Chamber and committees

There will be no annual financial-target based bonuses within the Bank. The Chief Executive and other staff will have access to medium/long term incentive schemes, linked to the delivery of mission and objective based targets. This will ensure that an element of pay for these senior staff is linked to the Bank achieving its public service mission, without having a ‘bonus culture’.

The number of staff that will be employed by the Scottish National Investment Bank has not yet been finalised, as work is ongoing to finalise the Target Operating Model and structure. The Financial Memorandum published alongside the Bill estimated the Bank will require 130 staff once fully capitalised, building up to this over a number of years. The projected numbers, alongside the resulting projected staff costs used for the financial memorandum, are in the following table:

The Scottish National Investment Bank will have a pay and terms and conditions framework that takes into account its business needs for recruitment and retention.

The new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh is estimated to cost £414.6 million for the design, build and operation over the 25 year lifetime of the contract.

In September, I published the review of governance by KPMG which found that the main issue with ventilation in critical care stemmed from an error in a document produced by NHS Lothian at the tender stage in 2012. It also concludes that opportunities to spot and rectify the error were missed.

I have announced a public inquiry which will be held to examine issues at both the RHCYP and QEUH. The inquiry will determine how vital issues relating to ventilation and other key building systems occurred, and what steps can be taken to prevent this being repeated in future NHS infrastructure projects.

Charities play a key role in civil society and we welcome the insight and challenge they bring to public policy. The Scottish Government welcomes this debate and challenge, and see it as an essential part of the democratic process.

Charities can campaign on political issues to advance their charitable purposes, including during electoral periods, as long as the requirements of charity law, and where necessary electoral law, are met.

However, the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 makes clear that a body will not meet the charity test if it is, or one of its purposes is to advance, a political party.

The table containing the answer to this question has placed in The Parliament’s Information Centre (bib number 61177).

Decisions on working hours are set by individual employers within the public sector.

Our Fair Work Action Plan sets out the range of action we will take to embed fair working practices in Scottish workplaces including flexibility of working hours. While employment law remains reserved to the UK Government, our approach is built on collaboration, engagement, and using our wider powers and policies to exert strategic influence.

We expect public bodies, along with the Scottish Government, to lead the way on Fair Work. The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work wrote to public bodies in August, encouraging them to work with their trade union partners to adopt fair working practices.

We will continue to call for the devolution of employment law. This is the best way to achieve our vision of Scotland being a fair work nation by 2025.

The Public Sector Pay Policy is continuing the journey since the 1 per cent cap was lifted, through its progressive focus on fairness, sustainability and value for money.

The Scottish Government’s approach diverges positively from that of the UK Government, ensuring that over 70 per cent of staff covered directly by our Public Sector Pay Policy received an increase of at least three per cent this year, with targeted measures like the £750 cash underpin further narrowing the restoration gap for the very lowest paid.

Looking to next year we are trying to plan the Scottish Budget and Public Sector Pay Policy amidst the uncertainty of Brexit and the cancelled UK Budget, and welcome the close, on-going engagement we have with trade unions to inform our approach.

Scottish Government officials partake in regular discussions with colleagues in the UK Government and other devolved administrations on matters relating to transvaginal mesh. Whilst officials have not held detailed discussions with other UK countries about bringing Dr Veronikis to Scotland, colleagues in the other administrations are keen that we keep them informed of developments.

In addition, officials have corresponded with the GMC concerning Dr Veronikis.

Health Boards may seek out-of-area treatments for patients where considered necessary and appropriate. However, any such referral is a matter for the patient and the clinicians involved in the case.

As indicated in answer to S5W-23623, answered on 6 June 2019, should a patient make a request of this kind, clinicians will initially have a discussion with that patient and, if agreed, will then refer it to the Health Board for consideration. The Health Board will review the application, in doing so considering whether the treatment requested can reasonably be provided in Scotland, and in due course will inform the clinician and patient whether the request is accepted.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx