- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Bruce Crawford on 26 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister has made any referrals to the independent advisers on the ministerial code.
Answer
No referrals have yet been made to the independent advisers on the ministerial code.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 25 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the First Minister has travelled to an official engagement by train and, if so, when and where.
Answer
The First Minister has travelled by rail on two separate occasions, details of which are as follows:
3 April 2008 - Washington (US) to New York (US)
25 April 2008 - Edinburgh to Inverurie.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 25 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what estimate has been made of the cost of maintaining free travel for elderly and disabled people on the current age, time and geographic bases for the current and next three financial years and what budgetary provision has been made for each of these years.
Answer
The budgetary provision for concessionary fares for the next three years is £181.4 million in 2008-09, £187.4 million in 2009-10 and £189.4 million in 2010-11. This budget provides support for the development and delivery of concessionary travel schemes for older, disabled and young people. It covers reimbursement to bus, ferry and rail operators participating in the schemes and the marketing and survey costs of running the schemes. The vast majority, almost 99%, of the budget is for bus operators participating in the Scotland-wide free bus travel scheme for older and disabled people.
The 2008-09 estimates are subject to an agreed cost escalator. Negotiations are underway with the Confederation of Passenger Transport to reach this agreement which is necessary to establish the estimate for 2008-09. The estimates for 2009-10 onwards are subject to the outcome of the three year review of the scheme, which is also currently underway.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 25 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has considered the findings of The people’s rail: a mutually run, publicly accountable Network Rail and, if so, what action it has taken as a result.
Answer
Scottish ministers only have power over the Scotrail franchise.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 25 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time staff in each of its departments and agencies are over the age of (a) 60, (b) 65 and (c) 70.
Answer
As at 1 August 2008, the number of full time employees aged 60 or over in the Scottish Government, broken down into the groups of directorates that report to the Permanent Secretary and each Director General respectively, and agencies was as follows:
| Business Unit | Age | |
| | 60-64 | 65-69 | 70+ | Total |
| DG Economy | 17 | | | 17 |
| DG Education | 8 | | | 8 |
| DG Environment | 36 | | | 36 |
| DG Health | 10 | | | 10 |
| DG Justice | 16 | 1 | | 17 |
| Permanent Secretary | 48 | 2 | 1 | 51 |
| Accountants In Bankruptcy | 2 | | | 2 |
| Fisheries Research Service | 15 | | | 15 |
| General Registers Of Scotland | 14 | | | 14 |
| HM Inspectors of Prisons | 1 | | | 1 |
| HM Inspectorate of Education | 8 | | | 8 |
| National Archives of Scotland | 10 | 1 | | 11 |
| Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator | 1 | | | 1 |
| Student Awards Agency for Scotland | 3 | | | 3 |
| Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency | 10 | | | 10 |
| Scottish Public Pensions Agency | 8 | 1 | | 9 |
| Social Work Inspectorate Agency | 2 | 1 | | 3 |
| Transport Scotland | 9 | | | 9 |
| Total | 218 | 6 | 1 | 225 |
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what further discussions it has had with, or representations it has made to, the Department of Health Donor Task Force, chaired by Elizabeth Biggins, and what consideration it is giving to the need for legislation in this area.
Answer
Scotland is represented on the UK-wide Organ Donation Taskforce, which is currently considering the risks and benefits associated with a move to a system of opting out as the basis of organ donation. The taskforce will be submitting its report on the subject to the UK Health Ministers later in the year.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning last met the City of Edinburgh Council to discuss its school building programme; what the outcome was of these discussions, and when it is estimated that work will start on building the new (a) Portobello, (b) Boroughmuir and (c) James Gillespies high schools.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13387 on 5 June 2008, which explained when I last met the City of Edinburgh Council. There has been no meeting since 5 June.
As to Edinburgh''s school building programme, I refer the member to the answer to question S3O-3183 on 8 May 2008.
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.
All answers to oral parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-08/sor0508-02.htm#Col8422.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how much of its mail was despatched by (a) the Royal Mail and (b) other carriers in the last year.
Answer
Over the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008 the Scottish Government despatched mail to the value of £439,146. This is broken down as follows:
(a) Royal Mail “ 585,106 items at a cost of £283,509
(b) Other Carriers “ 21,548 items at a cost of £155,637.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 July 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its civil servants were seconded to commercial or industrial forums and how many people were seconded to it from commerce and industry in the last year.
Answer
In the last year, three people have been seconded to private sector organisations by the Scottish Government. In the same period eight people have been seconded from private sector organisations to the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 07 August 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 20 August 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of its female employees receive lower pay than male colleagues of comparable age, length of service and qualifications.
Answer
It is not possible to produce the requested information as no central record is kept of the qualifications of staff.
The pay structure in the Scottish Government comprises nine pay ranges. The factors which are used to determine the salary for each member of staff are their performance, the pay range for their post, and length of time spent in that pay range.
