Questions and answers

Question reference: S1W-19614

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 15 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how much will be made available to each local authority from the (a) Excellence Fund, (b) New Community Schools and (c) Action Plan Funding initiatives in each of the next four years.

Question reference: S1W-19613

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 15 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how much each local authority has received from the (a) Excellence Fund, (b) New Community Schools and (c) Action Plan Funding initiatives in each year since they were established.

The New Community Schools and Education Action Plan Programmes are part of the Excellence Fund. Table 1 provides details of the total amounts allocated to authorities under the Excellence Fund in each year since it was established. Tables 2 and 3 provide separately details of the amounts for the New Community Schools and Education Action Plan Programmes which are included in the total Excellence Fund figures in Table 1.Table 1

Local Authorities	Excellence Fund 1999-2000 (£)	Excellence Fund 2000-01 (£)	Excellence Fund 2001-02 (£)
Aberdeen City	4,202,554	6,122,317	6,458,146
Aberdeenshire	4,429,347	5,947,284	7,091,568
Angus	2,080,356	2,825,652	3,198,425
Argyll & Bute	1,736,190	2,188,064	2,596,670
Clackmannanshire	1,039,818	1,378,012	1,878,082
Dumfries & Galloway	2,961,700	3,724,975	4,390,273
Dundee City	3,421,389	4,182,149	4,768,164
East Ayrshire	2,593,246	4,138,732	4,570,419
East Dunbartonshire	3,157,980	3,976,632	4,578,824
East Lothian	1,900,662	2,895,842	3,753,653
East Renfrewshire	2,369,460	4,288,532	4,970,900
Edinburgh, City of	7,948,212	10,217,718	12,332,803
Eilean Siar	851,449	962,902	1,192,817
Falkirk	3,146,833	4,070,162	4,838,547
Fife	6,386,327	8,367,612	10,063,096
Glasgow City	11,323,980	15,673,498	19,173,601
Highland	4,104,062	5,510,847	6,173,780
Inverclyde	2,054,653	2,583,542	3,228,338
Midlothian	1,752,283	2,324,840	2,797,545
Moray	1,838,528	2,338,268	2,761,125
North Ayrshire	2,855,538	4,026,784	4,563,227
North Lanarkshire	6,813,193	9,016,912	10,716,688
Orkney Islands	460,782	623,242	755,544
Perth & Kinross	2,650,232	3,461,325	4,460,906
Renfrewshire	3,893,785	5,086,925	6,032,028
Scottish Borders	1,993,669	2,622,652	3,118,423
Shetland Islands	596,422	688,251	901,681
South Ayrshire	2,528,722	3,398,154	3,776,472
South Lanarkshire	5,770,876	7,848,508	9,713,120
Stirling	1,667,003	2,277,432	2,932,824
West Dunbartonshire	2,588,362	3,266,336	3,695,234
West Lothian	3,713,757	5,146,221	5,957,413
Total	104,831,370	141,180,322	167,440,336

Note:Includes figures for New Community Schools and Education Action Plan Programmes shown separately in Tables 2 and 3.Table 2

Local Authorities	New Community Schools 1999/2000 (£)	New Community Schools 2000-2001 (£)	New Community Schools 2001-2002 (£)
Aberdeen City	200,000	400,000	400,000
Aberdeenshire	200,000	300,000	400,000
Angus	200,000	200,000	400,000
Argyll & Bute	200,000	200,000	400,000
Clackmannanshire	200,000	200,000	400,000
Dumfries & Galloway	200,000	200,000	400,000
Dundee City	200,000	200,000	400,000
East Ayrshire	200,000	200,000	400,000
East Dunbartonshire	200,000	200,000	400,000
East Lothian	200,000	400,000	400,000
East Renfrewshire	200,000	300,000	400,000
Edinburgh, City of	200,000	200,000	400,000
Eilean Siar	200,000	200,000	400,000
Falkirk	200,000	400,000	400,000
Fife	200,000	200,000	400,000
Glasgow City	200,000	200,000	400,000
Highland	200,000	400,000	400,000
Inverclyde	200,000	200,000	400,000
Midlothian	200,000	300,000	400,000
Moray	200,000	200,000	400,000
North Ayrshire	200,000	400,000	400,000
North Lanarkshire	200,000	300,000	400,000
Orkney Islands	Nil	100,000	200,000
Perth & Kinross	200,000	300,000	400,000
Renfrewshire	200,000	300,000	400,000
Scottish Borders	200,000	300,000	400,000
Shetland Islands	Nil	Nil	200,000
South Ayrshire	200,000	400,000	400,000
South Lanarkshire	200,000	400,000	400,000
Stirling	200,000	300,000	400,000
West Dunbartonshire	200,000	300,000	400,000
West Lothian	200,000	200,000	400,000
total	6,000,000	8,400,000	12,400,000

