Ms Wendy Alexander

30 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many employees of it and its agencies are paid (a) £100,000 to £150,000, (b) £150,001 to £200,000 and (c) more than £200,000.

Answer · John Swinney: There are currently 20 permanent employees* of the Scottish Government and associated agencies who are paid an annual basic salary of above £100,000. These are split into the following salary brackets:-</p> <p >(a) 17 people currently paid between £100,000 a…

26 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the award to Hewlett-Packard of £7 million in Regional Selective Assistance support will be given in step with the promised 700 jobs being created.

Answer · Jim Mather: Regional Selective Assistance payments to Hewlett-Packard will be made in instalments as progress is made towards their overall job target.</b></p>

26 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive over what period will the planned 700 jobs at Hewlett-Packard arising as a result of the award of £7 million in Regional Selective Assistance support will be created.

Answer · Jim Mather: For large RSA projects of this size, jobs are typically created over a four to five year period.</p>

26 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the planned 700 jobs at Hewlett-Packard arising as a result of the award of £7 million in Regional Selective Assistance support are primarily related to call centre activity.

Answer · Jim Mather: None of the planned jobs at Hewlett-Packard are related to call centre activity.</p>

26 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what conditions have been attached to the award to Hewlett-Packard of £7 million in Regional Selective Assistance support.

Answer · Jim Mather: Payment of the £7 million Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) grant will depend on progress of the project. RSA is payable in instalments only after job and capital expenditure targets are met.</p>

26 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the appropriateness of bonus payments for non-departmental public body chief executive officers in 2010-11.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35885 on 21 September 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA…

26 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish its 2010-11 guidance on bonus payments to non-departmental public body chief executive officers.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35885 on 21 September 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA…

26 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the current salaries of the chief executive officers who are eligible for a bonus payment equivalent to 10% of salary under its guidance for such payments in 2010-11.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government''s public sector pay policy for senior appointments limits the maximum potential non-consolidated performance payment to 10%. However, 10 of the 36 chief executives covered by the pay policy do not benefit from any non-consolidated per…

26 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason its 2010-11 guidance on bonus payments to non-departmental public body chief executive officers allows for the payment of a bonus equivalent to 10% of salary.

Answer · John Swinney: <i >Public Sector Pay Policy for Senior Appointments 2010-11</i>, published on 5 May 2010, sets out the Scottish Government''s policy for public sector pay for chief executives of NDPBs and public corporations:</b></p> <p >http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publicat…

23 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will seek to obtain and publish up-to-date financial information on non-consolidated bonus payments (a) in local government and (b) for senior police officers.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government is currently consulting on proposals which will require local authorities, including police boards, to make disclosures on senior officer remuneration. The disclosures include bonus payments made to senior officers.</p>

23 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is bound by the Senior Salaries Review Body recommendations on pay and non-consolidated bonus pay for senior civil servants.

Answer · John Swinney: Senior Civil Servants (SCS) pay is reserved to the UK Government. The SCS Pay and Performance Management framework is provided each year by the Cabinet Office following recommendations from the Senior Salaries Review Body.</p>

23 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total of non-consolidated bonus payments was for the public sector in 2009-10 and what the estimate is for 2010-11.

Answer · John Swinney: The total amount of non-consolidated performance related payments made in the public sector in Scotland in 2009-10 is currently unavailable. This is due to differences in the timing of organisational pay remits and because final financial returns have yet to …

23 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-35361 by Keith Brown on 16 July 2010, how it reconciles the offer of the 16+ Learning Choices with the most recent figure for those not being in employment, education or training (NEET).

Answer · Keith Brown: The latest school leaver destination statistics, published in June 2010, show that around 85% of young people who left school last year were in a positive destination nine months after leaving. This represents a small increase on the previous year and a posit…

17 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any performance measurement and published data on the performance of local planning departments

Answer · John Swinney: The most recent data on planning authority performance was published by the Scottish Government on 13 August 2010 and can be accessed on the Scottish Government''s website at:</b></p> <p >http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Planning/planapps2…

12 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £1.25 billion schools building programme announced in 2009 will use non-traditional procurement methods; whether it will itemise the projects involved, and what their estimated capital value is.

Answer · Keith Brown: The procurement methods for the schools in the Scotland''s Schools for the Future programme will be determined on a case-by-case basis, allowing local councils to make decisions which are best for them. Some schools, for example East Lothian Council''s primar…

12 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £1.25 billion schools building programme announced in 2009 has been procured using non-traditional procurement so far.

