Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S3W-14007

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 18 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of business spend was on research and development in each of the last five years, shown also as a percentage of GDP.

Expenditure on research and development (R&D) performed in Scottish businesses is given in the following table

	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
Business R&D expenditure (£ million)	550	508	493	586	579
Business R&D expenditure as a % of GDP¹	0.65	0.57	0.53	0.60	0.56

Source: Office for National Statistics and Scottish Government.

Note: 1. Market price GDP for Scotland is estimated based on the UK Gross Value Added to GDP ratio.

This information is available publically in the Scottish Government’s statistical publication Business Enterprise Research and Development Scotland 2006, which can be accessed at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/01/BERD06.

Question reference: S3W-14008

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 09 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 18 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated value has been of Scotland’s GDP in each of the last five years.

At present, there are no official estimates of GDP at market prices for Scotland. However, it is possible to produce an approximate measure by calculating the difference between Gross Value Added and GDP for the UK and applying the ratio to the published Gross Value Added estimates for Scotland. This method has been used to produce the estimates in the following table:

Table 1: Approximate GDP at current market prices for Scotland (2002-06)

Year	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006
GDP at Market Prices (£ million)¹	84,235	89,278	93,804	98,337	104,234

Source: Office for National Statistics and Scottish Government.

Note: 1. Market price GDP for Scotland is estimated based on the UK Gross Value Added to GDP ratio. Although, National Statistics outputs have been used in the production of these estimates, the estimates themselves are not.

Question reference: S3W-14069

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 18 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to update the 2006 Strategic Audit on the Futures Project on a regular basis, and if so, when.

The Strategic Audit, conducted as part of the Futures Project, was the first long-term analysis of Scotland’s progress in comparison to other countries. This sort of analysis continues within the Scottish Government to underpin policy-making. We will also include this kind of comparison in the development of Scotland Performs where information on how the country is progressing towards our priorities is available for everyone to assess.

Question reference: S3W-13351

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2008
Current Status: Answered by Alex Fergusson on 6 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S3W-12753 by Alex Fergusson, on how many other occasions the Chief Executive has used his powers under paragraph 5 of the procedures for the advertising of posts and for what posts.

Since the procedures were put in place in 2000, the exclusion under paragraph five has been used on 11 occasions. The posts are:

2000: Secretary to the Holyrood Progress Group (Temporary)

2001: Two Finance Administrators (Permanent)

Director of the Holyrood Project (Temporary)

2004: Recruitment Administrator (Temporary)

2005: Administrative Assistant (Permanent)

2006: Payroll Administrator (Temporary)

Maintenance Plan Project Manager (Temporary)

2007: Administrative Assistant (Temporary)

Assistant Media Relations Officer (Permanent)

2008: Purchasing Manager (Temporary).

Question reference: S3W-13350

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2008
Current Status: Answered by Alex Fergusson on 6 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S3W-12753 by Alex Fergusson, whether the processes used to staff the Calman Commission were fully consistent with paragraph 5 of the procedures for the advertising of posts, and if so, what was deemed “exceptional”.

Question reference: S3W-13349

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2008
Current Status: Answered by Alex Fergusson on 6 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body, further to the answer to question S3W-12753 by Alex Fergusson, whether the process used was consistent with both the Scottish Parliament Corporate Body’s procedures for advertising posts which state that “The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is committed to fairness of treatment in relation to the processes used for filling posts whether it is through open recruitment or by internal means” and the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body’s equalities framework which states that the senior management team is fully committed to “equality of opportunity and treatment”.

As this post is not part of the SPCB staff complement the method of filling the vacancy did not fall under the agreed procedures for filling posts. However, in assigning a member of staff to this post, the approach was consistent with the SPCB’s procedures for filling posts. They state that the Chief Executive may, in exceptional circumstances, make such appointments deemed necessary in the interests of the organisation without following the full procedures.

Question reference: S3W-13857

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 June 2008
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 5 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in relation to the Shirley McKie inquiry announced on 14 March 2008, it intends to take steps to control the costs of the inquiry.

