Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2O-06529

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 28 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is working with trade unions to encourage workplace learning.

The Scottish Executive recognises the important role that unions play in workplace learning. Since 2000 we have committed £3.3 million to 54 projects under the Scottish Union Learning Fund, a scheme specifically designed to encourage workplace learning by trade unions and their partners. We are committing a further £1.6 million to the fund over 2006 to 2008.

I am pleased to announce today that we have agreed an extra £1.4 million over the next three years to enable the STUC and unions to develop further the union learning agenda in Scotland in parallel with the learning academy proposed for England and Wales.

Question reference: S2W-15260

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 14 March 2005
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 15 March 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans the First Minister has to provide more detailed information on the international development policy.

Question reference: S2W-14732

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 February 2005
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 25 February 2005

NHS boards have been given formula* capital allocations of £220 million for 2005-06, £266 million for 2006-07 and £321 million for 2007-08. Island Board allocations include an island uplift supplement. Details of each NHS board’s allocation is as follows:

NHSScotland Formula Capital Allocations 2005-06 to 2007-08

NHS Board	2005-06 (£m)	% Increase over 2004-05	2006-07 (£m)	% Increase over 2005-06	2007-08 (£m)	% Increase over 2006-07	% Increase From 2005-06 to 2007-08
Argyll and Clyde	15.647	8.87	18.777	20.00	22.546	20.07	44.09
Ayrshire and Arran	14.686	9.68	17.623	20.00	21.161	20.07	44.09
Borders	4.152	11.24	4.982	19.99	5.983	20.08	44.10
Dumfries and Galloway	6.294	10.61	7.553	20.01	9.069	20.08	44.09
Fife	12.084	10.56	14.501	20.00	17.412	20.07	44.09
Forth Valley	10.017	10.95	12.020	20.00	14.433	20.07	44.09
Grampian	19.316	9.82	23.179	20.00	27.832	20.07	44.09
Greater Glasgow	55.633	9.16	66.760	20.00	80.162	20.08	44.09
Highland	9.321	11.46	11.185	20.00	13.431	20.08	44.09
Lanarkshire	19.703	12.13	23.644	20.00	28.390	20.07	44.09
Lothian	33.759	9.94	40.511	20.00	48.644	20.08	44.09
Orkney	0.537	10.37	0.645	20.05	0.774	20.05	44.13
Shetland	0.597	9.96	0.716	20.01	0.860	20.12	44.05
Tayside	16.898	9.41	20.276	19.99	24.347	20.07	44.08
Western Isles	1.356	13.73	1.628	20.03	1.954	20.05	44.10
Total	220.000		264.000		317.000

Note: *Capital funds are allocated to NHS boards using the Arbuthnott formula adjusted for cross boundary flows and weighted for the provision of regional specialities.

Allocations to Special Health Boards for the three year period are as follows:

	2005-06 (£m)	2006-07 (£m)	2007-08 (£m)
NHS National Services Scotland	5.0	5.3	5.3
Scottish Ambulance Service	10.4	11.4	11.7
State Hospital	4.8	5.3	5.8
Golden Jubilee National Hospital	13.5	3.5	3.3
NHS 24	2.7	2.0	2.0

Note: Special boards are given sufficient funds to meet planned projects.

Question reference: S2W-13714

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 10 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Prison Service is developing rehabilitation programmes intended to reduce reoffending rates in partnership with voluntary sector agencies and, if so, which agencies are involved.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

Currently there are no rehabilitation programmes being developed in partnership with the voluntary sector. However, SPS runs an employability Approved Activity that was formerly developed by Apex Scotland and SPS.

Additionally, SPS works closely with over 100 voluntary and statutory agencies in the provision of reintegration services such as employment, housing and addiction support services that assist offenders on return to the community.

Question reference: S2W-13925

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 9 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how it is making its procurement processes and policies more accessible to small and medium-sized suppliers.

The Scottish Executive is committed to ensuring that, wherever possible, publicprocurement procedures offer fair opportunity for Scottish suppliers, includingSmall and Medium-sized Enterprises (SME’s), to compete. We are also committed toensuring that pre-qualification requirements do not unfairly disadvantage SME’s.

Over recent months, the Executive has been in discussion with representatives of the Scottish business community (including the Federation of Small Business, Chambers of Commerce, CBI Scotland and the Institute of Directors) regarding ways in which we can help Scottish suppliers, especially SMEs, compete for public contracts and we hope to agree a package of recommendations shortly.