Answer · Keith Brown: East Renfrewshire and Midlothian Councils are currently undertaking an innovative joint procurement initiative to procure two secondary schools as the pilot project for the Scotland''s Schools for the Future programme. This will be the first time two local au…

12 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what projects have been procured by the Scottish Futures Trust using the Non-Profit Distributing model.

Answer · John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33243 on 7 May 2010. 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/Apps2/Bus…

12 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has responded to the reporter’s report on the M8/M73/M74 Network Improvements Scheme received by ministers in July 2009 and, if not, for what reason.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: Yes. A decision was issued on 11 January 2010.</p>

12 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has responded to the reporter’s report on the A8 received by ministers in October 2008 and, if not, for what reason.

Answer · John Swinney: It is expected that a decision will be issued in the near future.</p>

12 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the planned joint procurement of the A8 upgrade, M74 Raith Interchange and M8/M73/M74 network improvement projects has led to delays in the delivery of the three projects and, if so, for what reason.

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: We intend to examine the benefits of including the M74 Junction 5, Raith and M8/M73/M74 Network Improvement schemes in the proposed not for profit distribution procurement of the M8 Baillieston to Newhouse scheme. Ministers have announced that should a favou…

12 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what role it has had in the administration or operation of the Future Jobs Fund in Scotland.

Answer · Keith Brown: The Scottish Government was a member of the Scottish Moderating Group, which considered new bids to the Future Jobs Fund, and also the Scottish Decision Making Group, which made recommendation on Scottish bids to the GB level board. It has had no involvement …

12 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will roll out an integrated employment and skills service.

Answer · Keith Brown: As of the end of August, the integrated employment and skills service, involving closer working between Jobcentre Plus and Skills Development Scotland, has been rolled out to all Jobcentres in Scotland.</p>

11 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made on delivering the More Choices, More Chances strategy and what objectives are outstanding.

Answer · Keith Brown: More Choices More Chances continues to be a high priority which is why we have the national indicator on positive and sustained school leaver destinations.</p> <p >Action by this government is ensuring all young Scots have the training and support they need…

6 Aug 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is formal monitoring of local authorities’ progress toward delivering the Scottish Government’s commitment on free school meals.

Answer · Adam Ingram: Uptake of free school lunches by virtue of tax credit system is formally monitored through the annual <i >School Meals in Scotland Survey</i>. Results from the last one were published in June 2010 and can be accessed through the following link: </p> <p ><a h…

23 Jul 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish like-for-like updated benefit cost ratios for each major rail project underway or planned, including the Glasgow Airport Rail Link and Paisley corridor improvements

Answer · Stewart Stevenson: The benefit-to-cost ratios (BCRs) for current and proposed rail projects, including that for the Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) at the time of cancellation, are as set out in the following table.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 > <tr > …

22 Jul 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many public sector employees earn less than £7.15 per hour and in what areas they work

Answer · John Swinney: There are no employees working in the Scottish Government core directorates who earn less than £7.15 per hour.</p> <p >Approximately 4,500 employees in NHS Scotland are expected to earn less than £7.15 per hour in 2010-11. These are staff on the lowest point…

22 Jul 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has requested that Lloyds Banking Group or the Royal Bank of Scotland publish their small business lending levels for Scotland

Answer · Jim Mather: We actively monitor credit conditions in Scotland through our Access to Finance surveys, which shows levels of demand and supply of finance (including rejection rates) and the costs of new finance to small businesses in Scotland for all key Banks, including L…

21 Jul 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it assesses progress in educational attainment in reading, writing and numeracy over time.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government uses a range of assessment tools to monitor progress in educational attainment over time. In recent years this has included:</p> <p >- Analysis of common tasks over time using the Scottish Survey of Achievement (SSA).</p> <p >- Teach…

21 Jul 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the trend has been in attainment levels in writing, reading and numeracy at P3, P5, P7 and S2 since 1999.

Answer · Michael Russell: The information requested is given in tables 1-10 of Attainment levels in reading, writing and numeracy in Scotland since 1999, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 51460).</p> <p >It should be noted that…

21 Jul 2010 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there has been continual comparable data collection on attainment in reading, writing and numeracy at P3, P5, P7 and S2 since 1999.

Answer · Michael Russell: Data from the National Survey of 5-14 Attainment Levels was collected between 1999 and 2004 for reading, writing and numeracy and these results are comparable over this time period.</p> <p >From 2005 until 2009, the Scottish Survey of Achievement (SSA) coll…