In the answer to question S3W-11870 on 24 April 2008, I confirmed that the Scottish Government would take all reasonable steps to control the costs of the inquiry. Having particular regard to the terms of the Inquiries Act 2005, measures will be adopted to ensure that this inquiry will be able to operate in a cost-effective manner, while having the resources to fulfil its remit.

Section 40(4) of the Inquiries Act contains a power for ministers to place conditions or qualifications on any awards that the chairman of the inquiry may make under section 40(1) and 40(2) in respect of compensation, expenses or legal representation. After discussions with the Inquiry, I have decided to issue a notice of determination under section 40(4) in respect of awards for legal representation. The terms of that notice are as follows:

“The Scottish Ministers have determined, under section 40(4) of the Inquiries Act 2005 (“the 2005 Act”), that as regards the inquiry set up on 14 March 2008 and concerning the fingerprints associated with HMA -v- McKie in 1999, the power of the chairman of the inquiry to award amounts in respect of legal representation under section 40(1) and (2) of that Act shall be subject to the qualifications and conditions set out below.

The qualifications and conditions are:

1. Awards in respect of legal representation may be made only in circumstances in which the chairman considers it is necessary, fair, reasonable and proportionate for such an award to be made.

2. Any award must be subject to the condition that payment will be made only for work that is evidenced and can be identified as having been done in an effective and efficient manner, avoiding unnecessary duplication and making best use of public funds.

3. Awards may be made only in respect of legal representation provided by one or more named legal representatives whose involvement has been approved in advance by the chairman. The chairman must approve the size and composition of any legal team to be engaged, including the seniority and number of any counsel. Costs associated with work carried out by legal representatives who are not approved in advance of the work being carried out shall not be met from public funds.

4. Any award must specify the nature and scope of the work that is to be publicly funded. Legal representatives must not be publicly funded for work that does not fall within the agreed scope. An inquiry under the 2005 Act is inquisitorial in nature and legal representatives will not be paid for investigative work or for work in relation to obtaining expert reports, unless the chairman gives express permission in advance for this work to be carried out.

5. The legal representatives will agree in advance, with the solicitor to the inquiry, hourly rates for counsel and solicitors, subject to the following maximum hourly rates:

Senior Counsel £200

Junior Counsel £100

Solicitors £150.

6. The maximum number of hours that can be charged by a legal representative in receipt of an award made by the chairman shall be 40 hours per week, save that exceptionally the solicitor to the inquiry may authorise an increase in the weekly cap up to 60 hours for counsel or a solicitor during the oral hearings and for a two month period before they commence where the solicitor to the inquiry is satisfied that such action is justified in all the circumstances (e.g. when the work involved in any week clearly needs to exceed 40 hours).

7. In respect of paragraph 6 of this notice:

(a) no unused hours in any week may be set off against any other week;

(b) a week shall be taken as commencing on Sunday and ending on Saturday;

8. Expenditure incurred before notification of the chairman’s award, or expenditure in excess of the terms upon which approval is granted, will not be recoverable.”

This determination has been made on a preparatory basis. As indicated on 14 March in my answer to question S3W-10920, the chairman of the inquiry will remain focused on his existing judicial duties until the end of August.

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/webapp/wa.search.

Question reference: S3W-13442

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-12894 by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 May 2008, what the timescale is for national implementation of the collection of injury data at accident and emergency departments using EDIS.

Question reference: S3W-13443

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-12894 by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 May 2008, whether any inconsistencies between the EDIS injury data collection facility and the National Clinical Dataset Development Programme in respect of the recording of data on sporting injuries have been resolved and, if not, whether there are any plans to resolve this matter.

National Clinical Data Development Programme are currently working with the accident and emergency user group to identify the level of compliance with the nationally agreed standards in each accident and emergency system. The results of this work are expected towards the end of June 2008. This is expected to include information on each system and whether, how and in what timescales they plan to address areas where they currently do not comply.

Question reference: S3W-13441

Asked by: Alex Neil, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 May 2008
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 2 June 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-12894 by Nicola Sturgeon on 21 May 2008, which directorate is giving consideration to national implementation of collection of injury data at accident and emergency departments using EDIS.