- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 6 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether funding for NHSiS preparations for possible entry to a single European currency will be expected to come from existing health board budgets.
Answer
Each health body in Scotland has been expected to prepare a plan demonstrating how they will convert to euro. The resources used to do this are expected to have been met from their current funding.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 6 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been spent by the NHSiS in anticipation of possible entry to a single European currency.
Answer
The NHS in Scotland is carrying out a measure of pre-planning for the possible introduction of the euro as set out in HM Treasury's Second Outline National Changeover Plan published on 9 March 2000. The costs of this exercise are minimal and have been met from current year funds.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 1 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many contracts let to external consultants and advisors in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99 were (i) put out to competitive tender; (ii) not put out to competitive tender, and (iii) let on a non-commercial basis, specifying in each case the names of the individuals or organisations which carried out work and the value of the contract, and what the total value was of all contracts in each of the categories in each of the years above.
Answer
I refer Mr Wallace to the answer given to question S1W-6883. In respect of (i), (ii) and (iii), the information requested is not held centrally. Arrangements are, however, being introduced to collect this data in future.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 29 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the present plans are for the development of the European Community Initiatives INTERREG II and EQUAL.
Answer
Following the adoption by the Commission on 14 April of guidelines for the Community initiative EQUAL, concerning equal opportunities in employment, the Scottish Executive has worked with the UK Government and the other devolved administrations to prepare proposals for a UK plan. Scottish organisations were consulted on its possible content in the summer. Subsequently the UK Government made proposals to the Commission and Scottish Executive officials are now involved in the continuing discussions with the Commission. We have kept the European Committee informed of developments. I expect implementation of the EQUAL programme to begin in the New Year.
Guidelines for INTERREG II, concerned with inter-regional co-operation were adopted in May. As with EQUAL the Scottish Executive is working closely with the UK Government, in the development of programmes for the North Sea, Atlantic and North West Europe programme areas. The Scottish Executive has sole UK responsibility for the Northern Periphery Programme, involving the Northern parts of Scotland, Finland, Sweden and Norway as well as other North Atlantic countries such as Iceland. These programmes are being developed in co-operation with other respective Member States and 'third countries'. Again we have kept the European Committee informed of developments and expect implementation to begin in the New Year.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 12 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 8 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all current spending commitments under the Innovation Fund for children's health services announced in November 1998.
Answer
Details of the current spending commitments by health board under the Innovation Fund for Children's Services are shown in the following table:
Health Board | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 |
Argyll and Clyde | £161,151 | £154,001 | £138,001 |
Ayrshire and Arran | £33,640 | £74,615 | £70,740 |
Borders | £75,905 | £85,930 | £85,930 |
Dumfries and Galloway | £80,000 | £140,000 | £80,000 |
Fife | £39,500 | £104,360 | £106,160 |
Forth Valley | £60,000 | £279,985 | £230,485 |
Grampian | £42,411 | £108,291 | £91,591 |
Greater Glasgow | £291,250 | £478,018 | £481,167 |
Highland | £0 | £103,032 | £130,438 |
Lanarkshire | £54,500 | £229,044 | £231,044 |
Lothian | £161,055 | £408,181 | £289,597 |
Orkney | £0 | £0 | £0 |
Shetland | £28,500 | £75,900 | £68,647 |
Tayside | £228,076 | £275,190 | £245,190 |
Western Isles | £52,500 | £138,620 | £116,973 |
National Project | £66,132 | £102,758 | £106,002 |
Total | £1,374,620 | £2,757,925 | £2,471,965 |
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 28 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how much money was allocated in 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01 and what is the projected allocation for 2001-02 to health boards, the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland, the Health Education Board for Scotland, the National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for Scotland, the Scottish Ambulance Service, the Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education and the State Hospital.
Answer
The information for 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01 is as follows:
| | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 |
| | £000 | £000 | £000 |
| Health Boards | 3,775,129 | 4,176,722 | 4,239,962 |
| Clinical Standards Board for Scotland(1) | - | 1,959 | 3,000 |
| Health Education Board for Scotland | 7,305 | 7,759 | 7,770 |
| National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for Scotland | 3,026 | 3,036 | 3,079 |
| Scottish Ambulance Service(2) | - | 92,493 | 94,917 |
| Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education | 123,086 | 132,198 | 138,139 |
| State Hospital(3) | 18,495 | 19,698 | 19,070 |
(1) The Clinical Standards Board was only established on 1 April 1999.
(2)The Scottish Ambulance Service was an NHS Trust in 1998-99 and therefore received its resources through contracts with Health Boards and other NHS Trusts.
(3)Allocations for 1998-99 and 1999-2000 included funding for an additional ward. Discussions are still ongoing with the State Hospital regarding the level of funding for the additional ward in 2000-01.
Actual allocations for 2001-02 have yet to be determined.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 22 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive why a meeting was cancelled on 14 July 2000 between its task force leader, Professor Frank Clark, and hospital staff from Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust and Tayside Health Board, and what steps it will be take to ensure the prompt announcement of the budget recovery programme.
Answer
The Task Force did meet on 14 July with Trust and Board management and a number of senior clinicians. A further six smaller meetings also took place after this first meeting, all of which involved members of hospital staff.
The Task Force is currently working with Tayside Health Board and the two Tayside NHS Trusts to deliver an effective financial recovery plan. Details of the first phase of the plan were announced by the Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust on 31 July. Further work is in hand to complete the plan and the Trust will make an announcement as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 July 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 18 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many general practitioners are forecast to retire in 2000-01 and 2001-02.
Answer
The Information requested is not held by the Executive.
The General Practitioner sub-committee of the Scottish Advisory Committee on the Medical Workforce are working with ISD Scotland to develop a statistical model to project the supply and demand of GPs in Scotland. This will include GP retirals, but this is a highly variable factor and the forecast will, of necessity, have a high degree of uncertainty.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 7 August 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS managers have received discretionary bonuses and what the total value of these awards has been, in the current financial year and last year.
Answer
Information on individual managers' pay is not held centrally. In Scotland NHS managers are paid on their performance in meeting the objectives and targets set at the start of the reporting year. New pay arrangements for this staff group were introduced with effect from 1 April 2000. These arrangements are set out in NHS MEL (2000) 25.
It is for the Remuneration Committee in each individual Trust and health board to determine the performance and make payments in accordance with the guidance issued by the Management Executive. Discretionary bonuses do not form part of the pay system for these staff.
- Asked by: Ben Wallace, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 16 June 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 26 July 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it intends to take in the light of the view of the Advocate General of the European Court of Justice (Cases C-376/98 and C-74/99) that the European Directive on tobacco advertising should be annulled.
Answer
I refer to the answer I gave to question S1W-2746 on 24 November which outlines the Executive's position on introducing a ban on tobacco advertising and sponsorship. The Advocate General's opinion is significant, but we await the judgement from the European Court of Justice before determining future action. We remain committed to introducing a ban on tobacco advertising and sponsorship and we will consider all available options to bring this about.
