Ben Wallace

16 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the present plans are for the development of the European Community Initiatives INTERREG II and EQUAL.

Answer · Angus MacKay: Following the adoption by the Commission on 14 April of guidelines for the Community initiative EQUAL, concerning equal opportunities in employment, the Scottish Executive has worked with the UK Government and the other devolved administrations to prepare pro…

16 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish a consultation document in relation to the LEADER+ programme and, if so, when it will be issued and when responses will have to be made.

Answer · Jack McConnell: I intend consulting early next month and will allow 12 weeks for responses.

16 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how Scotland's plans for the development of LEADER + proposals compare to the rest of the UK.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Separate LEADER+ programmes will be developed for Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Approaches will be broadly similar. Programmes will, however, be developed to reflect responses to consultation and the particular circumstances of the areas conc…

16 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its priorities are for the LEADER+ programme, what criteria will be used to define eligible projects and what specific themes, if any, will be promoted in the programme.

Answer · Jack McConnell: I expect to consult next month on how LEADER+ might be implemented in Scotland. In particular I will be seeking views on what themes would be appropriate. Feedback from consultation will be used to develop the Scottish LEADER+ programme.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Ind…

16 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive why a meeting was cancelled on 14 July 2000 between its task force leader, Professor Frank Clark, and hospital staff from Tayside University Hospitals NHS Trust and Tayside Health Board, and what steps it will be take to ensure the prompt announcement of the budget recovery programme.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The Task Force did meet on 14 July with Trust and Board management and a number of senior clinicians. A further six smaller meetings also took place after this first meeting, all of which involved members of hospital staff.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">The Task Force is…

6 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many unfilled Lord Lieutenant posts there are in Scotland and when these are expected to be filled.

Answer · Jim Wallace: There are two unfilled posts at present - Lanarkshire and the Western Isles. The process of identifying suitable successors is well advanced.

6 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many contracts let to external consultants and advisors in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99 were (i) put out to competitive tender; (ii) not put out to competitive tender, and (iii) let on a non-commercial basis, specifying in each case the names of the individuals or organisations which c…

Answer · Angus MacKay: I refer Mr Wallace to the answer given to question S1W-6883. In respect of (i), (ii) and (iii), the information requested is not held centrally. Arrangements are, however, being introduced to collect this data in future.

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3317 by Mr Jack McConnell on 28 December 1999, to specify the figures for any Objective 3 funding received by Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen in the last programming period and for the year 1998-99.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Expenditure financed from European Structural Funds is not allocated to Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen. Nor is it possible to identify actual expenditure in those cities, partly because individual projects financed from European Structural Funds may be designed…

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total sum was of structural funds, listed by programme headings, allocated to Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen in the year 1998-99.

Answer · Jack McConnell: I refer to my answer given in question S1W-7500.

1 Jun 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the #17 million announced on 1 June 2000 for the modernisation of GP surgeries and health centres is from the same modernisation fund referred to on 24 April 2000, 24 February 2000, 26 February 1999, 18 November 1998, 9 December 1998 and originally outlined on 16 July 1998.

Answer · Susan Deacon: As explained in the announcement the £17.4 million now allocated amongst 31 specific projects on 1 June 2000 comes from the second phase of the Primary and Community Care Premises Modernisation Programme. Bids against £12 million were invited on 24 February 2…

19 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money was allocated in 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01 and what is the projected allocation for 2001-02 to health boards, the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland, the Health Education Board for Scotland, the National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for Scotland,…

Answer · Susan Deacon: The information for 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01 is as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=536><TR><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP">&nbsp;</TD><TD WIDTH="19%" VALIGN="TOP"><P ALIGN="CENTER">1998-99</TD><TD WIDTH="23%" VALIGN="TOP"><P ALIGN="…

16 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what total health spending in Scotland was in each year from 1997-98 to 1999-2000 and what total health spending is forecast to be in 2000-01 and 2002-03, taking into account all recent announcements of new health spending.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The information is as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=616><TR><TD WIDTH="50%" VALIGN="TOP">&nbsp;</TD><TD WIDTH="50%" VALIGN="TOP"><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">£ Million</TD></TR><TR><TD WIDTH="50%" VALIGN="TOP"><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">1997-98</TD><T…

12 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to publish the final report by Professor Clark, head of the Tayside health task force, on the circumstances leading to the current health situation in Tayside.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The task force has produced an Interim Report which I published on 30 June together with details of the Executive's response. I have asked for a copy of the Interim Report to be put in the Scottish Parliament Reference Centre.

12 May 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all current spending commitments under the Innovation Fund for children's health services announced in November 1998.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Details of the current spending commitments by health board under the Innovation Fund for Children's Services are shown in the following table:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=527><TR><TD WIDTH="35%" VALIGN="TOP"><P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Health Board…

14 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what are the areas that are eligible to receive transitional European Structural Funding as a result of losing Objective 2 status in the 2000-06 funding round.

Answer · Jack McConnell: The areas which are eligible for transitional funding in Scotland are those that lost Objective&nbsp;2 and 5b status when the map was redrawn in 1999. A list of the wards now in transition is available in SPICe.

