- Asked by: Bristow Muldoon, MSP for Livingston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 30 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce the members of the review team that will conduct the independent review of local government finance.
Answer
I am pleased to announce that the following have agreed to conduct the independent review of local government finance:
Sir Peter Burt (chair)
Professor John Baillie
Peter Daniels
Janet Lowe
A short biography on each is contained within the press release announcing the members, which is available on the Scottish Executive website and copies of which will be placed in the Scottish Parliament’s Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Bristow Muldoon, MSP for Livingston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 24 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses and midwives have returned to the NHS since the introduction of the Return to Practice programme.
Answer
Four hundred and eight people have returned to the NHS since the introduction of the Scottish Executive Health Department Return to Practice Programme in March 2002.
- Asked by: Bristow Muldoon, MSP for Livingston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 24 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to retain nurses in the NHS and how any retention policy is monitored.
Answer
A range of recruitment and retention initiatives have been launched under the banner of
Facing the Future to support nurses and midwives across NHSScotland.
To date, eight key-themes have been identified under which a number of initiatives at both local and national levels have been implemented. The key-themes are: careers, leadership, flexibility, education and training, working conditions and tools for the job, employment packages, research and evaluation, new roles.
Action plans have been developed in all NHS board areas to take account of these themes. Progress on these action plans is monitored by the multi-agency Facing the Future Group, chaired by the Minister for Health and Community Care.
- Asked by: Bristow Muldoon, MSP for Livingston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on any evaluations that have been carried out on the Agenda for Change early implementation sites in England and whether any evaluations have been carried out on the project sites in Scotland, in particular in relation to the management of additional annual leave entitlement.
Answer
Initial findings from the Early implementer sites in England and the four project sites in Scotland are currently being fed into a UK review of Agenda for Change being carried out in partnership with the relevant trades unions. This review is due for completion at the end of July and is examining all aspects of Agenda for Change, including annual leave.
We liaise regularly with the four Scottish Project sites and members of the Scottish Pay Reference and Implementation Group to address any issues arising from the work they are undertaking.
- Asked by: Bristow Muldoon, MSP for Livingston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 June 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 11 June 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what stage has been reached with the reletting of the ScotRail franchise.
Answer
Following the approval of the Scottish ministers, the Strategic Rail Authority has today announced to the StockExchange the appointment of First Group as the preferred bidder for the ScotRailfranchise.
The Strategic Rail Authoritywill now work with the preferred bidder to reach closure on the franchise contractand begin the next franchise by October 2004.
- Asked by: Bristow Muldoon, MSP for Livingston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 May 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to improve local bus services.
Answer
A range of measures is in placeto improve local bus services, including the toolkit of options contained in theTransport (Scotland) Act 2001 and the new Bus Route Development Grant schemelaunched last month.
- Asked by: Bristow Muldoon, MSP for Livingston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 22 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 27 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will issue guidance under the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003.
Answer
I am pleased to announce that we have today published guidance on best value, community planning and the powerto advance well-being, three core elements of the Local Government in Scotland Act.This followed an extensive consultation. The guidance can be found on the Executive’sweb site (
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/recent.aspx)and is being sent out to local authorities and other key interests, including thosewith duties under the act. Copies have been placed in the Parliament’s referencecentre (Bib. numbers: 32428 -
Community Planning & Advice Notes; 32429-
Power to Advance Wellbeing; and 32430 -
Duty to Secure Best Value).
- Asked by: Bristow Muldoon, MSP for Livingston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 22 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the reopening of the Bathgate to Airdrie railway line.
Answer
The engineering study has been completed and copies are available from West Lothian Council. The Scottish Executive is working with West Lothian Council, North Lanarkshire Council and Strathclyde Passenger Transport to move forward our Partnership Agreement commitment to this important project.
- Asked by: Bristow Muldoon, MSP for Livingston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 22 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with local authorities who wish to initiate quality bus contracts.
Answer
Discussionshave taken place with a number of local authorities regarding use of the buspowers in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001.
- Asked by: Bristow Muldoon, MSP for Livingston, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 02 April 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 5 April 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive who will be Scotland's full and alternate members to the Regional Chamber of Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe for the two year mandate that begins in May 2004.
Answer
The names of Tavish ScottMSP as the full member and Phil Gallie MSP as the alternate member have beenforwarded to the Council of Europe, under the procedure agreed by thegovernment of the United Kingdom for appointing the UK delegation to the Congressof Local and Regional Authorities of Europe.
