- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 24 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has issued guidance to local authorities on the hourly rates to be used in determining the level of direct payments for social care packages.
Answer
Scottish Government''s National Guidance on Self-directed Support advises that direct payment packages should meet the cost of providing a service which is of an equivalent standard to that which the local authority would provide. This means that a direct payment package to purchase a service from a provider should take into account the range of hourly rates for day, night, weekend, bank and local holiday and emergency cover.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 February 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 24 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what the reason is for the variation in hourly rates applied to direct payments for social care across local authorities.
Answer
In determining a direct payment rate, local authorities take into account local conditions and workforce considerations. This inevitably leads to variation in direct payment rates across local authorities.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 23 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its special advisers regularly liaise with the press.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31349 on 22 February 2010 which provides information on the special advisers roles and responsibilities.
All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will decide whether to give approval for the construction of the new Alexandria Medical Centre.
Answer
The Outline Business Case for the Alexandria Medical Centre was considered by the Capital Investment Group at its meeting on 14 April 2009. At that meeting, issues around dental provision within Dumbarton were raised and these concerns were passed to NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to consider and address. The Outline Business Case will now be re-considered via expedited procedures when the outstanding issues around dental provision have been satisfactorily resolved.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the timescale for commissioning and building the new Alexandria Medical Centre has changed since approval of the outline business case by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
Answer
The timescale for commissioning and building the new Alexandria Medical Centre has not changed since approval of the outline business case by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) timescale and (b) capital cost is for the construction of the new Alexandria Medical Centre.
Answer
The following table shows the outline timescale for completing the new Alexandria Medical Centre in recognition of the board''s current phased capital plan:
| Approval of FBC | 4th Quarter 2010 |
| Construction Commence | 1st Quarter 2011 |
| Building Operational & Commissioned | 2nd Quarter 2013 |
| Post Project Evaluation | 2nd Quarter 2014 |
The capital cost for the construction of the new medical centre is circa £21 million.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what the capital cost profile is for the construction of the new Alexandria Medical Centre.
Answer
The anticipated capital cost profile for the construction of the new Alexandria Medical Centre is set out in the following table:
| 2010-11 | £1.2 million |
| 2011-12 | £8.6 million |
| 2012-13 | £7.51 million |
In addition, a further £3.5 million of capital investment is required in 2010-11 for the provision of dental chairs within the new facility.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 22 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many special advisers it employs, broken down by (a) portfolio, (b) job title and (b) salary band.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-27902 on 25 January 2010 as it provides information on the number of special advisers and pay bands. Information relating to an individual''s pay band is regarded as personal. The full year cost of the current team of special advisers is estimated to be £765,000. By comparison the cost of the 12 special advisers employed by the previous administration in 2006-07 was £854,376.
The current special advisers'' specific responsibilities are as follows:
| Name | Specific Responsibilities |
| Kevin Pringle Senior Special Adviser | Strategic co-ordination across all portfolios, political spokesperson and senior adviser on communications issues. |
| Stephen Noon Senior Special Adviser | Senior adviser on policy matters across all portfolios with emphasis on FMQs, Finance, the Economy and Constitutional Issues. |
| Noel Dolan Senior Special Adviser | Senior policy adviser to the Deputy First Minister on Health, Wellbeing, Housing and Sport policy and media issues. |
| Geoff Aberdein Special Adviser | Liaison with FM''s Private office; adviser on FM diary issues. Lead on 2014. |
| Jennifer Erickson Special Adviser | Support on Policy and Communications for Economic Issues (part-time) |
| Stephen Gethins Special Adviser | Support on policy and communications for Environment and Rural Affairs, Europe and External Relations, Energy and Climate Change |
| Colin McAllister Special Adviser | Support on policy and communications for Education, Justice and Culture. |
| John McFarlane Special Adviser | Policy Adviser, Parliamentary liaison working with Minister for Parliamentary Business and the Parliamentary Liaison Officers |
| Will McLeish Special Adviser | Political spokesperson, advice on communications issues and liaison with broadcasters. |
| Stuart Nicolson Special Adviser | Political spokesperson, advice on communications issues. |
All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses are expected to graduate in 2010.
Answer
We will not know how many nurses will graduate during 2010 until they have graduated. However, we do not expect the numbers to vary greatly from those of the previous three years. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31151 on 3 February 2010 which contains that information.
All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2010
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurses have left the NHS and how many have retired in each year since 2007.
Answer
The information requested on nursing and midwifery leavers (head count) for the years 2006-07 and 2007-08 is available from the National Services Scotland, Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland at
http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/5247.html - Staff_turnover. The information requested on retirements is not centrally held.
