- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 13 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 21 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-34201 by Peter Peacock on 5 March 2003, when it will make its decision on the request for grant funding from the Association of Scottish Community Councils.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-34201 on 5 March 2003. We are waiting for further information from the Association of Scottish Community Councils in relation to its request for further funding. 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/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 March 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs were of printing, publishing and distributing its annual report, Appointments to Non-Departmental Public Bodies in Scotland.
Answer
The Executive's annual report on Appointments to Scottish Public Bodies is published in accordance with the recommendations of the First Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. The total cost of printing, publishing and distributing the report was £2623.48 (incl. VAT).
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 12 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to encourage local authorities to introduce a code of conduct for council officers to complement the Councillor's Code of Conduct, following the recommendation for such a code in the Accounts Commission's Overview of the 2001/02 local authority audits.
Answer
I understand that all local authorities already have a code of conduct for council officers in place.
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take in response to the finding in the Accounts Commission's Overview of the 2001/02 local authority audits that "scope exists for improvement in the arrangements for monitoring the proper and effective use of funds".
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-34376 today. 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/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to address the continuing weaknesses in the fundamental financial controls of local authority audits referred to in the Accounts Commission's Overview of the 2001/02 local authority audits.
Answer
It is the responsibility of the local authorities concerned to respond to weaknesses revealed by the auditors. From 1 April the new duty of Best Value provided in the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 will be accompanied by a broadening of the grounds on which the Accounts Commission can formally hold local authorities to account for poor performance caused by such weaknesses.
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will implement the recommendation made by the Accounts Commission's Overview of the 2001/02 local authority audits and Taking the initiative - Using PFI contracts to renew council schools that the Executive should consider developing a leadership role in order to ensure that the special experience and skills learned from current private finance initiative schools projects are transferred to future projects.
Answer
The Financial Partnerships Unit within the Scottish Executive has already developed a leadership role with regard to local authority schools public private partnership(PPP) projects in order that the experience and skills learned from current PPP projects are transferred to future schools projects. This role is continuing to evolve and takes several forms.To date, five seminars covering the PPP process and related skills have been held by the Scottish Executive. Three two-day training workshops will be held shortly. In addition, the Executive has encouraged and supported several seminars arranged by other organisations such as the Scottish Leadership Foundation and private companies.The Executive has commissioned Partnerships UK to undertake a Key Stage Review of each of the schools PPP projects. This will occur at two stages within the project, pre-Invitation to Negotiate stage and pre-Preferred Bidder appointment, and is intended to assure both the education authority and the Executive that the project is sufficiently well prepared to proceed to the next stage of the procurement. In support of the Staffing Protocol, a Technical Guidance Note "Scoping of Facilities Management Services and In-house Bids" was published for consultation in February. Members of Financial Partnerships Unit attend project board meetings. This acts as a useful check on how the authority is progressing with their project and can highlight any different approaches between projects. The Financial Partnerships Unit also provides advisory support to the Scottish Schools PPP Group.
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to assist local authorities in addressing the quality of performance of direct labour organisations (DLOs) and direct service organisations (DSOs), following the finding of the Accounts Commission's Overview of the 2001/02 local authority audits that the percentage of DLOs and DSOs breaking even has fallen since 2000-01.
Answer
Scottish Executive officials met formally with representatives of those local authorities with significant deficits earlier this year. These discussions established the causes of the deficits, and that recovery plans were being developed for the DSOs and DLOs in question. Progress against the recovery plans will be monitored and kept under review.
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take any action in response to the finding in the Accounts Commission's Overview of the 2001/02 local authority audits that some local authority joint boards have yet to establish audit committees or equivalent scrutiny mechanisms.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-34376 today. 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/webapp/search_wa.
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 7 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take in response to the finding in the Accounts Commission's Overview of the 2001/02 local authority audits that "if Scotland's recycling record is to improve councils need to give recycling greater priority".
Answer
The Executive launched the National Waste Plan on 24 February 2003, which establishes the direction of our policies for sustainable waste management to 2020. This plan provides an integrated summary of the 11 Area Waste Plans, which were prepared by groups including local authority representatives. Implementing this plan will achieve 25% recycling and composting of municipal waste by 2006, and 55% by 2020. The Executive has allocated over £230 million over the next three years alone for local authorities to implement the Area Waste Plans. I announced funding of almost £110 million to eight local authorities over 17 years on 3 February. I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-33419 on 3 February 2003. 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/webapp/search_wa. Further bids from local authorities to the Strategic Waste Fund are currently being assessed.The Local Government (Scotland) Act 2003 places a new duty on local authorities to prepare integrated waste management plans for ministers' approval. The Executive will use this provision to direct authorities to establish mandatory recycling targets which will be based on the Area Waste Plans.
- Asked by: Mr Keith Harding, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 February 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 7 March 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs were of printing, publishing and distributing Scottish Economic Report: February 2003.
Answer
The total costs of printing, publishing and distributing the February 2003 edition of the Scottish Economic Report are estimated at £9,684 including VAT.
