Parliamentary questions
Fergus Ewing
2,894 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
6 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-919 on 1 August 2003, by Allan Wilson and S2W-1693 by Ross Finnie on 1 and 26 August 2003, whether it will reconsider its decision not to publish the cabinet papers and other documents requested.
Answer · Ross Finnie: No. The position remains asset out in the answer given to question S2W-919. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at <ahref="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/…
6 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will issue an apology for the fact that it has not ensured that suppliers of goods and services to the Executive are paid on time and, in particular, in respect of the 12-month period where nearly one-third of its bills were not paid on time.
Answer · Andy Kerr: I have written to the mainbusiness organisations in Scotland about this, informing them of the improvement in the Scottish Executive’s performance in achieving prompt payment ofinvoices this year. In December 2003, over 87% of invoices were paid within the30 …
6 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, in the light of reports in The Herald on 2 and 3 January 2003 that nearly one third of its suppliers are not paid within its target period of 30 days, what the precise reasons are for this; what steps it has taken, and what further steps it will take, to address this situation; what esti…
Answer · Andy Kerr: Irecognise the importance to business of prompt payment of invoices. This is whyour policy is to aim for payment within 30 days. The Scottish Executive’s 2002-03 accounts reported that 68.5% of invoices were paid within thetarget period that year. This reflec…
5 Jan 2004 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Presiding Officer whether there is any impediment to Lord Fraser of Carmyllie calling as witnesses to the Holyrood Inquiry the Auditor General for Scotland and employees of Audit Scotland who carried out work in relation to the report on the Holyrood building project in September 2000 and the investigation …
Answer · George Reid: In his opening statement tothe inquiry on 12 September 2003, Lord Fraser stated " I, and I alone, willdecide which witnesses will be called. I will also decide to what matters theirevidence will be directed." Accordingly, the witnesses and the subje…
5 Jan 2004 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Presiding Officer whether members of the Holyrood Progress Group will offer to give evidence to the Holyrood Inquiry and whether non-MSP members of the group will provide a statement or precognition of their evidence to the Holyrood Inquiry.
Answer · George Reid: <p class=MsoHeader>I am informed by theConvener of the Holyrood Progress Group that all members of the group haveindicated their willingness to provide evidence to the Fraser Inquiry.</p> </p>
5 Jan 2004 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the rules governing the consideration of applications to sportscotland for capital funding under the Lottery Fund have altered and, if so, when such alteration was made; whether the maximum capital limit for any single application under the sports facilities programme has been, or…
Answer · Frank McAveety: <b>Sport</b>scotland are currently reviewing the maximum limitfor awards made under the Sports Facilities programme. A paper discussingpossible amendments to the maximum limits is being presented to the <b>sport</b>scotlandboard on 28 January when a decision …
5 Jan 2004 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) will make a detailed response to the report by the Auditor General, The 2002-03 Audit of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB), (SE/2003/346) and, in particular, (a) when the report was made public and by what means, (b) w…
Answer · Robert Brown: The Principal Accountable Officer will make a detailed response to the report by the Auditor General when he gives evidence to the Audit Committee.</p><p>In respect of the particular questions you raise:</p><p>(a) The SPCB received the report from the Auditor…
22 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what costs it has incurred in connection with the provision of any advice and/or assistance to any witness or witnesses who have appeared, or are to appear, before the Holyrood Inquiry; what meetings have taken place during which such advice or assistance has been provided at which one or…
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive has incurred costs in relation to the provision of legal support andwelfare services which are available to staff under their terms and conditionsof employment.</p><p>In terms of meetings thathave taken place to provide advice or assist…
17 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the impact of downgrading the Belford Hospital in Fort William from an acute hospital on the travel costs of patients receiving elective treatment; what estimate has been made by NHS Highland of any additional travel costs incurred as a result, and what fa…
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: NHS Highland is responsiblefor planning and providing services at the Belford Hospital. TheNHS board has reached no decision about the future pattern of services. If the boardmakes any proposals for change to the existing arrangements, it will require toasses…
17 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there was any audit exercise in relation to the Holyrood project prior to the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body taking responsibility for the project.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Capital expenditure on theHolyrood building project in 1998-99 amounting to £6.7 million by the thenScottish Office was subject to the normal annual audit of the accounts by the Comptrollerand Auditor General of the National Audit Office and his staff.</p>
17 Dec 2003 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Presiding Officer whether there was any audit exercise in relation to the Holyrood project after the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body took responsibility for it and prior to the establishment of Audit Scotland.
Answer · George Reid: The Comptroller and AuditorGeneral was responsible for the audit of the Scottish Parliamentary CorporateBody for the relevant period. No formal examination of the Holyrood buildingproject was carried out at that time.</p>
11 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received the study into autism involving Autism Unravelled, Action Against Autism, Food and Behaviour Research, Oxford and Stirling universities and the Rowett Research Institute in Aberdeen.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive has not received such a study into autism.</p>
10 Dec 2003 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Presiding Officer what budget is available to meet the cost of the opening of the new Parliament building, showing costs of transport, security, hospitality and other components; how these costs were calculated, and what steps the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will take to avoid any unnecessary expe…
Answer · George Reid: No decision has been madeyet on the nature of the opening ceremony and therefore no specific budget hasbeen allocated for this purpose. The Clerk/Chief Executive stated in evidencehe gave to the Finance Committee on Tuesday 25 November that any fundingrequire…
10 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to establish an autism-specific medical facility at a hospital to address the medical needs of those with autism.
