Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S2W-03714

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 12 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) new entrants and (b) new entrants aged over 50 to the Civil Service in Scotland were employed in each department in each of the last five years.

The number of new entrantsto each of the Scottish Executive core departments in the last five financial years isprovided in Table A. Table B provides the number of these new entrants thatwere aged 50 or over on the day they were recruited. These figures excludecasual staff. Both tables include employees that have rejoined the Scottish Executive core departments during the specified years.

Table A: Total New Starts

	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03
Centrally Managed Staff	4	12	12	17	10
Corporate Services	77	99	63	83	70
Development Department	46	44	40	66	28
Education Department	24	33	29	45	30
Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning	44	76	69	60	44
Environment and Rural Affairs Department	129	126	166	123	90
Finance and Central Services Department	40	99	50	103	71
Health Department	36	30	45	43	28
Justice Department	24	19	27	29	17
Legal and Parliamentary Services	3	10	13	14	25
All Core Departments	427	548	514	583	413

Table B: Number of Staff AgedFifty Years or Over When Recruited

	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03
Centrally Managed Staff	.	.	.	2	.
Corporate Services	10	17	10	10	17
Development Department	1	.	3	4	4
Education Department	3	5	1	1	.
Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning	4	5	6	6	3
Environment and Rural Affairs Department	5	5	10	8	6
Finance and Central Services Department	1	4	2	6	.
Health Department	2	3	5	5	1
Justice Department	6	4	2	4	5
Legal and Parliamentary Services	.	2	.	2	2
All Core Departments	32	45	39	48	38

Question reference: S2W-03709

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to ensure that nurses and other healthcare staff employed by the NHS who are required to use their own vehicles when working in the community are fairly and fully reimbursed for the costs they incur.

The levels of mileageallowances and all other travel and subsistence allowances for nurses and otherhealth care staff are negotiated nationally through the General WhitleyCouncil.

Discussions with stafforganisations have resulted in an agreement in principle that any decisionsabout arrangements for travel and subsistence should be taken following theestablishment of the new NHS staff council to be created in the wake of Agendafor Change, the new pay system for NHS staff. This is subject to the outcome of the staff ballot on Agenda for Change to be held by a number of stafforganisations next year.

Question reference: S2W-03715

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 12 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to deal with light pollution.

Question reference: S2W-03711

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it provides to nursing students in rural areas who may have to travel considerable distances each day to their clinical placements.

The nursing and midwifery studentbursary provides normal day to day living support, including daily travellingcosts from home to the student’s institution. When they are on placement,students can apply for expenses they incur that are above what they normallyspend when in attendance at their institution. These expenses can includeadditional travelling costs and board or lodging charges if students have tolive away from their term time address while they are on placement.

Question reference: S2W-03683

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional dentists will be required in each NHS board area to meet target 6 of the Health and Community Care chapter of its draft budget 2004-05.

Question reference: S2W-03682

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a specific civil servant responsible for delivering target (a) 3 and (b) 6 of the Health and Community Care chapter of its draft budget 2004-05.

Question reference: S2W-03679

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a specific civil servant responsible for delivering target (a) 2, (b) 7 and (c) 11 of the Education and Young People chapter of its draft budget 2004-05.

Question reference: S2W-03689

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a specific civil servant responsible for delivering target 4 of the Environment and Rural Development chapter of its draft budget 2004-05.

Question reference: S2W-03686

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a specific civil servant responsible for delivering target (a) 4 and (b) 10 of the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning chapter of its draft budget 2004-05.

Question reference: S2W-03687

Asked by: Stewart Stevenson, MSP for Banff and Buchan, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 October 2003
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 November 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a specific civil servant responsible for delivering target (a) 2 and (b) 12 of the Communities chapter of its draft budget 2004-05.