Measures already implemented include the development of a procurement website which provides information and guidance for those wishing to sell to the Executive and introduction the e-Procurement Scotland programme which significantly reduces transactional costs for suppliers.

Question reference: S2W-13698

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 9 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in West Dunbartonshire died from cancer, shown also as a proportion of the national average, in each of the last five years.

The information requested is presented in the table:

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Number of deaths¹	311	286	320	275	310
Relationship to Scottish average²	119	110	117	103	116

Notes:

1. Calculated using ICD10 codes C00-C97 (malignant neoplasms) for 2000-03 and ICD9 codes 140-209 (malignant neoplasms) for 1999.

2. Standardised mortality ratio: Scotland =100.

Question reference: S2W-13700

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 9 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in West Dunbartonshire died from strokes or heart disease, shown also as a proportion of the national average, in each of the last five years.

The information requested is presented in the table:

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Number of deaths¹	399	371	376	333	377
Relationship to Scottish average²	111	109	115	103	120

Notes:

1. Calculated using ICD10 codes I60-I69 (cerebrovascular diseases) and I20-I25 (ischaemic heart diseases) for 2000-2003, and ICD9 codes 430-438 (cerebrovascular diseases) and 410-414 (ischaemic heart diseases) for 1999.

2. Standardised mortality ratio: Scotland =100.

Question reference: S2W-13699

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 21 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tavish Scott on 9 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in West Dunbartonshire died from respiratory cancer, shown also as a proportion of the national average, in each of the last five years.

The information requested is presented in the table:

	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Number of deaths¹	108	80	90	93	110
Relationship to Scottish average²	140	110	123	124	155

Notes:

1. Calculated using ICD10 codes C30-C39 for 2000-2003 and ICD9 codes 160-165

for 1999.

2. Standardised mortality ratio: Scotland =100.

Question reference: S2W-13730

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 8 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in establishing a community planning partnership in East Dunbartonshire and how the arrangements being put in place will ensure that the community is appropriately represented.

East Dunbartonshire Council is required to initiate, facilitate and maintain a process of community planning, in which all relevant public, private, voluntary and community bodies in the area should participate. This duty is established under section 15 of the Local Government in Scotland Act (2003) (“the Act”).

Effective and genuine engagement of communities is at the heart of community planning. It must involve consultation, co-operation and participation. The local authority is responsible for facilitating this process. The Executive supports local authorities and their partners across the public sector in meeting their statutory duties in relation to community planning, in accordance with Ministers’ statutory duty to promote and encourage the process of community planning.

Local authorities, as facilitators of the community planning process, are required to report regularly to their communities on community planning in their area. Reports should be geared towards the needs of the local community. Although such reports are not required to be submitted to the Scottish Executive, reports must demonstrate clearly how the local authority has implemented its duties under section 15 of the Act, including reporting on the means of consulting community bodies (and other public bodies) and a summary of the outcomes of such consultation.

In addition, the Accounts Commission for Scotland is required to audit councils’ achievements in relation to their statutory duties under the Act – including those in relation to community planning – by means of cyclical Best Value audits.

Further details are available as part of the community planning statutory guidance:

www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/localgov/cpsg-00.asp.

Question reference: S2W-13734

Asked by: Des McNulty, MSP for Clydebank and Milngavie, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 January 2005
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 7 February 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to convey to Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) the importance of adopting good procurement practice.

The Scottish Public Finance Manual sets out a number of requirements in respect of procurement, including requirements that procurement decisions are based on value for money (usually following competition), that procurement processes are managed by staff with appropriate skills, experience and training and that purchasers preserve the highest ethical standards in their dealings with suppliers.

The Executive’s Procurement Directorate helps Executive agencies and NDPBs meet their obligations under the Finance Manual in a number of ways, through its website, publication of guidance manuals and ad hoc policy and best practice circulars and through periodic meetings for heads of procurement and through the award of contracts for common requirements (e.g. electricity and ICT services) which are available for use by Executive Agencies and NDPBs.

In May 2004 the Executive also organised a major conference for Scottish public purchasers entitled “Delivering Change”. The conference, attended by over 400 delegates, was designed to underline the important role that procurement needs to play in delivering better quality public services.