Tricia Marwick

20 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the announcement of Esther Roberton's appointment as Chair of the Scottish Further Education Funding Council was made.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: 16 November 2001.

20 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the appointment of Esther Roberton as Chair of the Scottish Further Education Funding Council required ministerial approval.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Yes.

20 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive on what date Esther Roberton was appointed as Chair of the Scottish Further Education Funding Council.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: She was appointed Chair with effect from 1 November 2001.

20 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a selection process for the position of Chair of the Scottish Further Education Funding Council took place.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Yes, in accordance with the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments guidelines.

20 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when and where the position of Chair of the Scottish Further Education Funding Council was advertised.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Adverts were placed in <I>The Scotsman</I>, <I>The Herald</I>, <I>The Financial Times </I>and <I>Times Educational Supplement</I> and appeared on 6 July 2001. A copy of the advert was also placed on the Scottish Executive's website.

20 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the appointment of Esther Roberton as interim Chair of the Scottish Further Education Funding Council was approved by ministers.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Yes. By both myself and the First Minister.

20 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a selection process for the position of interim Chair of the Scottish Further Education Funding Council took place.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Both vice-chairs, unofficial appointments which had been made by the council itself from among the members, were interviewed for the interim position.

20 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when and where the position of interim Chair of the Scottish Further Education Funding Council was advertised.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: The position was not advertised. The previous Chair tendered his resignation on health grounds with effect from the end of May 2001.<P>In such circumstances guidance allows for an appointment to be made from within the existing members of the council.

20 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a press release was issued announcing the appointment of Esther Roberton as Chair of the Scottish Further Education Funding Council; to which media outlets any such press release was sent, and when any such press release was placed on the Executive's website.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: A press release was issued announcing the appointment of Ms Roberton on the morning of Friday 16 November.<P>All media outlets were contacted. Simultaneously, a copy was dispatched to be placed on the Scottish Executive's website. Due to a fault with the syst…

20 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the process is for announcing appointments to the membership of a public body, when this process was introduced and on how many occasions since its introduction the process has not been followed.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The process for announcing appointments to public bodies was introduced across the UK Government as part of the Nolan reforms in 1996 and was revised in 2001. The code published by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA) requires all app…

19 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people who left the care system in each of the past five years were given advice and assistance under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, broken down by local authority.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: There were around 3,800 children who left local authority care in the year to 31 March 2000.<P>Under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 authorities must, unless they are satisfied the young person's welfare does not require it, advise, guide and assist young pe…

19 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of young people who left the care system in each of the past five years had gained (a) three or more standard grades at level 3 or above and (b) at least one higher certificate.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: We have not previously collected statistical information on the educational attainment of young people in care. However, this will change from next year and data will be available in 2002-03. In addition, authorities will be required from next year to report …

19 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people who left the care system went into (a) full-time employment, (b) further education, (c) higher education and (d) government training schemes, in each of the past five years.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Information is not held centrally about outcomes for care leavers, but one of our social justice milestones is to halve the proportion of 16 to 19-year-olds who are not in education, training and employment. There are several initiatives under way to address …

19 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has commissioned into the experiences of young people who have left the care system.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: In 1999, we commissioned the University of York Social Work Research and Development Unit to undertake a two-year study of the way local authorities in Scotland are discharging their duties and powers to promote throughcare and aftercare services for young pe…

19 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support is given to young people with multiple disadvantages to access job opportunities.

Answer · Wendy Alexander: Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing organisations.<P>The New Deal for Young People was the first …

19 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to commission research into the link between housing conditions and the number of winter deaths.

Answer · Iain Gray: Excess winter deaths have many and complex causes. But insofar as they may be related to cold and damp houses they will be tackled by the Central Heating Programme. We have already conducted a study of the feasibility of research on the health effects of the …

19 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of its agreed spending on public private partnership and private finance initiative projects in each of the next 25 years, broken down by department.

Answer · Andy Kerr: The most recent figures on estimated revenue payments under Private Finance Initiative projects in cash terms for signed deals for the next 25 years are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 18064). The information is shown by sector. In…

19 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of the total agreed spending on public private partnership and private finance initiative projects in each of the next 25 years, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Andy Kerr: Information is not currently held centrally on the basis of local authority area. However, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20080 on 12 December 2001.

19 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish details of the agreed spending by each local authority on public private partnership and private finance initiative projects in each of the next 25 years.

Answer · Andy Kerr: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20080 on 12 December 2001.

19 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many public sector jobs have been transferred to the private sector as a result of a private finance initiative or public private partnership contract in each of the past five years.

Answer · Andy Kerr: This is a matter for the bodies concerned. The information requested is not held centrally.

12 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money it will make available to local authorities in Level Playing Field Support for Public/Private Partnership projects in (i) the current financial year and (ii) 2002-03.

Answer · Angus MacKay: Local authorities will receive £34,279,000 in the current year and £39,976,000 in 2002-03 in Level Playing Field Support for Public/Private Partnership projects.

1 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage the appointment of dedicated home safety officers in each local authority area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This is a matter for each local authority.

30 Oct 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria it will use to determine who will benefit from the small business rates relief scheme and what the reasons were for the adoption of these criteria.

Answer · Angus MacKay: The Executive has published for consultation a scheme based on rateable values because this is transparent and easy to understand. The rateable value threshold of £10,000 has been an accepted measure of small businesses for some time and is the threshold crit…

30 Oct 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any special consideration will be given to licensed premises in respect of qualification for the small business rates relief scheme.

Answer · Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive's consultation paper on rates relief for small businesses proposes an extension to the rural rates relief scheme, to offer 50% mandatory rates relief to qualifying singly owned pubs in designated rural settlements. The proposals for a g…

30 Oct 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, businesses will benefit from a reduction in their business rates following the implementation of the small business rates relief scheme, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Angus MacKay: Based on the proposals put forward in May in the Scottish Executive Consultation Paper <I>Rate Relief for Small Businesses</I>, businesses occupying a property with a rateable value of £10,000 or less, subject to certain criteria, would benefit from a general…

30 Oct 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many, and what percentage of, businesses will pay a business rates surcharge in order to fund the small business rates relief scheme, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Angus MacKay: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-19488.

25 Oct 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans that would impact on the ability to deliver advocacy services of (a) local authorities, (b) health boards and (c) trust-funded organisations that provide independent advocacy services across a range of issues.

Answer · Susan Deacon: <I>Independent Advocacy - A guide for Commissioners</I>, states that advocacy schemes, commissioned by health and social services, should be independent of the statutory and voluntary service sectors.<P>Whilst service providing agencies clearly undertake a va…

25 Oct 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans that would affect the independent advocacy function of multi-issue organisations such as Citi'ens Advice Bureaux.

Answer · Jackie Baillie: The Scottish Executive has no such plans. Under the terms of its Compact with the voluntary sector, the Executive is committed to recognising and supporting the sector's independence, including its right to comment on and challenge Government policy.

12 Oct 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13521 by Susan Deacon on 12 March 2001, when it will publish the results of the review of progress towards the elimination of mixed sex hospital wards.

Answer · Susan Deacon: A review of progress towards the elimination of mixed sex wards by April 2002 is currently being conducted.

12 Oct 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the #680 million announced by the Minister for Transport and Planning on 27 March 2001 for road improvements over the next three years will be used to pay the Aggregates Tax.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: The impact of the Aggregates Tax on roads schemes will vary depending on the quantities of newly quarried, recycled or exempt materials to be used in construction. It is not yet possible to estimate the impact on costs but we will monitor this as schemes come…