Note:These figures are included in the total Excellence Fund figures shown in Table 1.Table 3

Local Authorities	Education Action Plans 1999/2000	Education Action Plans 2000-2001	Education Action Plans 2001-2002
Aberdeen City	500,000	500,000	500,000
Aberdeenshire	200,000	200,000	200,000
Angus	Nil	Nil	Nil
Argyll & Bute	Nil	Nil	Nil
Clackmannanshire	Nil	Nil	Nil
Dumfries & Galloway	Nil	Nil	Nil
Dundee City	500,000	500,000	500,000
East Ayrshire	100,000	100,000	100,000
East Dunbartonshire	Nil	Nil	Nil
East Lothian	200,000	200,000	200,000
East Renfrewshire	Nil	Nil	Nil
Edinburgh, City of	500,000	500,000	500,000
Eilean Siar	Nil	Nil	Nil
Falkirk	100,000	100,000	100,000
Fife	200,000	200,000	200,000
Glasgow City	800,000	800,000	800,000
Highland	Nil	Nil	Nil
Inverclyde	200,000	200,000	200,000
Midlothian	Nil	Nil	Nil
Moray	Nil	Nil	Nil
North Ayrshire	Nil	Nil	Nil
North Lanarkshire	300,000	300,000	300,000
Orkney Islands	Nil	Nil	Nil
Perth & Kinross	200,000	200,000	200,000
Renfrewshire	100,000	100,000	100,000
Scottish Borders	Nil	Nil	Nil
Shetland Islands	Nil	Nil	Nil
South Ayrshire	100,000	100,000	100,000
South Lanarkshire	Nil	Nil	Nil
Stirling	Nil	Nil	Nil
West Dunbartonshire	500,000	500,000	500,000
West Lothian	200,000	200,000	200,000
Total	4,700,000	4,700,000	4,700,000

Note: These figures are included in the total Excellence Fund figures shown in Table 1.

Question reference: S1W-19612

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 15 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14085 by Mr Jack McConnell on 29 March 2001, whether it will report on the progress being made in the national evaluation of the New Community Schools Pilot Programme.

As indicated in the reply of 29 March 2001, the three-year national evaluation started in April 2000. The evaluation team has met with the New Community Schools Ministerial Steering Group and with Scottish Executive officials on a number of occasions to report on progress with the early information collection and analysis stages of the evaluation. A detailed Interim Report is expected by the middle of 2002 with the final report being submitted in 2003.

Question reference: S1W-19611

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 November 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jack McConnell on 15 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the Excellence Fund and Action Plan Funding initiatives.

The scope and operation of the Excellence Fund, which includes the programme for Education Action Plans, is currently under review by a working group comprising officials of the Scottish Executive Education Department and representatives of the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland who are participating also on behalf of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. I expect the group to make recommendations to me shortly.

Question reference: S1W-19388

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Iain Gray on 8 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18905 by Mr Jim Wallace on 22 October 2001, what plans it has to start recording annual figures on the estimated impact of retail crime on businesses.

Question reference: S1W-19366

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18203 by Mr Jim Wallace on 28 September 2001, whether it will give a breakdown of the table in Appendix 5 to the Scottish Prison Service Annual Report and Accounts 1999-2000 on "breaches of discipline committed and punishments awarded in establishments" to show how many times disciplinary action was taken against prisoners in each prison, including HM Prison Kilmarnock, in 1999-2000.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

The tables give details of the number of breaches of discipline committed and the punishments awarded in establishments during the financial year 2000-01.

Breaches by Establishment	Total
Barlinnie	1,509
Aberdeen	1,017
Castle Huntly	129
Cornton Vale	669
Dumfries	601
Dungavel	9
Edinburgh	1,154
Friarton	1
Glenochil Prison	1,381
Glenochil YOI	859
Greenock	741
Inverness	328
Longriggend	13
Low Moss	746
Noranside	65
Perth	1,669
Peterhead	406
Polmont	2,023
Shotts	3,575
Shotts Unit	2
Shotts NIC	53
Kilmarnock	3,499
Cornton Vale YOI	352
Grand Total	20,801

Punishments by Establishment	Total
Barlinnie	2,613
Aberdeen	1,241
Castle Huntly	112
Cornton Vale	1,121
Dumfries	1,191
Dungavel	8
Edinburgh	2,103
Friarton	1
Glenochil Prison	1,780
Glenochil YOI	1,419
Greenock	987
Inverness	381
Longriggend	16
Low Moss	755
Noranside	67
Perth	2,678
Peterhead	549
Polmont	3,329
Shotts	3,760
Shotts Unit	3
Shotts NIC	55
Kilmarnock	8,273
Cornton Vale YOI	560
Grand Total	33,002

