Chamber and committees

The government is in touch with teaching unions and universities regularly on a whole range of matters including developments in Curriculum for Excellence.

Curriculum for Excellence does not prescribe subjects and any developments which may impact on teachers and teacher education will be informed by engagement with a range of partners, including teaching unions and universities.

The Scottish Government published plans in November 2010 for scrutiny reform to drive out savings, as highlighted in our response to the Christie Commission. The plans were published in the Efficiencies from Improvement to Scrutiny document which can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/11/17093821/0.

Draft revenue and capital budgets for 2012-13 and plans for the following two years were published in Scottish Spending Review 2011 and Draft Budget 2012-13 on 21 September 2011.

The Scottish Government routinely publishes analysis relating to the long term outlook for public finances. For example, the Scottish Government published the report Outlook for Scottish Government Expenditure in July 2010 which set out the long term funding outlook for Scottish public expenditure over the next 15 years. This analysis was updated in the Scottish Draft Budget 2010 to illustrate the implications of the UK Comprehensive Spending Review.

The Outlook for Scottish Government Expenditure report is available on the Scottish Government website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Economy/17858/ScotGovExp

We are considering recommendation 7.18 of the Christie Commission. However, I am particularly concerned that external scrutiny should be able to provide a clearer picture of how public service organisations are working together and using resources efficiently to support shared outcomes. With this in mind I have asked the Accounts Commission to lead work to test how external scrutiny can contribute to our public service reform agenda, and in particular assess how effectively local authorities and their partner bodies in community planning partnerships work together to deliver better outcomes.

Ministerial Correspondence

The Scottish Government aims to respond as quickly as possible and within 20 working days from the date correspondence is received in the Ministerial Correspondence Unit and logged on the Ministerial and Corporate Correspondence System. If we are unable to send a final reply within 20 working days we will send an interim reply explaining the reason for any delay and indicating when the correspondent can expect to receive a full reply. We have recently established a new cross-Scottish Government group to consider ways of improving on both target times and quality of ministerial replies.

The volume of correspondence dealt with by each directorate has varied considerably from only one case received per year to over 700.

The following table provides the information requested on performance by directorate for the last three years, including the percentage of final replies issued within the 20 working day target, for those directorates handling a minimum of 300 cases per year.

Parliamentary Questions

The Scottish Government aims to answer all parliamentary questions on time within the deadlines set in Rule 13.5.2 of Standing Orders. However, there are occasions when this may not be possible, for example, when clusters of questions are received which deal with more complex and sensitive issues. In these cases, more detailed research is required in order to provide a full and comprehensive answer.

Audits of parliamentary questions are published quarterly. It is up to directorates to monitor performance in answering questions and to take the appropriate measures to improve it where necessary.

The volume of parliamentary questions dealt with by each directorate has varied considerably from nil questions received per year to over 700.

The following table provides the information requested on performance by directorate for each of the last three years, including the percentage of questions answered within the deadlines specified in Rule 13.5.2 of Standing Orders, for those directorates handling a minimum of 200 questions per year.

Note: * Transport Directorate and Transport Scotland merged in August 2010

Special Advisers provide policy, political and presentational advice and support to ministers. They do not provide legal advice.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02891 on 6 October 2011. 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/Apps2/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx.

The total number of overnights stays in hotels claimed by all special advisers since May 2011 is six. The costs were either incurred by the adviser and claimed back through the Scottish Government Travel and Subsistence system or the rooms were booked through the Scottish Government’s official travel agency and paid via a large consolidated invoice.

Overnight stays by Special Adviser are incurred in the course of carrying out official business on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Since 1 July 2011 there have been two changes to the special adviser team. Malcolm Fleming was appointed on 25 July 2011 as Communications and political spokesperson. Jennifer Erickson resigned on 2 August 2011.

The current Special Adviser Pay Bands and Ranges and the number of Special Advisers within each Pay Band are: