- Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 November 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 24 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs were of publishing, printing, distributing and launching One Scotland - One Geography.
Answer
The total cost incurred to date in publishing, printing, distributing and launching One Scotland – One Geography on the Scottish Executive website is £618.38. If it is agreed that printed copies of the strategy be produced for public dissemination an estimated additional cost of £1,800.00 will be incurred.
- Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 16 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it was consulted by Her Majesty's Government prior to the agreement reached at the Public Services Forum in relation to public sector pensions, announced by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 18 October 2005.
Answer
I refer to the reply to the answer to question S2W-19981 on 16 November 2005. 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/wa.search.
- Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 16 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the financial implications for the Executive of the agreement reached at the Public Services Forum in relation to public sector pensions, announced by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 18 October 2005.
Answer
I refer to the reply to the answer to question S2W-19981 on 16 November 2005. 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/wa.search.
- Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 21 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 16 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it made to Her Majesty's Government prior to the agreement reached at the Public Services Forum in relation to public sector pensions, announced by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on 18 October 2005.
Answer
Occupational and personal pensions are reserved matters under the Scotland Act 1998 and are the responsibility of the UK Government. However, Scottish ministers have the devolved responsibility for making regulations to establish and maintain public pensions schemes in Scotland, subject to the approval of HM Treasury. The Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) administers the Scottish Teachers and NHS Superannuation Schemes on the Scottish ministers’ behalf.
Following the UK Government’s proposals in 2003 for public service pension reforms based on establishing a normal pension age of 65, the SPPA (in conjunction with unions and employers in Scotland) arranged public consultations on pension reform proposals for teachers and the NHS in Scotland. These consultations were completed in spring 2005. The SPPA, with other administrators of the public service pension schemes across the UK provided information to the UK Government on views and option costs following these consultations. The agency also attended meetings of the UK Public Services Forum in an observer capacity.
In taking forward the pension reform proposals in Scotland, the SPPA will now be discussing the implications of the agreed forum principles with representatives of teaching and NHS unions and employers and assessing the financial implications for each scheme. Further consultation is planned, once initial proposals have been agreed with unions and employers. The UK Government has already said that it expects the overall level of savings from increasing pension ages to be comparable to that previously assumed. The framework requires each scheme to work within a cost envelope which will be set out at an early stage of negotiations.
- Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 15 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-17769 and S2W-17771 by George Lyon on 1 August 2005, when it will publish a summary of responses to the consultation on local tax liability of residents in housing support accommodation.
Answer
Those who responded to the consultation expressed differing views on a preferred route, including those within the housing support sector. We are currently considering the way forward on this issue and will make an announcement, and publish a summary of responses, in due course.
- Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 20 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by George Lyon on 15 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-17769 and S2W-17771 by George Lyon on 1 August 2005, whether it will announce its conclusions on the council tax liability of individual rooms in housing support accommodation in sufficient time for these conclusions to be implemented by local authorities for (a) the remainder of 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07.
Answer
Those who responded to the consultation expressed differing views on a preferred route, including those within the housing support sector. We are currently considering the way forward and will make an announcement in due course.
- Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 31 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 14 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it is allocating to the Scottish Union Learning Fund for (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07 and (c) 2007-08 and from which level 3 budget this will come.
Answer
The information requested is given in Table 6.11 of the
Draft Budget 2006-07 published by the Scottish Executive in 2005, under the same budget heading as contained within your question.
A copy of the draft budget 2006-07 is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 37351) and can also be found on the Executive’s website at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/09/06112356/23573.
- Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 10 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19596 by Mr Tom McCabe on 31 October 2005, whether it has information capable of being published on a basis consistent with the public sector employment statistics published for the first two quarters of 2005.
Answer
Data for all areas of public sector employment is not available between 1997 and 1999 on a consistent basis with the data published on public sector employment by the Scottish Executive for the first two quarters of 2005.
However, employment data is available prior to 1999 for some areas of the public sector in Scotland. These include the NHS in Scotland, local government and Civil Service (full-time equivalent only). It should be noted that data is not available for each quarter. This data can be found at the following websites:
NHS Scotland: www.show.scot.nhs.uk.
Local Government: www.scotland.gov.uk/publications.
Civil Service (full-time equivalent only): www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_of_the_civil_service/statistics/index.asp.
- Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 10 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-19596 by Mr Tom McCabe on 31 October 2005, what its reasons are for having no plans to publish the public sector employment statistics from 1997 to 1999 on a basis consistent with those published for the first two quarters of 2005.
Answer
Currently there are no plans to publish public sector employment statistics for 1997 and 1998 on a basis consistent with those published in the first two quarters of 2005. The reason is that data for some areas of public sector employment prior to 1999 is not available for quality reasons.
However, employment data is available prior to 1999 for some areas of the public sector in Scotland. These include the NHS in Scotland, local government and Civil Service (full-time equivalent only). It should be noted that data is not available for each quarter. This data can be found at the following websites:
NHS Scotland: www.show.scot.nhs.uk.
Local Government: www.scotland.gov.uk/publications.
Civil Service (full-time equivalent only):
www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_of_the_civil_service/statistics/index.asp.
- Asked by: Derek Brownlee, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 7 November 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will give to the Scottish University for Industry for (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07 and (c) 2007-08 and from which level 3 budget this will come.
Answer
The Scottish University forIndustry will receive the following funding:
(a) £8,500,000 for 2005-06
(b) £9,500,000 for 2006-07
(c) £9,500,000 for 2007-08.
These funds will come fromthe Learndirect Scotland level 3 budget.
