Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-09567 on 15 June 2017. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-09567 on 15 June 2017. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

The Ernst & Young (EY) Attractiveness Surveys provide estimates of the number of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) projects and associated planned jobs in Scotland and in the rest of the UK.

The following table provides the total number of projects as reported in the EY Attractiveness Surveys for 2014 to 2016. It also includes the number of projects in 2016 that are research related.

FDI Projects and Employment, 2014 to 2016

Source: EY Attractiveness Surveys, latest survey results for Scotland available at: http://www.ey.com/uk/en/issues/business-environment/ey-uk-attractiveness-survey-2017-Scotland

The fall in the number of jobs created in the latest year from the EY report reflects a shift from larger projects to smaller projects as well as a wider mix of projects. The largest project in Scotland in 2016 secured 440 jobs whereas in the UK the largest project secured 3,000 jobs. In each year there are projects for which no employment information is available so the employment numbers in the table do not include jobs arising from those projects. The nature of the projects and the relative change in proportions of projects to those which are not typically labour intensive can explain, in part, the reduction in the planned jobs estimates in Scotland in 2016.

In terms of the stock of jobs in foreign owned businesses in Scotland, rather than the EY estimates of FDI project related planned jobs, data are available from the Businesses in Scotland 2016 publication that shows the total number of jobs in foreign owned enterprises in Scotland is currently estimated at 316,870, with foreign owned enterprise employment growing each year over the last six years. These data are published at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Business/Corporate/table3sic07

Shona Robison: Across Scotland, HSMR have dropped by 8.4% over a 32 month period. The Scottish Patient Safety Programme is helping us significantly reduce hospital mortality and reduce avoidable harm at every stage of care.

Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratios (HSMR) data is closely monitored by the Scottish Government and Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) to see whether any NHS Board is giving particular cause for concern.

HIS initiates a dialogue with an NHS board if one of its hospitals is identified as having a significantly high HSMR i.e. it being more than three standard deviations above the Scottish average or significantly increasing (calculated using run chart rules). These engagements are designed to ensure that the HSMR data can be interpreted meaningfully, drawing on local knowledge – while also ensuring that the data is taken seriously and acted upon as appropriate, with support and advice being provided for the NHS board.

HIS has opened such a dialogue with NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde (NHS GGC), about a high HSMR for the Royal Alexandria Hospital/Vale of Leven Hospital (combined), on three occasions (November 2010, October 2014, and July 2016). As part of these interactions, NHS GGC has reported on the actions it has carried out to understand and respond to this HSMR data, including how this has helped inform on-going work designed to improve the quality of clinical care. HIS reviewed these actions plans and, following further engagement with NHS GGC, concluded that NHS GGC has taken a positive and appropriate approach.

HSMR monitors expected mortality over time and does not work comparing one quarter with another. The latest published data for Vale of Leven/RAH Hospitals indicated that there has been a rise in the hospital HSMR from the previous quarter only and does not represent a 9% increase in mortality, this is a misunderstanding of HSMR statistics. The trends for these two hospital is a 4.5% reduction since January 2014.

HIS will continue to monitor the HSMR data for the Royal Alexandria Hospital/Vale of Leven Hospital, and consider this with national partner organisations alongside other sources of data/intelligence. In the event that this combined intelligence raises significant concerns about the quality of care, then HIS will follow up.

There are no plans to publish separate HSMR data for the Royal Alexandria and Vale of Leven Hospitals. The published data reflects that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde medical staff are currently rostered to work in both hospitals; and the data is not therefore separated.

SEPA advises that the following recycling and renewable energy centres (energy from waste facilities) currently have planning permission:

The Scottish Government shares the vision of the Fair Work Convention that by 2025, people in Scotland will have a world-leading working life where fair work drives success, wellbeing and prosperity for individuals, businesses, organisations and society. We would undoubtedly be better able to realise this vision if employment law was a devolved matter.

In the absence of the power to legislate on employment we will continue to use all the levers at our disposal to promote the benefits of fair work. For example, Scotland’s public procurement regulations and statutory guidelines establish rules to require that, where appropriate, fair work practices are considered as part of the procurement process. Individual public bodies are, of course, responsible for compliance with those rules and the contracts that they award.

The Scottish Government’s public procurement regulations govern the fair and equal treatment of those bidding for public contracts. Individual public bodies, including local authorities are responsible for their own procurement activity. The Millerhill Recycling and Energy Recovery Centre is a joint procurement by Midlothian Council and City of Edinburgh Council. The details of the contract are therefore a matter for these local authorities to determine and advise on.

In answer to part (a) of the question, Scottish Ministers published statutory guidance in October 2015 on Addressing Fair Work Practices, including the Living Wage in Procurement which require that, where appropriate, fair work practices are considered as part of the procurement process. This statutory guidance applies to all regulated procurements, including public works contracts worth at least £2 million.

In answer to part (b) of the question, the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 applies as a matter of law to all public works contracts worth at least £2 million advertised since 18 April 2016.