Answer · Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive hasno such plans. We are committed to improving services for people with autisticspectrum disorders through improved assessment and diagnosis, more informationand training for a range of professionals, and better inter-agency working.</…
10 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff specialise in paediatric intensive care, broken down by (a) grade, (b) hospital and (c) NHS board area.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The most recent available information is provided in the answer given to question S2W‑4899 on 26 January 2004. Amore detailed breakdown of clinical roles is not available centrally.</p><p>All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on th…
10 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what ongoing training is available to NHS staff in hospitals in each NHS board area in respect of paediatric intensive care.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not heldcentrally. However, there is a recognised Specialist Practitioner Qualificationfor Paediatric Intensive Care available through Glasgow Caledonian University. Overthe past five years, 42 students started the course, 26 have complete…
10 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many beds are assigned to paediatric services in each NHS board area, broken down by hospital and detailing any specialisms in paediatric medicine assigned to those beds.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on averageavailable staffed medical and surgical paediatric beds for the year ending 31 March 2003 isshown in Table 1.</p><p>The information forspecialisms in paediatric medicine assigned to those beds is not heldcentrally.</p><p>Table 1: NHSiS - …
10 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff there are involved in paediatric medicine in each NHS board area broken down by (a) grade and (b) hospital, detailing any specialisms in paediatric medicine that such staff undertake.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: A table detailing theheadcount of paediatric medical staff by grade and NHS Board at September 2002 hasbeen placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 30695).</p>
10 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which hospitals in each NHS board area have an (a) general paediatric and (b) specialist paediatric (i) department or (ii) unit, showing the specialism undertaken.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Royal Hospital forSick Children Edinburgh, the Royal Hospital for Sick Children Glasgow and the Royal AberdeenChildren’s Hospital provide specialist services on a regional and nationalbasis whilst providing a general paediatric service to their local popu…
10 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which hospitals in each NHS board area are exclusively involved in paediatric medicine.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There are three hospitalsexclusively involved in paediatric medicine: </p><p>Royal Aberdeen Children’sHospital – NHS Grampian </p><p>Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow - NHS Greater Glasgow </p><p>Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh - NHS L…
9 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made provision for any of its staff giving evidence to the Holyrood Inquiry to receive counselling and, if so, what the cost of such counselling will be and from which budget line it will be met.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Scottish Executive’s general arrangements for the availability of counselling support forstaff in a variety of circumstances, as part of our commitment as an employerto exercise a duty of care towards our staff, are available to Scottish Executive witness…
5 Dec 2003 · SPCB Written Question
To ask the Presiding Officer whether any Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) staff have sought counselling services in connection with giving evidence, or preparing to give evidence, to the Holyrood Inquiry and what financial provision the SPCB has made for such services.
Answer · George Reid: Thecounselling service, which is available to members, their staff andparliamentary staff free of charge, is provided by the SPCB’s occupationalhealth provider. The service is completely confidential and the SPCB receivesonly statistical information regarding…
4 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what figures it has for viral and other infections passed to haemophiliacs through contaminated blood products since 1970; how many people were affected by each such virus or other infection, and whether it expects these figures to change.
Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: This information is not heldcentrally.</p><p>The routine screening ofblood by the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service for HIV, hepatitis Band C, syphilis and Human T-cell lymphotropic Type 1 (HTLV1) and the viralinactivation undertaken during the manu…
4 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-32334 by Allan Wilson on 17 December 2002, whether it has made any recent representations to Her Majesty's Government in respect of any transfer of power to the Parliament with regard to the Crown Estate Commission and what the reasons are for its po…
Answer · Margaret Curran: No such representations havebeen made.</p>
3 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has estimated the funding that will be lost in matched funding from the block grant when Objective 1 transitional money ends.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: It is too early to predictthe outcome of the debate on the future of the European Structural Funds forthe Highlands and Islands or anywhere else when the current programmes ceasein December 2006. The European Commission’s third cohesion report due to bepublis…
3 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive which assets were subject to non-trading capital consumption in 2000-01 in Scotland and what comparative information it has on the treatment of such assets in England and Wales.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The depreciation of allpublic assets was recorded. The same treatment applies to England and Wales.</p>
3 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has with regard to the locations within Scotland where the 1% sample of national insurance records were taken which were used as a basis for calculating Scotland's share of social security contributions, as referred to in Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland…
Answer · Andy Kerr: We do not have informationavailable as to the locations within Scotland where the 1% sample was taken. The figures used in GERSwere derived by the Office of National Statistics. Specific details of thesample data are not available to the Executive.</p>
3 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the methodology for this year's Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland report will allocate Scotland's share of revenue from court fines and on-the-spot fines.
Answer · Andy Kerr: Revenues from court finesand on-the-spot fines are subsumed in the Budget under “other receipts”; theyare not shown individually. The Scottish share is allocated according to Gross ValueAdded share.</p>
3 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the methodology for this year's Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland report will allocate Scotland's share of revenue from TV licenses.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The BBC receives the revenuefrom TV licensing directly (and is responsible for its administration). The BBCdoes not have shareholders and therefore does not aim to make a profit.Operating surpluses and deficits simply represent timing differences betweenincom…
3 Dec 2003 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how the methodology for this year's Government Expenditure and Revenues in Scotland report will allocate Scotland's share of the aggregates tax.
Answer · Andy Kerr: The Aggregates Levy cameinto effect on 1 April 2002, and therefore is not included in this year’s GovernmentExpenditure Revenues for Scotland, which covers the financial year 2001-02.</p>