- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 July 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 23 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff were employed in the office of the Deputy First Minister in each year since 1999.
Answer
The total numbers of staff (posts)employed in the Deputy First Minister’s private office since 1999 are set out inthe following table:
| Year | Staff |
| 1999/2000 | 3 |
| 2000-01 | 4 |
| 2001-02 | 4 |
| 2002-03 | 4 |
| 2003-04 | 5 |
| 2004-05 | 5 |
The increase in the number ofposts reflects the need to engage more effectively with the policy detail and administrativerequirements of an increased legislative and parliamentary programme following devolution.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 July 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 23 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost of the office of the Deputy First Minister was in each year since 1999.
Answer
The costs for staff and administrationexpenses in the Deputy First Minister’s office are contained in the following table.Staff costs are based on gross pay and include National Insurance and Superannuationcosts and overtime payments. Administration costs include travel, hospitality, telecommunications,IT, stationary and other office costs.
| Year | Staff Costs (£) | Administration Costs (£) | Total Costs (£) | Total Costs in 1999 Prices (£) |
| Part-year June 1999- March 2000 | 55,009 | 22,101 | 77,110 | 77,110 |
| 2000-01 | 106,467 | 33,299 | 139,766 | 137,960 |
| 2001-02 | 116,924 | 32,527 | 149,451 | 143,963 |
| 2002-03 | 129,436 | 30,736 | 160,172 | 149,540 |
| 2003-04 | 164,149 | 56,459 | 220,608 | 200,659 |
| 2004-05 | 211,962 | 61,324 | 273,286 | 243,383 |
Increased costs since1999 reflect a range of factorsincluding changes to the grading profile of private office posts to engage moreeffectively with the policy detail and administrative requirements of an increasedlegislative and parliamentary programme and updated rules allowing middle gradestaff in private offices to claim overtime. The change in ministerial portfolioresponsibilities on the Deputy First Minister’s office, from Justice to Enterprise,Transport and Lifelong Learning, has also impacted on the requirement for travel,etc.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 February 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 23 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-23721 by Lewis Macdonald on 18 March 2002, which local authorities have concessionary travel schemes for (a) children aged under 16, (b) 16 to 18-year-olds in full time education courses and (c) 16 to 18-year-olds who are not on full time education courses, not in receipt of jobseekers allowance, living independently and receive a living allowance from social work departments, broken down by (i) year and (ii) local authority.
Answer
The information requested isprovided in the following table. Concessionary travel for young people is a discretionarymatter for local authorities. All 16 local concessionary travel schemes give concessionsto disabled young people under the age of 18 if they meet their scheme’s specificeligibility criteria.
LocalAuthority Concessionary Travel Schemes for Young People
| Scheme Type | 2003 -04 | 2004 -05 | 2005 -06 |
| Children Aged Under 16 | Clackmannanshire (14 – 15) Falkirk (14 – 15) Shetland (5 – 16) Stirling (14 – 15) Western Isles (5 – 16) | Clackmannanshire (14 – 15) Falkirk (14 – 15) Shetland (5 – 16) Stirling (14 – 15) Western Isles (5 – 16) | Clackmannanshire (14 – 15) Falkirk (14 – 15) Shetland (5 – 16) Stirling (14 – 15) Western Isles (5 – 16) |
| 16 -18 Year Olds in Full Time Education | Fife | Aberdeen City Fife | Aberdeen City Fife |
| 16 – 18 Year Olds Not in Full Time Education or in Receipt of Jobseekers Allowance, who Live Independently and are in Receipt of a Living Allowance from Social Work Departments | None | None | None |
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 23 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what targets it has to eradicate malnutrition in Scotland.
Answer
Although the Executive is notaware of evidence to suggest Scotland has a particular problem with malnutrition, the NHS QualityImprovement Scotland standards on food, fluid and nutritional care in hospital putScotland at the forefront in the UK for dealing with the issue. These advise that all peopleadmitted to hospital should be screened for malnutrition.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 22 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what investigation has been undertaken into the health impact on the population of areas affected by the Chernobyl incident.
Answer
The only potential effect onpublic health that might be anticipated as a result of exposure to radioactivematerials from the Chernobyl incident is an increase in the incidence of someforms of cancer such as thyroid cancer in children. However, no trends incancer incidence suggestive of an effect of radioactive fallout from Chernobyl havebeen demonstrated by the comprehensive systems currently in place for thecollection and analysis of cancer statistics in the UK. Theresults of various programmes of monitoring of the levels of radioactivesubstances in food and the environment suggest that a detectable increase inany cancer types is unlikely for any areas of the UK.
No specific investigation intothe health impact on the population of areas of Scotland affected by the Chernobylincident has therefore been made.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 21 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from professional bodies or individuals in Scotland with regard to malnutrition rates across all age groups.
Answer
The Executive has received anumber of letters and parliamentary questions from MSPs in recent weeks.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 21 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors hospital patients diagnosed with malnutrition who are still suffering from malnutrition on discharge from hospital.
Answer
This is a matter for NHSboards.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 21 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients who were diagnosed with malnutrition on entering hospital were still suffering from malnutrition (a) on discharge and (b) four weeks after discharge in each year since 1999, broken down by age group.
Answer
This information is not heldcentrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 20 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning has made to the Ministry of Defence in respect of the Robert Noble contract for weaving the tartan for, and separately the making of, kilts for Scottish soldiers and, in particular, on whether the armed forces are exempt from competitive tendering requirements in respect of such procurement.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is inregular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues including defence.The Ministry of Defence (MoD) advise that it is not possible for them to stipulatethat manufacture of a non-warlike product should take place in a particular country.The MoD also advise that the criteria used in selecting tenders will be robust andonly those suppliers that have proven ability to supply and manufacture to the requiredstandards will be invited to tender.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 17 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what central funding is available to either local authorities or the police for speed restriction signs such as mobile “smiley face” signs.
Answer
The Scottish Executive provideslocal authorities with revenue and capital allocations for expenditure on a numberof services, including roads and transport, which can be used for the provisionof traffic signs, including speed limit signs.
Local authorities are receivingspecific funding, totalling nearly £50 million between 2003 and 2008, for 20mphschemes around schools and related safety projects, including the signing requiredfor such schemes.
