Parliamentary questions
Linda Fabiani
2,507 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the dropping of the broadband target, as referred to in Annex B to Draft Budget 2005-06, is consistent with the commitment by the Deputy First Minister on 16 September 2004 “to ensure that every community in Scotland will have access to, and make effective use of, broadband services”…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: We are committedto extending broadband connectivity for every community in Scotland and to achieve this by the end of 2005. This is laid out inthe Draft Budget 2005-06's Statement of Priorities.</p><p>This broadband commitmentis not featured as one of the Ann…
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10909 by Mr Tom McCabe on 12 October 2004, what role it plays over the appointment of directors of Partnerships UK that is appropriate to its shareholding.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive and HM Treasury are B ordinary shareholders and as such have the right to appoint two directors. HM Treasury’s shareholding represents 44.56% and Scottish ministers 4.44%.</p>
21 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10941 by Cathy Jamieson on 13 October 2004, whether it will publish the Scottish Prison Service’s analysis that led to its conclusion regarding the public interest test.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>The SPS cannot publish the analysis relating to withheld information without risking the damage to the public interest which non-disc…
15 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the comments by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 (Official Report col. 10413), how many of its staff are defined as “new internal sources of expertise and guidance on the interpretation and ap…
Answer · Tom McCabe: Three members of the Executive’s Scottish Procurement Directorate staff are now responsible for advising on the interpretation and application of European Union procurement rules. Each of them (C2, B3 and B2, all male) have extensive experience in public sect…
15 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the comments by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 (Official Report col. 10412), how many staff are employed by its centre of expertise for programme policy and project delivery broken down by (…
Answer · Tom McCabe: Two members of the Executive’s Scottish Procurement Directorate staff are responsible for its centre of expertise for programme, policy and project delivery. Both of them (a C1 grade and a B3 grade, one male, one female) have extensive experience in project m…
15 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many appointments were made following the recruitment campaign for policy analysts referred to in news release SENWO46/2002 on 18 June 2002 broken down by (a) gender and (b) ethnic origin and what proportion of such appointees have professional qualifications in (i) information techno…
Answer · Tom McCabe: The information requested isdetailed in the following table</p><p>Policy Analyst Appointees(June 2002 Competition)</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <tr> <td> <p>No. of Appointments</p> </td> <td> <p>Male </p> </td> <td> <p>Female</p> …
15 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff are employed by the Scottish procurement directorate, broken down also by (a) gender and (b) ethnic origin and what proportion of such staff have a professional qualification in procurement, broken down by (i) grade and (ii) pay scale.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Scottish Procurement Directorate (SPD) comprises of five branches; Policy,Procurement Operations, Building Division, eProcurement Scotland and EASEbuy Implementation.</p><p>The Directorate has to achieve Value for Money in the procurement of goods and ser…
13 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what evaluation has been carried out to assess its actions in addressing the issues raised in the reports into the Holyrood project by John Spencely and the Auditor General for Scotland in 2001 and whether it will place any relevant documents in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer · Tom McCabe: <i>The Spencely Report</i> was commissioned by and for the Scottish ParliamentaryCorporate Body and the Executive noted its conclusions. The Auditor General’s report was delivered in 2000 and was the subject of specific recommendations by the Audit Committee’…
13 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the comments made by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 (Official Report col. 10410), what changes have been made in its relationship with the UK home civil service to indicate its conversion fr…
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Civil Service remains a reserved matter, although the Civil Service Code makes it clear that civil servants in the devolved administrations owe their loyalty to those administrations rather than to the UK Government. This means that the efforts, skills an…
13 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the comments made by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 (Official Report col. 10412), what criteria it will use to determine whether the use of construction management is appropriate for future …
Answer · Tom McCabe: Officials are currently working on revised guidance on how to determine the appropriateness of various procurement routes and to underline the associated risks. The Scottish Public Finance Manual and the Construction Client Pack will be amended shortly.</p>
13 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the comments made by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 (Official Report col. 10412), what guidance it has issued in relation to the requirement that advice on procurement options for future cap…
Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the question S2W-11414 answered on 9 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp…
13 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the comments made by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 (Official Report col. 10412), what instructions it has issued regarding the submission of reports to the responsible minister if a gateway…
Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the question S2W-11414 answered on 9 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/…
13 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, with reference to the comments made by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 (Official Report col. 10412), it will place a copy of its construction client pack and any associated materials in the Scottish Pa…
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Executive’s guidance on construction procurement strategies, including construction management is set out in the Construction Client Pack which is available on the Executive’s website at <a href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Planning-Building/constru…
13 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the comments made by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 (Official Report col. 10414), which qualifications are recognised by it as professional qualifications in procurement.
