Jackie Baillie

16 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many maternity beds there have been in each year since 2007-08, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) hospital.

Answer · Shona Robison: The following tables show the average number of available staffed beds in maternity specialties by NHS board of treatment (table 1) and the average number of available staffed beds in maternity specialties by hospital (table 2) from financial year 2007-08 to …

14 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question SW4-25723 by Alex Neil on 3 June 2015 and its news release of 9 June 2015, Scottish Government signals planning modernisation, what particular areas it proposes to reform and what evidence base will inform the proposals.

Answer · Alex Neil: The scope of the review is currently being considered but it is likely to include development planning and housing delivery. The details of how the review will be carried out, the evidence base and opportunities for stakeholder involvement will all be confirm…

14 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how much is being allocated to each area being supported by the Attainment Scotland Fund and what the focus is of each area's local improvement plan.

Answer · Angela Constance: The following initial funding has been allocated to the seven local authorities identified as first to benefit from the Attainment Scotland Fund: Glasgow – £3,030,000 North Lanarkshire – £2,241,000 Inverclyde – £592,000 Clackmannanshire – £718,109 West D…

7 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-26058 by John Swinney on 23 June 2015, by what date it will publish its response to the consultation.

Answer · John Swinney: As set out in the answer to question S4W-27521 on 29 September 2015, we continue to consider consultation responses. We will provide an analysis of responses and our proposals to Parliament in due course. All answers to written parliamentary questions are av…

3 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has changed the structure of the (a) Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route, (b) Dumfries and Galloway Infirmary and (c) Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh capital project and, if so, what changes it has made and for what reason.

Answer · John Swinney: No changes have been made following financial close. Some limited contractual adjustments were made prior to financial close to address Scottish Government and Scottish Futures Trust’s understanding of the revised guidance in Eurostat’s recently updated Manua…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will finance the new Clydebank Health Centre; when the project will (a) start and (b) be completed, and how much public sector capital will be involved.

Answer · John Swinney: The timing of the Clydebank Health Centre has yet to be agreed. The project, with a capital cost of £19 million, is expected to be financed via the hub design-build-finance-maintain programme.

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether, under the revised model for design-build-finance-maintain projects, the private sector can hold more than a 60% ownership if the private sector charity does not take the full 20% of the subordinated debt investment to which it is entitled.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-26469 on 31 July 2015. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusines…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the subordinated debt investment will align with the shareholding in the revised structure for design-build-finance-maintain projects, namely that the Scottish Futures Trust will hold 10%, the procuring public sector body will hold 10%, the private sector will hold 60% and the pr…

Answer · John Swinney: Shareholders will have the right to invest subordinated debt in the same ratio as their shareholding.

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish the advice that it has received from Pinsent Masons about the new design-build-finance-maintain capital projects model.

Answer · John Swinney: Legal advice was provided by Pinsent Masons to the Scottish Futures Trust and the hub programme public bodies on a confidential basis.

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether immediate hub design-build-finance-maintain projects will be signed under the existing structure and transferred to the new structure at a later date, and what the implications are of doing this.

Answer · John Swinney: The intention is that any projects that sign under the existing structure including Forfar Academy and Anderson High would transfer to the new structure at a later date.

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has had voluntary ex-ante transparency notices published in the Official Journal of the European Union regarding its intention to change the hub delivery structure.

Answer · John Swinney: These were published by Scottish Futures Trust and the participating public authorities in the Official Journal of the European Union on 17 June 2015.

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government who will own the assets financed by the revised model for design-build-finance-maintain projects at the end of the revenue repayment period.

Answer · John Swinney: The procuring authority will own the assets.

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the level of public sector indebtedness is for all capital projects for each year from 2007 to 2050.

Answer · John Swinney: Information relating to the estimated annual unitary payment charges paid by public sector bodies in Scotland to private sector consortiums for services agreed over the length of non-profit distributing, hub and public-private partnership/private finance init…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has agreed its proposed changes to the model for design-build-finance-maintain projects with (a) the Office for National Statistics and (b) Eurostat.

Answer · John Swinney: The Office for National Statistics takes decisions independently about projects or programmes that it wishes to review. The proposed design-build-finance-maintain-model is not currently under review. Engagement with Eurostat, on any issues of classification, …

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Futures Trust's proposed model for design-build-finance-maintain projects will have an impact on so-called soft services.

