Moray	£344,725	£14,600	£49,745	£280,380
North and South Ayrshire	£279,350	£15,000	£46,100	£218,250
North Lanarkshire	£801,110	£16,800	£257,497	£526,813
Perth and Kinross	£809,513	£137,000	£318,162	£354,351
Renfrewshire	£169,825	£10,100	£30,685	£129,040
South Lanarkshire	£157,820	£16,600	£67,640	£73,580
Stirling	£35,550	£0	£11,650	£23,900
West Lothian	£75,000	£0	£37,500	£37,500
Shelter/GCSH	£63,997	£0	£27,584	£36,413
Total	£16,000,000	£2,366,148	£5,943,009	£7,458,659

A list of the Scottish Executive's consultation documents, green papers and white papers has recently been assembled and is available on the Scottish Executive website.

The budget for the Scottish Executive EU Office comes from the Administration Vote 6 and a detailed breakdown of the budget is given below. The initial capital costs are included in the 'Fit out of Brussels Office' budget line. All other budget lines are running costs.

Category	Budget (£s)
Staff costs, including expected salaries, rent and relocation expenses	307,673
Fit out of Brussels Office (see PQ S1W-01208 for detailed breakdown)	136,000
Office accommodation costs	77,500
Travel & Subsistence	20,250
Promotion and visits including Scotland Week	13,000
Telecoms, IT Support & high speed links	20,010
Training	9,500
Books, periodicals & subscriptions	16,000
Office material, machines, library and car hire	31,000
Bank charges	1,000
Total	631,933

This budget was based on best estimates for the first year of operation of the office. The budget will be kept under review throughout the year, as operational costs become clearer.

I am directly responsible for a wide range of interests. Around 700 staff work in Divisions that support these responsibilities but many of the staff also support other Ministerial initiatives and objectives. They do not report solely to me.

As Making It Work Together: A Programme for Government explains, the Minister for Parliament is responsible for the management and monitoring of the Scottish Executive's business in the Parliament. He is also concerned with the operations and procedures of the Parliament.The Minister for Finance is responsible for promoting modern and efficient government across the Scottish Executive. As with all members of the Scottish Executive, they work together on matters of mutual interest.

Between April 1998 and March 1999 North Lanarkshire Council received 2118 applications under the homeless persons legislation - an 11.3% increase on the previous year. The discharge of its homelessness responsibilities is an operational decision for the local council. Homelessness is one of four national priorities which local authorities are expected to take into account in using their Housing Revenue Account allocations from central government. In 1998-99 North Lanarkshire Council received an HRA allocation of £12.3m. The council has also been allocated £810,000 under the Rough Sleepers Initiative for outreach workers and direct access accommodation in Airdrie and Motherwell; and approximately £14m under the Empty Homes Initiative which should lead to more than 100 empty homes being brought back into use.