Answer · Tom McCabe: In referring to professional procurement qualifications, the Executive is referring to professional membership of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS), foundation level membership of CIPS and to the Certificate of Competence in Purchasing and…
13 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring arrangements are in place to assess the success of any changes it has introduced in procurement professionalism, capacity and practice since 1999, as referred to by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 20…
Answer · Tom McCabe: Key performance indicators for the procurement function are recorded value for money (VFM) savings and customer satisfaction feedback reports (completed by the client for every project). VFM savings consistently exceed direct procurement costs and over 90% of…
12 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements it has introduced in procurement professionalism, capacity and practice since 1999, as referred to by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 (Official Report col. 10412).
Answer · Tom McCabe: We have formed the Scottish Procurement Directorate, combining sources of advice and guidance on goods/services and works procurement. Within the directorate we now have a policy branch which provides specialist advice and guidance on EU public procurement ru…
12 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued on the conduct of gateway reviews in relation to major projects, as referred to by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 (Official Report col. 10412).
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Executive has established the Centre of Expertise, part of the Scottish Procurement Directorate, which delivers a programme of Gateway Review training for officials, including Senior Civil Servants. Information on the conduct of Gateway Reviews is also av…
12 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what projects currently being procured by it or other relevant bodies are defined as “major projects”, as referred to by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 (Official Report col. 10412).
Answer · Tom McCabe: At present, the Scottish Executive has approximately 32 major projects (defined asproject with estimated value of at least £5 million) at various stages of the procurement process.</p><p>Information on PPP projects in Scotland, including those that are curren…
12 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued any supplementary guidance to officials on the use of construction management since July 1999 and, if so, whether it will place such guidance in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the question S2W-11424 answered on 9 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp…
12 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any amendment to HM Treasury guidance on the use of construction management since July 1999 and, if so, whether it will place any relevant documents in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer · Tom McCabe: Revised guidance on procurement and contract strategies was issued by HM Treasury’s Office of Government Commerce (OGC) in 2003. While it does not explicitly refer to construction management, it emphasises the need for risks to be identified and investigated,…
12 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are used to determine whether there should be ministerial involvement in a procurement exercise.
Answer · Tom McCabe: I refer the member to the question S2W-11414 answered on 9 November 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp…
12 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which bodies funded by it are not required to involve ministers in key procurement decisions.
Answer · Tom McCabe: It is the responsibility of chief executives and boards of individual agencies and non-departmental public bodies to decide whether, in its case, ministerial involvement is appropriate in key procurement decisions.</p>
12 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps have been taken to make ministerial involvement a prerequisite in key procurement decisions, as referred to by the Minister for Finance and Public Services in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry Report on 22 September 2004 (Official Report col. 10409).
Answer · Tom McCabe: Officials are currently working on proposals regarding the approach to be adopted towards procurement strategies and plan to issue guidance on this shortly.</p>
12 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the data used to support the statement by the Minister for Finance and Public Services, that the professionalism of its procurement staff has increased, in the debate on the Holyrood Inquiry report on 22 September 2004 (Official Report col. 10412).
Answer · Tom McCabe: In April 1998, 16 staff, equating to approximately 50% of the Executive’s procurement division, were either full members of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS), or partially qualified. Currently the number of staff who are either members o…
12 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its staff are involved in the procurement of capital projects.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The number of major capital projects (defined as project involving acquisition of asset with estimated value of at least £5 million) is variable, the number of Executive staff working on each project varies considerably and some staff may work on more than on…
6 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-10924 by Cathy Jamieson on 5 October 2004, whether the contract for prisoner escort and court custody services is cheaper than the previous system of escort and court custody provided by the Scottish Prison Service and the police.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>I refer the member to the question S2W-11075 answered on 19 October 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on t…
6 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why it expects spending on criminal injuries compensation to remain at a constant level in real terms over the next four years, as referred to in Table 3.01 of Building a Better Scotland Spending Proposals 2005-2008.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Under the terms of a Service Level Agreement with the Home Office, the Executive pays a percentage of the total UK cost of both compensation payments made under the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (CICS), and the administration costs of the Criminal Inj…
6 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the two new prisons proposed in Building a Better Scotland Spending Proposals 2005-2008 will be constructed using PPP or built within the public sector.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>The first new prison is currently being procured using PPP.</p><p>Management and unions within the SPS, working in partnership, have …
6 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Human Rights Commission in Scotland proposed in the spending plans in the Justice section of Building a Better Scotland Spending Proposals 2005-2008 will have jurisdiction over conditions in Dungavel House immigration removal centre.
Answer · Hugh Henry: The proposals for establishment of a Scottish Human Rights Commission which were published by the Scottish Executive in 2003 confirmed that the commission will be a devolved body, and that it would therefore not deal with those issues which are reserved to th…
6 Oct 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why the spending plans in the Justice section of Building a Better Scotland Spending Proposals 2005-2008 include a commitment to provide 500 additional prisoner places when the focus of the Justice portfolio is to “continue to focus on reducing crime, particularly violent and drug-re…
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:</p><p>The Scottish Prison Service is committed to helping prisoners address their offending behaviour. The spending plans include a commitm…