Answer · John Swinney: Soft services, such as cleaning, catering etc, have always been excluded from all non-profit distributing and hub design-build-finance-maintain projects to increase flexibility and learn lessons from the past. There will be no change in any revised structure.…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether, under the Scottish Futures Trust's revised design-build-finance-maintain structure, revenue contributions from the public sector will be greater for capital projects for which all of the capital comes from the private sector, and what assessment it has made of the additional cos…

Answer · John Swinney: No changes are anticipated to the level of unitary charge payable by procuring bodies for the majority of non-profit distributing or hub funded developments. For those projects where capital contributions are no longer being made by the public sector, unitary…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the board of the Scottish Futures Trust's revised design-build-finance-maintain structure will be under private sector control.

Answer · John Swinney: The board of the hub design-build-finance-maintain project companies has always been privately controlled with strong public sector representation. The revised structure seeks to reinforce that position under the new Eurostat guidance.

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government from whom it has sought advice on the proposed new private sector charity that will be part of future design-build-finance-maintain capital projects and at what cost.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-26458 on 31 July 2015. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/2…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has (a) sought and (b) received advice from the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) on the proposed new private sector charity that will be part of future design-build-finance-maintain capital projects and what the dates are of all its (i) meetings and (ii) communi…

Answer · John Swinney: Scottish Futures Trust is leading work on the creation of a new charity that will form part of the structure of future hub infrastructure projects, seeking advice when required including ongoing engagement with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator wit…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Futures Trust's revised structure for design-build-finance-maintain projects halves the public sector share of the project from 40% to 20% and, if so, for what reason.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-26455 on 31 July 2015. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusines…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Scottish Futures Trust's revised structure for design-build-finance-maintain projects gives a more direct and greater share of each project to the private sector and, if so, for what reason.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-26455 on 31 July 2015. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at: www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusines…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the consequence of the changes to the Eurostat designation of capital projects is that a greater percentage of each capital project has to be seen as private sector for it to be deemed off balance sheet.

Answer · John Swinney: Scottish Ministers have authorised the Scottish Futures Trust to take forward changes to the structure of the hub programme of infrastructure projects which reduce the public sector shareholding in the entities set up to deliver individual projects, having co…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Office for National Statistics classification that the non-profit distributing model is a public-private partnership.

Answer · John Swinney: The non-profit distributing model is a form of public-private partnership that has been designed to deliver better value for money to the public sector and the taxpayer than previous public-private partnership/private finance initiative deals. This has always…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) construction costs and (b) repayment terms are for each capital project, broken down by (i) time period, (ii) annual revenue repayments and (iii) total revenue repayment over the project lifetime.

Answer · John Swinney: Information relating to those projects which are operational or in construction and which form part of the Scottish Government’s current revenue funded non-profit distribution/hub investment programme is available on the Scottish Government’s website: www.gov…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which capital projects that were expected to have a financial close in (a) March, (b) April, (c) May, (d) June and (e) July 2015 now have a revised close date due to the changes to the Eurostat designation of capital projects and what the revised dates are.

Answer · John Swinney: At the start of the year, it was anticipated that the following projects would reach financial close as set out in the following table: Month Project January Forfar Academy February Inverclyde Health Centre, Baldragon Academy March NHS Lothian Bundl…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it did not list more than eight projects as being delayed by the changes to the Eurostat designation of capital projects.

Answer · John Swinney: The eight projects listed on 2 February 2015 (S4W-24246) were those projects due to reach financial close in the financial year 2014-15. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which …

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what costs have been incurred as a result of the changes to the Eurostat designation of capital projects for additional (a) advice and consultancy, (b) civil service time, (c) Scottish Futures Trust staff time and (d) project/inflation costs.

Answer · John Swinney: Work by Scottish Government and Scottish Futures Trust staff in response to changes in relevant EU guidance has been undertaken within existing resources. The project cost and inflation impact of changes to Eurostat guidance is not yet apparent.

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will meet the cost of delays to capital projects resulting from changes to the Eurostat designation of capital projects.

Answer · John Swinney: Any cost to projects of delay associated with changes to Eurostat guidance has yet to be agreed. To date the Scottish Government has allocated a total of £4.5 million of capital funding through the Scottish Futures Trust to the six local authorities with the …

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the construction of (a) Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School, (b) the North West Edinburgh Partnership Centre, (c) the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh, (d) the Dumfries and Galloway Infirmary and (e) the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route has been delayed an…

Answer · John Swinney: Our Lady and St Patricks High School and the North West Edinburgh Partnership Centre projects have each had project specific issues to resolve as well as further consideration of the implications of the review by the Office of National Statistics of the class…

1 Jul 2015 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government which capital projects have been delayed as a result of the changes to the Eurostat designation of capital projects and what the (a) length of delay and (b) additional cost is in each case.

Answer · John Swinney: The eight hub design-build-finance-maintain (DBFM) projects that had been due to reach financial close by the end of 2014-15 had not reached financial close by 31 March 2015. For project specific reasons, the Forfar Academy and Anderson High School Shetland h…