- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 25 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has carried out of the cost implications of civil jury trials in the Court of Session and when the next assessment is planned.
Answer
We have no immediate plans to review the current entitlement, under the court rules, for a pursuer to seek resolution of a case by the use of a civil jury trial. Such trials are relatively rarely sought and it is even more rare for a civil jury trial to proceed.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 25 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many actions for damages relating to personal injuries have been raised in the Court of Session in each of the last three years.
Answer
The latest information available is for the years 2000, 2001 and 2002 and is given in Table 2.3, page number 6 of Civil Judicial Statistics published by the Scottish Executive in years 2001, 2002 and 2004 copies of which are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. numbers 19702, 26040 and 31061).
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 25 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average duration of a civil jury trial in the Court of Session was in each of the last three years.
Answer
The average duration of a civil jury trial, in the Court of Session in each of the last three years was as follows:
| 2002 | 3.2 days |
| 2003 | 3.7 days |
| 2004 | 3.7 days |
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 25 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average duration of a civil proof, excluding civil jury trials, in the Court of Session was in each of the last three years.
Answer
The average duration of a civil proof in each of 2002, 2003 and 2004 was 3.9 days, 3.5 days and three days respectively.
| 2002 | 3.9 days |
| 2003 | 3.5 days |
| 2004 | 3 days |
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 25 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on civil proofs, excluding civil jury trials, in the Court of Session in each of the last three years, broken down by category of spending.
Answer
The expenditure is shown in the attached table.
| Civil Proof Costs | 2001-02 (£) | 2002-03 (£) | 2003-04 (£) |
| Judicial | 266,558.76 | 462,339.28 | 287,413.56 |
| Staff | 203,442.92 | 344,547.29 | 184,697.32 |
| Accommodation | 66,977.98 | 99,774.85 | 67,308.31 |
| Other Costs* | 68,397.30 | 120,645.14 | 131,216.54 |
| Total Cost | 605,376.96 | 1027,306.55 | 670,635.72 |
Note: *Other costs include costs not directly attributable to staff and accommodation (eg stationery, publications, telephones).
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 25 February 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on civil jury trials in the Court of Session in each of the last three years, broken down by category of spending.
Answer
The expenditure is shown in the table below.
| Civil Jury Trial Costs | 2001-02 (£) | 2002-03 (£) | 2003-04 (£) |
| Judicial | 14,360.07 | 14,127.03 | 18,373.47 |
| Staff | 10,959.89 | 10,527.83 | 11,807.13 |
| Accommodation | 3,608.24 | 3,048.68 | 4,302.81 |
| Other Costs* | 3,684.70 | 3,686.38 | 8,388.27 |
| Jury | 8,200.00 | 4,800.00 | 5,600.00 |
| Total Cost | 40,812.90 | 36,189.92 | 48,471.69 |
Notes: *Other costs include costs not directly attributable to staff and accommodation (e.g. stationery, publications, telephones).
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 November 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 31 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive why Scottish population projections available from the Government Actuary’s Department stop at 2043 when the UK population forecast is being produced up to and including 2073.
Answer
The choice of projection period reflects user demand and the increasing uncertainty of projections as the period is extended, particularly for smaller populations. A 40 year period has been used since 1970 for the projections for the constituent countries of the UK, including Scotland. In 1981, to meet the needs of actuaries, economists and other users, this was extended to 70 years for the UK and GB projections where the larger population allows greater accuracy.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 27 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the statement in Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland 2002-03 that Scotland has a £9.3 billion deficit, what steps it will take to prevent competitor nations and regions using this information to Scotland£s commercial disadvantage and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.
Answer
I do not consider that the publication of Government Expenditure and Revenuein Scotland (GERS) and the information it provides puts Scotland at acommercial disadvantage. The Executive publishes GERS in order to enhance publicunderstanding of fiscal issues in Scotland.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 January 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 January 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will urge the board of NHS Argyll and Clyde to suspend the closure of the assessment ward at Campbeltown Hospital and direct it to refocus its cost recovery plan on areas that have consistently overspent in the past and on specific measures that will not result in the saved costs for NHS Argyll and Clyde being achieved at the expense of other agencies and individuals.
Answer
We look to NHS boards to effectively provide services that meet the needs of local people, whilst living within their means. It is essential they do so in order to deliver high quality, safe and sustainable services for all their residents.
Argyll and Clyde NHS Board, in pursuing the development of community-based services in the Kintyre area, is following national policy on the provision of services for older people. This policy was informed by extensive consultation with user groups, staff, professional organisations and elected representatives.
I have received assurances that where patients need hospital care, they will continue to receive it, and that the board intends to involve local people further in shaping the community-based service to make sure that it meets patients’ needs as effectively as possible.
I made it clear in the chamber before the recess that I am not prepared to intervene in this case. I expect the board to do the job it is set up to do.
- Asked by: Jim Mather, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 09 December 2004
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 23 December 2004
To ask the Scottish Executive how many economically inactive people have been recorded as wanting to work in each quarter since 1997.
Answer
Table 1. Number of Economically Inactive People Who Want to Work in Scotland
1 | | Economically Inactive - Wants a Job |
| Mar - May 1997 | 242,000 |
| Jun - Aug 1997 | 249,000 |
| Sep - Nov 1997 | 252,000 |
| Dec - Feb 1998 | 258,000 |
| Mar - May 1998 | 259,000 |
| Jun - Aug 1998 | 238,000 |
| Sep - Nov 1998 | 219,000 |
| Dec - Feb 1999 | 221,000 |
| Mar - May 1999 | 231,000 |
| Jun - Aug 1999 | 217,000 |
| Sep - Nov 1999 | 217,000 |
| Dec - Feb 2000 | 200,000 |
| Mar - May 2000 | 222,000 |
| Jun - Aug 2000 | 213,000 |
| Sep - Nov 2000 | 214,000 |
| Dec - Feb 2001 | 226,000 |
| Mar - May 2001 | 241,000 |
| Jun - Aug 2001 | 222,000 |
| Sep - Nov 2001 | 226,000 |
| Dec - Feb 2002 | 241,000 |
| Mar - May 2002 | 237,000 |
| Jun - Aug 2002 | 231,000 |
| Sep - Nov 2002 | 247,000 |
| Dec - Feb 2003 | 238,000 |
| Mar - May 2003 | 234,000 |
| Jun - Aug 2003 | 214,000 |
| Sep - Nov 2003 | 231,000 |
| Dec - Feb 2004 | 224,000 |
| Mar - May 2004 | 215,000 |
| Jun - Aug 2004 | 195,000 |
Source: Data are taken from Office for National Statistics Labour Force Survey.
Notes: 1. Relates to working age population.