12 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4569 by Mr Jack McConnell on 6 April 2000, on what specific years since 1990 Treasury funding was reduced as a result of the operation of the ceiling under the Barnett formula when European Structural Fund grants were taken into account.

Answer · Jack McConnell: As I explained in response to question S1W-4569, there is no &quot;ceiling&quot; under the Barnett formula.

12 Apr 2000 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer what the total cost is of the refurbishment of the fifth floor in the Parliament Headquarters Building and what the reasons are for it.

Answer · David Steel: The fifth floor has not been refurbished. The existing space has been reconfigured to create a more functional working environment. This has been achieved by reducing the size of some of the cellular offices to create larger open plan offices.<P ALIGN="JUSTIF…

7 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its timetable is for the Dairy Products (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations 1999 to come before the Parliament for consideration.

Answer · Susan Deacon: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that the proposed Dairy Products (Hygiene) (Scotland) Regulations 2000 have recently been communicated to the European Commission for clearance in accordance with the provisions of Council Directive 98/34/EC laying do…

7 Apr 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-5496 by Susan Deacon on 4 April 2000, whether Scotland's share of the #2 billion extra for the NHS in the UK is new and additional to Scotland's block grant for the coming year.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Scotland received an extra £173 million for 2000-01 as its share of the £2 billion extra for the NHS in the UK. This funding is in addition to the increases for health agreed in the Budget Bill and will bring health provision for 2000-01 to £5,415 million.

29 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to detail the number of operations cancelled for non-medical reasons by year, and by health board, since 1996.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Information on the number of operations cancelled specifically for non-medical reasons is not collected.<P ALIGN="JUSTIFY">Details of the total number of cancellations of planned admissions to hospital for inpatient and day-case treatment, by health board are…

29 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects the plans for the new round of European Structural Funds (2000-06) to be approved by the European Commission.

Answer · Jack McConnell: While I expect the plans for the Highlands and Islands Special Programme and for the Objective 3 Operational Programme to be approved in June, this is dependent upon the European Commission. The plans for the Objective 2 programmes will not be approved until …

23 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Review Group's report regarding charging for criminal record checks under Part V of the Police Act 1977 will be published.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The work of the review group is continuing. No date has been fixed for publication of a report but the review group appreciates the need for conclusions to be reached as quickly as possible.

22 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will receive any of the extra revenue generated by the increase in fuel duty announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his 2000-01 budget to spend directly on improving rural transport.

Answer · Sarah Boyack: I would refer Mr Wallace to the Minister for Finance's Statement of 30 March.

21 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much extra funding, earmarked for health and generated by the increase in tobacco duty announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's 2000-01 budget, it will receive and what percentage share of the amount available over the UK as a whole this figure represents.

Answer · Susan Deacon: An additional £2 billion, including extra resources resulting from the increase in tobacco duty, was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget. Scotland is to receive, in line with the Barnett formula, additional funding of £173 million in 20…

21 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the monies allocated to the NHS in Scotland as a result of the increased tobacco duty announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's 2000-01 budget will be in addition to funds allocated through the Barnett formula.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The monies allocated to the NHS in Scotland as a result of the increased tobacco duty announced in the Budget are included in Scotland's Barnett formula share of the additional £2 billion being made available to the NHS in the UK.

21 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to receive the extra monies allocated to the NHS in Scotland as a result of the increased tobacco duty announced in the Chancellor of the Exchequer's 2000-01 budget.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The extra monies allocated to the NHS in Scotland as a result of the increased tobacco duty will accrue to the Scottish Block at the earliest opportunity which will be the Summer Budget Amendment in June 2000.

1 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was received from the Department for Education and Employment to act as public expenditure cover for Objective 3 in each year since 1990.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Following the transfer of responsibility for the Objective 3 programme in Scotland in 1995, the Department for Education and Employment (formerly the Department of Employment) transferred £21.55 million in financial year 1995-96, £25.15 million in 1996-97 and…

1 Mar 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the current structure of the delivery of dental treatment.

Answer · Susan Deacon: The structure for delivering NHS dental services is developing continuously.

22 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to provide a breakdown of the (a) Objective 1; (b) Objective 2 and (c) Objective 5b Scottish structural fund payments received from Her Majesty's Treasury in each year from 1996 to 1999.

Answer · Jack McConnell: Payments received from the European Commission via the Bank of England and Treasury were as follows:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=2 WIDTH=606><TR><TD WIDTH="20%" VALIGN="TOP" HEIGHT=17><P></TD><TD WIDTH="80%" VALIGN="TOP" COLSPAN=4 HEIGHT=17><FONT F…

22 Feb 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4167 by Mr Jack McConnell on 16 February 2000, what legal status and terms of articles of association organisations must have and what activities, broken down by the general subject areas covered by Objective 2 and Objective 3, they must be involved …

Answer · Jack McConnell: European Structural Funds support is provided to public sector bodies, including the higher and further education sectors and to voluntary organisations, industry training organisations, registered charities and Trusts, where their memoranda and articles of a…