- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a report of the discussions, outcomes and action points of the conference on NHS Scotland and the independent healthcare sector, held on Monday 3 October 2005 at the Beardmore Hotel.
Answer
As I indicated in the answer to question S2W-21026 on 8 December 2005, there were no reports, outcomes or action points made of the discussions at the conference. The day aimed to strengthen communications and relationships across public and independent sector boundaries and to create a platform for opportunities for innovative solutions for the future.
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: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what follow-up conferences, meetings, discussions, communications and actions have taken place and/or been arranged as a consequence of the conference on NHS Scotland and the independent healthcare sector, held on Monday 3 October 2005 at the Beardmore Hotel.
Answer
The conference provided information and networking opportunities to NHS and independent sector colleagues, and as such there were no outcomes or actions taken from it. The Executive has not held or arranged any meetings or discussions as a consequence of the conference.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 11 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it cost to run the conference on NHS Scotland and the independent healthcare sector, held on Monday 3 October 2005 at the Beardmore Hotel.
Answer
The cost of running the conference was as follows:
| NHS Internal Costs | £5,826.20 |
| External Costs | £6,109.30 |
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 4 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what public funding Serco has received, and for what purpose, in each year since 1999.
Answer
Serco have not received publicfunding from the Scottish Executive. However, Serco Integrated Services are undercontract to provide cleaning services to the core Scottish Executive estate andto certain associated agencies that have been given contractual permission to calloff from this contract.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 21 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional whole-time-equivalent consultant obstetricians and gynaecologists there will be in each of the next 10 years.
Answer
Over the last 10 years there has been an increase of 22.5 WTE consultants in obstetrics and gynaecology. Furthermore an extra 16 WTE specialist registrars in obstetrics and gynaecology were in place by August 2005 as part of a ministerial commitment for an extra 375 specialist registrars in the NHS, which will in turn provide an increase in the supply of consultants upon completion of their training.
It is the responsibility of NHS boards to recruit staff in line with their service needs and this will be influenced by changes resulting from service and workforce redesign and the modernisation of NHS Scotland. In implementing the National Workforce Planning Framework, NHS boards will produced workforce plans in April 2006 which will estimate future demand across specialties, including obstetrics and gynaecology.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 21 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what recruitment strategies are in place to secure sufficient consultants to sustain and improve maternity services.
Answer
As part of our recruitment and retention measures for consultants we have developed an action plan designed to improve health boards’ capacity to increase the number of consultants employed across all specialties. The plan includes key initiatives such as making better use of the increased numbers of specialist registrars available in Scotland. Additional funding of £2.5 million is also being allocated to boards to assist with their recruitment plans.
It is the responsibility of NHS boards to recruit staff in line with their service needs and this will be influenced by changes resulting from service and workforce redesign and the modernisation of NHS Scotland. In implementing the National Workforce Planning Framework, NHS boards will produced workforce plans in April 2006 which will estimate future demand across specialties, including obstetrics and gynaecology.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Colin Boyd on 19 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive why Crown Production 16, the Secretary of State for Scotland's consent memo in respect of Skye Bridge, was utilised for criminal prosecutions if the Secretary of State had properly made a statutory statement.
Answer
Crown Production 16 was a relevant document in establishing the legality of the tolling regime at the Skye Bridge. Accordingly, it was lodged as a production in prosecutions for non-payment of the Skye Bridge tolls.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 19 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive why an unsigned and undated draft of the Assignation Statement in 1991 relating to the Skye Crossing Toll Order was produced and whether this was in order to comply with a statutory requirement.
Answer
The Assignation Statement set out the then Secretary of State’s intentions with respect to the charging and collection of tolls at the Skye Bridge. It complied with the requirements of paragraph 14A of schedule 1 to the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 and the Assignation Statement (Prescribed Information) Regulations 1991. There was no requirement for the Statement to be signed and dated.
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 19 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what obligations are placed on the Care Commission to communicate with, and report incidents to, public bodies, such as the NHS and local authorities, which involve patients or clients whose health and social care services have been contracted to the private sector.
Answer
The Care Commission is responsible for regulating care services under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 (the act). The act places a number of statutory duties on the Care Commission to communicate with local authorities and health boards in relation to services in their area. These duties apply regardless of whether or not the service is being provided by the private sector under contract to a public body.
Where the Care Commission serves an improvement notice on a care service that is not provided by a local authority, the act requires the Care Commission to send a copy of that notice to the local authority in whose area the service is provided. Where the Care Commission makes an application to court for urgent cancellation of a care service provider’s registration or variation or removal of a condition on the provider’s registration, the Care Commission must as soon as practicable notify each local authority and health board within whose area the care service is provided and any other statutory authority whom it thinks appropriate to notify.
The Care Commission is also required under the act to establish a procedure for investigating complaints against care services. The commission has drawn up a “fast track” procedure for notifying health boards and/or local authorities, where the Care Commission considers that they have a direct interest in a complaint.
In addition to these legal obligations the commission has Memorandums of Understanding with a number of public bodies (including some local authorities and health boards), to facilitate the exchange of information about matters related to its regulatory activities (for example, complaints, inspection/monitoring programmes and reports).
- Asked by: Carolyn Leckie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Socialist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 19 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Assignation Statement produced in 1991 in relation to the Skye Crossing Toll Order identified the concessionaire company's principal share-holders as at the date of commencement of tolling.
Answer
No. The Assignation Statement was made available for public inspection and notices to this effect were published on 23 October and 1 November 1991. Tolling did not commence until October 1995.
