- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 July 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a progress report, by local authority area, on the implementation of The Scottish Office Report on the inspection of social work services for the sensory impaired in respect of the outcomes arising from the reviews of assessment arrangements and, in particular, what timescales have been established for assessments of sensory impaired people's needs.
Answer
The Social Work Services Inspectorate will be reviewing progress on all the recommendations in Sensing Progress through its annual visits to local authorities and will report on this in its annual report for 2001.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 July 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a progress report, by local authority area, on the implementation of The Scottish Office Report on the inspection of social work services for the sensory impaired and, in particular, on the establishment of multi-agency strategies and resource groups due to be put in place by April 2000.
Answer
The Social Work Services Inspectorate asked all local authorities to consider and respond to the recommendations contained in Sensing Progress. The majority of local authorities have since reported positive progress on a number of recommendations including establishing multi-agency strategy and resource groups. Local authorities are still implementing the recommendations and progress will be reported in the SWSI Annual Report for 2001.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 May 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 July 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown by Department of its own targets and actual performance to date for recruiting New Deal trainees and employees, indicating the target and actual durations of such recruits and details of their employment destinations on leaving or completing their period with the Scottish Executive.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has no individual departmental targets set for its participation in the New Deal programme. The programme is managed centrally and as New Deal staff are cleared for appointment they are assigned directly into departments. The Executive has an overall target to offer 50 New Deal places and has no plans to reduce its efforts once this target is reached. The table below outlines the Executive's achievements to date:
| | Number |
| Appointments Offered | 45 |
| Actual Starts | 31 |
| New Deal staff now in permanent positions with the Executive - Average period of time on New Deal with the Executive | 8 8 months |
| New Deal staff who have left the Executive*- Average period of time on New Deal with the Executive | 11 8 months |
| New Deal staff currently on the Programme | 12 |
*Destinations unknown
To date the Executive has offered a range of New Deal jobs; i.e. administration, secretarial, support, security and craft, in a range of locations; i.e. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Stirling, Peterhead and Dumfries. It is in regular contact with the Employment Service (ES) in an effort to attract as many applicants as possible for its New Deal positions. The Executive has given a general commitment to ES to interview all New Deal applicants that they consider suitable for its places and it has also informed ES that it is willing to consider applicants from all elements of the New Deal. It currently has employees in the 18-24, 25+ and Lone Parent elements of the programme.
Whilst I recognise the Executive's efforts to date, I am keen to see an increase in the number of New Deal staff employed in this important programme. I have, therefore, asked officials to consider how the Executive might increase further its participation. To that end, officials are in discussion with ES about further candidates for the Executive's places in Edinburgh and Glasgow. It will also seek to identify opportunities in other locations where the Executive has a presence.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 July 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4598 by Mr Jack McConnell on 20 March 2000, whether it will provide a breakdown of the spending on external consultants and contractors since 1 July 1999 by the Justice Department.
Answer
I refer Mr Neil to my answer to question S1W-05831.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 July 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4598 by Mr Jack McConnell on 20 March 2000, whether it will provide a breakdown of the spending on external consultants and contractors since 1 July 1999 by the Health Department.
Answer
I refer Mr Neil to my answer to question S1W-05831.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 July 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4598 by Mr Jack McConnell on 20 March 2000, whether it will provide a breakdown of the spending on external consultants and contractors since 1 July 1999 by the National Archives for Scotland.
Answer
I refer Mr Neil to my answer to question S1W-05831.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 July 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4598 by Mr Jack McConnell on 20 March 2000, whether it will provide a breakdown of the spending on external consultants and contractors since 1 July 1999 by the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.
Answer
I refer Mr Neil to my answer to question S1W-05831.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 July 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4598 by Mr Jack McConnell on 20 March 2000, whether it will provide a breakdown of the spending on external consultants and contractors since 1 July 1999 by Central Support.
Answer
The table below provides details of expenditure between 1 July 1999 and 29 February 2000, which was the period covered by my answer of 20 March (to question S1W-4598). The figures in the left hand column represent total expenditure with external suppliers, including external consultants. May I draw your attention to a typographical error in my earlier answer in respect of spending on external suppliers by Registers of Scotland. The correct figure is shown below.
| | External Suppliers £ million | External Consultants £ 000 |
| Development Department | 43.9 | 200 |
| Education Department (including Historic Scotland, Scottish Public Pensions Agency) | 26.6 | 310 |
| Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department (Including Student Awards Agency for Scotland) | 3.1 | 45 |
| Health Department | 3.2 | 360 |
| Justice Department (including Scottish Prison Service, Scottish Court Service) | 72.6 | 285 |
| Rural Affairs Department (including Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency, Scottish Agricultural Science Agency, Fisheries Research Services) | 21.2 | 95 |
| Central Support * | 20.1 | 93 |
| Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service | 6.6 | 29 |
| General Register Office for Scotland | 0.9 | 9 |
| National Archives of Scotland | 0.5 | nil |
| Registers of Scotland | 9.0 | 65 |
* includes Corporate Services, Executive Secretariat and Finance
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 July 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4598 by Mr Jack McConnell on 20 March 2000, whether it will provide a breakdown of the spending on external consultants and contractors since 1 July 1999 by the General Register Office for Scotland.
Answer
I refer Mr Neil to my answer to question S1W-05831.
- Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 July 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4598 by Mr Jack McConnell on 20 March 2000, whether it will provide a breakdown of the spending on external consultants and contractors since 1 July 1999 by the Rural Affairs Department.
Answer
I refer Mr Neil to my answer to question S1W-05831.
