- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 16 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding will be allocated for the rail functions to be devolved to the Scottish Parliament.
Answer
A fair and appropriate sum will be transferred to the Executive. Detailed discussions are currently being held with the Department for Transport. This work is being given high priority.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 16 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether responsibility for the maintenance of Kinloch Castle rests with its owners, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and, if so, whether SNH has discharged that responsibility and how much has been spent on (a) repairs and maintenance and (b) other work at Kinloch Castle in each year since the inception of SNH.
Answer
The island of Rum, including Kinloch Castle, is owned by SNH and managed as a National Nature Reserve. Maintenance is therefore an operational issue for SNH to address as part of its overall plans for the island, and I have asked the Chief Executive of SNH to write to the member about this matter.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 15 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its procurement policy for purchasing food for schools and other public sector establishments requires simplifying or streamlining; which consultants have been appointed to oversee the implementation of the policy and at what cost; whether it plans to carry out any consultations on the policy and, if so, at what estimated or planned cost, and what the remit of any such consultations will be.
Answer
The fundamental aim of public sector procurement legislation and policy is to ensure that goods and services are purchased on the basis of fair competition and represent value for money. Buyers must satisfy themselves that specifications are justifiable in terms of need, cost effectiveness and affordability.
The Executive does not buy food other than through its catering contractor. Major public sector food purchasers in Scotland are the NHS, schools (local authority) and Scottish Prison Service, who are responsible for their own purchasing decisions.
The Executive has, however, published guidelines on food procurement which underline the need for those taking purchasing decisions to take full account of quality factors such as freshness, seasonality and relevant farm assurance standards.
The Executive has also commissioned a research project which will:
- estimate the value of the public sector procurement market in Scotland,
- identify the incentives and constraints currently faced by the public sector in its purchasing decisions and
- discuss how any incentives enhanced and constraints overcome.
The work is being carried out by DTZ Pieda and is a research project and not part of a public consultation. Liaison has therefore been with industry contracts and Executive policy colleagues. The project cost is in the region of £50,000
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the service provided by NHS 24 is adequate and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.
Answer
Now fully operational, NHS 24 has achieved its key business plan objective of providing ready access to health care assessments, advice and information for the whole population of Scotland. In addition NHS 24 is providing a vital call handling service for patients who may require a GP out of hours at a time when many GPs are exercising their right to opt out of providing such services. The Executive is continuing to monitor the performance of the organisation. Early findings from the Scottish Executive's independent evaluation of NHS 24 demonstrates a rise in patient satisfaction.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether NHS 24 staff responding to calls from patients are entitled to refuse to telephone a local GP and, if so, under what circumstances.
Answer
NHS 24 staff will pass a caller’s details to the relevant local out-of-hours services when it is assessed that the patient’s needs will be met most appropriately by contact with a GP. The out-of-hours service will in turn pass the call to the GP covering the local area.
If the clinical presentation of the symptoms does not require referral, but the patient insists on being referred to a GP, NHS 24 staff will ask the local out of hours service to call the patient back.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any GPs have sought to opt out of NHS 24 and, if so, what the response has been.
Answer
Information on the number of GPs who use NHS 24 is not held centrally.
Under the terms of the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract, GPs can transfer their responsibility for providing out-of-hours services to NHS boards. In such circumstances, boards have until 31 December 2004 to put in place alternative out-of-hours arrangements which must meet mandatory accreditedstandards to ensure a safe and quality service for patients. Under these new arrangements NHS boards are using NHS 24 to triage initial calls.
GPs who decide not to transfer their out-of-hours responsibility will have their own arrangements in place which may or may not involve NHS 24 to triage calls.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether personnel have been leaving NHS 24 and, if so, how many nurses have left in each of the last 12 months.
Answer
The table below indicates the number of nurses who have left
and joined NHS 24 over the past 12 months. A number of the nurses who have left have done so to take up promoted posts in other parts of the NHS and to utilise the new skills they have learned with NHS 24 in relation to nurse triage. The number of nurses joining the organisation has been phased to match the planned roll-out of the service and is continuing.
| Month | Left | Started |
| December 2003 | 10 | - |
| January 2004 | 8 | - |
| February | 10 | 31 |
| March | 7 | 29 |
| April | 5 | - |
| May | 7 | 33 |
| June | 5 | - |
| July | 11 | 11 |
| August | 12 | 36 |
| September | 14 | - |
| October | 7 | 9 |
| November | 11 | 44 |
| Totals | 107* | 193 |
Note: *Of these 14 have since returned to NHS 24.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 6 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what recommendations from the First Report of the Select Committee on Public Administration, published on 10 February 1998, it has put in place, with particular regard to the recommendation on political activity.
Answer
The Government’s response to the report was submitted to the Committee in April 1998 and can be found at:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm199798/cmselect/cmpubadm/723s3/pas302.htm.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 16 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 6 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will extend the period over which candidates for public appointments are required to declare their political activity from five to 10 years and whether it will now ask such candidates about their membership of a political party or club.
Answer
The Executive is required to follow the arrangements for declaring political activity contained in the Code of Practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland. Consideration of any changes to these arrangements is a matter for the Commissioner.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 2 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive what the anticipated life is of the new headquarters to be built in Inverness for Scottish Natural Heritage; whether the cost of leasing the premises from the owners will be taken into account when working out net present value (NPV); whether, in calculating NPV, the period in respect of which discounted value is assessed will be the whole expected life of the building or 30 years and, if it is 30 years, what account will be taken of the lease costs of the building for the remainder of the expected life of the building.
Answer
The invitation to tender for the SNH HQ building requires the developer to design all non-replaceable elements of the building fabric to a standard suitable for permanent buildings with a life span of 75 years or more. Option appraisals undertaken by SNH follow Treasury guidance on appraisal periods and discount rates and in this case follows normal practice in adopting a 30-year appraisal period. No final decision has been taken on whether the building will be leased or purchased outright. If the leasing option were to be chosen, on completion of the 30-year lease term the building could either be surrendered back to the owner or a new lease negotiated, according to SNH’s requirement at that time.