Question reference: S1W-19364

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Jim Wallace on 7 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S1W-18201 and S1W-18189, why it will not publish information on the number of whole-time equivalent nursing posts there currently are and the social work cost per prisoner and whether this is in line with its current freedom of information policy.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:Figures giving the whole-time equivalent nursing posts in all SPS-run prisons were published in the answer to question S1W-18201. The figure for Kilmarnock was not included as the arrangements at Kilmarnock Prison are different. Under the contract, outputs for health care services are specified and, consequently, it is not a matter for SPS how many staff posts are involved. The contract is monitored to ensure that outputs are provided to the required standard.In relation to question S1W-18189 (social work costs), the same considerations as above apply to the provision of social work services at Kilmarnock. Costs of individual elements of the contract are not disclosed. As in the previous answer, the total cost of social work provision for SPS-run prisons for 2000-01 was £2.18 million for an average prison population within SPS prisons of 5,600. This approximates to an average annual cost per prisoner of £390.

Question reference: S1W-19365

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 7 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive what the attendance rate at meetings was for each board member of the Health Education Board for Scotland in each of the last three years.

Attendance rates for the last three full calendar years, as well as the current calendar year to date, are given in the table.

	1998		1999		2000		2001
Member	Possible	Actual	Possible	Actual	Possible	Actual	Possible	Actual
David Campbell¹	9	9	10	10	10	9	6	6
Margaret Alexander²	9	6	10	8	10	9	2	2
Anne Carrie³	4	3	10	6	8	5
Jean Couper⁴	9	5	10	6	10	8	6	4
Zoë Dunhill⁵			7	5	10	7	7	6
Frances Elliot⁶	9	5	10	7	10	7	7	5
Charles Forbes⁷	9	7	2	1
Angus Ford⁸	9	6	2	1
Lesley Hinds⁹	4	3	10	8	10	8	7	6
William Howatson⁶	9	7	10	7	10	8	7	5
Michael Lean⁶	9	8	10	4	10	3	7	3
Gillian McIlwaine¹⁰	9	7	10	8	10	8	2	0
Marion Taylor¹¹	4	3	10	8	10	8	7	7

Notes:

1. David Campbell's term of office ended in September 2001.

2. Margaret Alexander's term of office ended in March 2001.

3. Anne Carrie joined the board in July 1998 and resigned in September 2000.

4. Jean Couper's term of office ended in September 2001.

5. Zoë Dunhill joined the board in April 1999.

6. Frances Elliot, William Howatson and Michael Lean all remained in post for the period covered by this answer.

7. Charles Forbes' term of office ended in March 1999.

8. Angus Ford's term of office ended in March 1999.

9. Lesley Hinds joined the board in July 1998.

10. Gillian McIlwaine's term of office ended in March 2001.

11. Marion Taylor joined the board in July 1998.

Question reference: S1W-18557

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 September 2001
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 6 November 2001

The available information on the average number of inpatients occupying a bed in NHS hospitals is shown:Three months to:

30 June 1997	30,080
30 June 1998	28,734
30 June 1999	27,109
30 June 2000	26,214
30 June 2001	25,218

Reduction reflects transfers from hospital into the community and changing patterns of care in acute hospitals with more patients treated as day cases. Over the same period the total number of patients receiving treatment as inpatients or day cases in acute specialities increased from 1,114,449 year ending 31 March 1997 to 1,179,039(provisional) year ending 31 March 2001 (an increase of 5.8%).

Question reference: S1W-18899

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 05 October 2001
Current Status: Answered by Wendy Alexander on 2 November 2001

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have (a) joined the New Deal for Young People and (b) moved into (i) subsidised and (ii) unsubsidised employment since the New Deal's inception, broken down by unit of delivery.

Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing organisations.Figures requested by unit of delivery are noted in the table:

Unit of Delivery	No. of starts to New Deal YP	Number into Subsidised jobs	Number into Unsubsidised jobs
Argyle and The Islands	867	49	406
Ayrshire	7,626	329	3,338
Borders	1,117	47	551
Caithness & Sutherland	510	25	204
Dumfries & Galloway	2,192	140	942
Dunbarton	3,264	122	1,462
Edinburgh, East & Mid Lothian	5,739	203	2,557
Fife	6,116	224	2,619
Forth Valley	4,411	259	1,955
Glasgow	14,854	514	5,574
Grampian	3,087	103	1,386
Inverness & Nairn	760	38	357
Lanarkshire	11,096	437	5,022
Lochaber	142	4	84
Moray, Strathspey & Badenoch	705	29	391
Orkney	136	12	69
Renfrewshire	4,354	145	2,060
Ross & Cromarty	596	39	299
Shetland	105	4	55
Skye & Lochalsh	134	8	71
Tayside	6,795	340	2,983
West Lothian	1,980	54	1,004
Western Isles	339	37	152
Total	76,925	3,162	33,541

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