Chamber and committees

On 11 November 2002, Scottish ministers published the SE/STUC Protocol on staffing matters in Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). It set out the key principles and good practice which Public Sector Organisations (PSOs) are expected to follow when considering and then progressing PPPs. The protocol, which also protects staff interests, will apply to the provision of facilities management (FM) services in public private joint ventures.

The Protocol reflects the inclusion of Hard FM services within all PPP projects. With regard to Soft FM services a guidance note on public sector involvement in PPP Facilities Management Delivery issued by the Scottish Executive Financial Partnerships Unit in September 2003.

A Joint Premises Project Board has been established to take forward the development of joint ventures as specified within the bill. Part of this board’s work will include consideration of the scope of soft FM services to be included or not within public private joint ventures. Regardless of the outcome of these deliberations, the principles contained within the protocol regarding the protection of staff interests will be maintained. 

Projects delivered under the joint venture arrangement will be supported through public capital enabling funds which will facilitate site purchase, demolition and clearance costs as well as addressing negative equity concerns of GPs. The underlying principle of LIFT is that a LIFT Company requires to pay market value for any property transferred to it and therefore such enabling funds will return to the public sector for reinvestment in services. There is therefore no subsidy.

Given LIFT is a public private joint venture model, any financial gain made on the development of a particular site would be shared between shareholders including the public profit.

However, throughout the life of the project the Scottish Executive will not subsidise directly any Joint Venture. As with any other PPP/PFI project, a Joint Venture would go ahead only on the basis of an approved business case which would have to demonstrate affordability and value for money.

Standard contract documentation prepared for the NHS LIFT development in England includes provisions that ensure the LIFT company provides services at its own risk and there is no recourse to public funds beyond the initial investment made by public sector partners. Any development of a LIFT type model in Scotland would apply the same principles.

Options are currently being explored on possible joint venture structures including those where Scottish ministers could take a direct equity interest in each joint venture. The financial memorandum accompanying the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill provides details of the cost estimates for the development of joint ventures based on a LIFT type financing structure.

The Executive is of the view that there will be no impact on other aspects of public expenditure, including local authorities, or on the costs of the voluntary or private sectors or individuals, as a result of the creation of joint ventures. Whether public or private bodies are investors or tenants within facilities developed under the joint venture model, procedures will be in place on which value for money can be assessed and tested on an on-going basis.

The provisions included within the Smoking, Health and Social Care (Scotland) Bill are generic powers to allow Scottish ministers and bodies appointed by them to enter into joint ventures for the provision of health services.

The powers sought are based on the recommendation by the Short Life Working Group on Joint Premises (which reported in July 2003) that powers be made available to Scottish ministers and health bodies to provide an additional vehicle for premises development. There is no policy intention for joint venture companies established to provide clinical services.

The joint venture model is an additional vehicle for investment. It will not be mandatory. It is for local partnerships to make that decision. Public sector investment will continue to be targeted at areas where joint ventures may not be appropriate.

The Executive remains committed to a programme of sustained development in primary care premises. Capital investment is set to increase on average by £60 million each year from 2005-06 to 2007-08. By 2007-08 capital funding will be almost £531 million. In addition to expected PPP investment of £0.750 billion, there will be a £1.4 billion investment in NHS infrastructure through public capital over the next three years. Within the Executive’s recently published Infrastructure Investment Strategy, £115 million in public capital has been specifically identified to develop primary and dental care facilities.

No. The extension of borrowingpowers to individual boards in Scotland has not been considered since Scottishministers have no powers to raise extra resources by borrowing or sanctioning borrowing.Capital funding in the NHS is controlled by rules issued by HM Treasury, the Scottish Executive has no power to change these rules which are a reserved matter for Westminster.

I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

The information sought isnot available. The SPS have produced Return to Custody Research Bulletins basedon a two-year follow up of offenders released from prison in particular years.The reports do not examine establishment of release, but most of the figuresrelating to females given in these reports will be for women released fromCornton Vale. The relevant reports are entitled Return to Custody inScottish Prisons, SPS Research Bulletins, Issue 8 (Bib. number30506) and Issue 22 (Bib. number 35551) and are published and availablein the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is asfollows:

The Scottish Prison Serviceaims to provide a healthy nutritious diet for all prisoners within theresources available. Menus have been assessed by nutritionists to ensure theymeet dietary needs and there are normally "healthy choice" options.Cornton Vale has won quality awards for catering and it has a prisonconsultation group to discuss food and food delivery issues.

The Scottish Executive is funding a range of measures to provide the courts with alternatives to custody for women offenders. Recognising that significant numbers of women are sentenced to custody for fine default, the pilots for the mandatory use of Supervised Attendance Orders (SAOs) withdraw the option of custody from sentencers in the pilot courts for those individuals, who have defaulted on fines up to £500. We will also shortly be funding pilots which use SAOs as a first instance disposal to provide courts with an additional sentencing option forthose who do not have the means to pay a fine.

More generally, the significantly increased funding invested in community disposals over recent years is providing the courts with a broader range of alternatives for female, as well as for male, offenders and a number of these have programmes geared specifically to the needs of women.

In addition, the 218 Time Out centre in Glasgow is a unique facility, funded by the Executive, to provide an alternative to custody and to support women offenders in the community, with detox and residential services in addition to day programmes. It can also be used with those who might otherwise have been remanded to custody.

The Reports A Safer Way and A Better Way on women offenders, based on the evidence from research, highlighted the need to tackle the root causes which lead women to offend, rather than sentencing them repeatedly to short periods in custody. This work confirmed that the backgrounds of women in custody are marked by experience of abuse, drug misuse, poor education and employability prospects, unsuitable accommodation, poverty, debt and psychological distress. In response the Executive is co-ordinating work with key agencies to improve the standard and quality of life for women on their release. This is consistent with the more integrated approach to the management of offenders set out in the Criminal Justice Plan, published in December.

As well as providing a range of community sentences as alternatives to the unnecessary use of short custodial sentences, the Executive’s new enhanced throughcare strategy specifically targets vulnerable women serving short sentences for voluntary aftercare, particularly those with addictions problems.  Where women serve short sentences, this work seeks to link them back to services in the community, on their release.

The 218 Time Out Centre for women in Glasgow also offers a throughcare service to ex-prisoners including assistance in dealing with their social, economic and emotional problems.