Chamber and committees

The Pensions Ombudsman has powers that apply throughout the UK. These are covered in section 151 of the Pensions Schemes Act 1993.

With regard to public money paid to companies involved with delivery of the Energy Assistance Package:

(a) Marketing – expenditure in 2011-12 and provisional expenditure for 2012-13 by agencies used by the Scottish Government's Marketing Unit is as follows:

The Scottish Government publishes annual marketing spend figures, with a separate line for Home Energy Scotland, at:

www.scotland.gov.uk/About/People/Directorates/Communications/advertising-marketing/spend

Note that APS provides print, rather than marketing, services and is included in the overall expenditure breakdown above for completeness. APS was not included in the list of private companies involved in the marketing of the Energy Assistance Package in the answer to S4W-10940, as it does not provide marketing services.

(b) Sale – as explained in the answer to S4W-10940, the Energy Assistance Package does not involve direct sales.

(c) Work and repairs, maintenance and upgrades – the Scottish Government does not hold information about the payments made by Scottish Gas to their subcontractors to carry out this work.

The Scottish Government regrets that the information requested can only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

The Government Actuary's Department's (GAD) has been actuarial adviser to the Scottish Government in respect of the Police Pension Schemes since their introduction. GAD issued advice to the Scottish Government (via the Scottish Public Pensions Agency) on revised commutation tables for the Police Pension Scheme 1987 on 29 May 2007. No recommendations relating to revisions of the 1988 commutation factors were made to the Scottish Government prior to that date.

There are various regulations relating to the Police Pension Schemes in Scotland under which the Government Actuary (either directly or via his appointment as the Scheme Actuary) has responsibility for setting or providing actuarial advice on factors. When considering appropriate factors, the Government Actuary may take into account various sources of relevant information. In particular, mortality assumptions are set following consideration of some or all of national statistics (including the UK as a whole and for the constituent countries/regions of the UK), standard mortality tables issued by the UK Actuarial Profession and scheme specific analysis (where available).

GAD are commissioned by the Scottish Government to undertake full valuations of all public sector schemes, using appropriate financial and demographic assumptions; and to recommend the contribution rate to be paid by the employers who participate in the scheme. They also provide actuarial advice to other public sector pension schemes where Scottish Ministers have responsibilities, as and when required.

Due to key changes in public sector pensions policy the advice and guidance issued by GAD over the requested periods have been numerous and relate to a wide number of subjects. The cost of identifying each and every item of GAD advice during the requested period would be disproportionate.

GAD provides actuarial advice to the Scottish Government in respect of all public sector pension schemes, including the police schemes, as and when commissioned to do so.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-12696 on 18 February 2013. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

An independent Scotland will have security arrangements that are proportionate, fit for purpose, and reflect a full strategic assessment of Scotland’s needs and the threats we may face.

In line with the recommendation of the Electoral Commission, the Scottish Government has proposed to the UK Government that the two governments should engage in preparatory discussions to exchange the factual information that will be required to underpin post-referendum negotiations, and to develop an understanding of the issues that will require to be agreed after a “yes” vote and the approaches that will be taken to concluding those agreements. We look forward to the UK Government’s response.