- Asked by: David McLetchie, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 8 November 2001
To ask the First Minister whether he has any plans to reshuffle the Cabinet.
Answer
This will be a matter for the new First Minister once he or she takes up office.
- Asked by: David McLetchie, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 2 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give an assessment of the cost implications for owners of residential and nursing homes of the changes in physical standards for care homes recently announced by the Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care as part of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 and how it intends to take this into account in the determination of fees paid by local authorities for care places.
Answer
Earlier this year, the Scottish Executive commissioned PricewaterhouseCoopers, and a firm of quantity surveyors, to undertake a national survey of physical standards in existing residential and nursing homes in Scotland. We also consulted on proposed draft physical standards.As a result of this work, the period within which existing providers should offer single rooms to those people who want them was extended from 2003 to 2007. We also made the installation of en-suite facilities in existing homes optional. These changes should enable existing providers to meet the new physical standards at minimal cost. The National Review Group which is to recommend care home fee levels from April 2002 is taking the new care standards into account in its work.
- Asked by: David McLetchie, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 30 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) powers and (b) plans it has to introduce legislation for the introduction of compulsory national identity cards.
Answer
There are no immediate plans to introduce an identity card scheme in Scotland or, more widely, in the United Kingdom. The Executive is, and will continue to be, involved in discussions with the UK Government on this matter.
- Asked by: David McLetchie, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 5 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17371 by Ross Finnie on 22 August 2001, what investigations it plans to make into the circumstances surrounding the managerial restructuring of West of Scotland Water Authority, including the severance package offered to its former Chief Executive Mr Ernie Chambers, given that this restructuring exercise took place after the intention to merge Scotland's three existing water authorities into a new single Scotland-wide authority had been announced.
Answer
None, as my answer to question S1W-17371 made clear there are no grounds for such an investigation.
- Asked by: David McLetchie, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 13 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Treasury in relation to Glasgow City Council's housing debt in light of the proposed transfer of the council's housing stock to Glasgow Housing Association.
Answer
The Executive has undertaken to ensure that, where proposals represent good value for money and are selected to proceed, resources will be made available to deal with any residual housing debt of those councils who transfer all their housing stock into community ownership. The arrangements for fulfilling this commitment are under discussion with individual councils and HM Treasury.
- Asked by: David McLetchie, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Department for Work and Pensions in relation to the possible financial implications of the implementation of free personal care in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the provision of free personal care for the older people of Scotland.
- Asked by: David McLetchie, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 5 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the implications are for NHS patients of the ruling by the European Court of Justice in case C-368/98 on the right to seek medical treatment in other European Union countries.
Answer
Case C-368/98 concerns a woman from Belgium who obtained orthopaedic treatment in France. The court confirmed the rule that treatment in such cases is to be provided under the conditions applying in the country providing the treatment. The court did not establish an unqualified right to medical treatment in other European Union countries. The implications for NHS patients relate to issues such as patient safety, quality assurance and proper arrangements for aftercare. Against this background, the legal and policy impact of this and other recent judgements are currently being considered in detail.
- Asked by: David McLetchie, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 3 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to consult the Independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments on the propriety of the appointment of the former Chief Executive of West of Scotland Authority, Mr Ernie Chambers, to a post with Beattie Media and what plans it has to issue guidance to public bodies such as West of Scotland Water Authority on senior managers taking up similar positions, where a percieved conflict of interest may arise in the future.
Answer
The Independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments advises on the business appointment rules for crown servants. The Chief Executive of the West of Scotland Water Authority is not a crown servant. The post is therefore not covered by the business appointment rules for crown servants. His appointment is subject to ministerial approval but not all such appointments are bound by the business appointment rules.It is for an individual public body, as an employer, to determine the precise terms and conditions for its staff. The Executive is currently reviewing the framework for issuing guidance to public bodies following the public bodies review to ensure consistency in approach. This will cover a wide range of issues, including staff issues.
- Asked by: David McLetchie, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 22 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what investigations it has made or plans to make into the circumstances surrounding the early retirement of the former Chief Executive of West of Scotland Water Authority, Mr Ernie Chambers, and in particular into the severance payment made to him.
Answer
Mr Chambers took early retirement as part of a restructuring at WoSWA which reduced the number of directors. He received standard early release terms. There are therefore no grounds for an investigation.
- Asked by: David McLetchie, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 February 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 31 July 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide the names of the special advisers to the First Minister and the Scottish Executive and set out the costs of their individual and collective employment.
Answer
There are currently 11 Special Advisers employed in the Scottish Executive. They are:Dr Colin CurrieSam GhibaldanFiona HamiltonBill HeaneyTom LittleProf. Duncan MaclennanJohn McLarenPeter MacMahonPolly McPhersonJohn McTernanAndy RoweAs explained by my predecessor Donald Dewar in response to a previous question on 22 November 1999 (S1W-2650), individual salaries are not revealed in order to protect the privacy of the individual. However, the estimated annual salary cost for the current advisers is:
Salary | ERNIC | Pension Contribution |
£602,528 | £64,169 | £91,313 |
Notes:1. ERNIC = Employer's Related National Insurance Contributions.2. A 16% contribution towards personal pension, which is part of the Special Advisers' contract.
