Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-16161 on 24 July 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-16161 on 24 July 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.

Over the past five years, Scotland has been in a relatively stronger fiscal position than the UK as a whole to the tune of £12.6 billion. This means that over this period, holding everything else constant, Scotland could have had higher spending, for example on infrastructure investment, and/or lower taxation and still had a smaller fiscal deficit than the UK. With the additional economic levers that independence will provide, and the up to £1.5 trillion asset base provided by North Sea oil and gas reserves, an independent Scotland will stand on a strong financial footing.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-16161 on 24 July 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-16161 on 24 July 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.

<>The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that small and medium sized businesses have fair access to public sector contracts in Scotland and have made it easier for SMEs to do business with the public sector. In 2012, 82% of suppliers awarded contracts through Public Contracts Scotland were SMEs, following year-on-year increases.

Scottish Enterprise and Co-Operative Development Scotland (CDS) offer training for businesses wishing to increase their market share through joint collaborative bids with other businesses. CDS particularly promote the “co-operative consortium” in which member businesses share equally in a new entity which is formed to undertake some agreed activity on behalf of members. The “consortium co-operative” is increasingly popular in Scotland, including construction.

The Children and Young People’s Allergy Network was established in April 2011 to strengthen and develop specialist services for children with severe allergies. The network has recurring funding from 2011-12 for a lead clinician and administrator. An application for the formalisation of the network’s future status as a national managed clinical network will be considered by the National Specialist Services Committee in August 2013.

The Scottish Government currently has no plans to establish an adult managed clinical network for allergy. NHS boards have statutory responsibility and accountability for the delivery of services. Updated guidance on the role of managed clinical networks was issued to NHS boards in:

http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2012_29.pdf.

The Procurement Reform Bill will apply to the award of commercial contracts for goods, works and services, not to contracts of employment which involve a salary. Similarly, Public Contracts Scotland is not intended for contracts of employment.

Our proposals for the Bill were developed through extensive consultation with stakeholders, including business representatives. The recommendations set out in the Federation of Master Builders report serve as welcome conformation that businesses, especially smaller firms, are keen that we use the Bill to tackle issues such as pre-qualification processes, provision of debriefing and advertising of contract opportunities.

Based on information from the Public Contracts Scotland portal, the information requested is set out in the following table:

	2010*	2011	2012
Scotland-based small enterprises**	36%	48%	53%
Scotland-based medium sized enterprises***	19%	17%	15%
Total Scotland-based SMEs	55%	65%	68%

* 2010 figures are for October to December only as this is when reporting functionality on the size and location of suppliers became available in Public Contracts Scotland.

** Scotland-based and employee numbers according to the information provided by suppliers when registering on Public Contracts Scotland. Small enterprises are those with under 50 employees.

*** Medium sized enterprises are those with 50 – 249 employees.