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: S2W-16265

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 9 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15979 by Allan Wilson on 21 April 2005 on the introduction of the Gas Work Notification Scheme, why it did not make any representations to the UK Government on the impact of the introduction of the scheme.

When we received the first letter on this issue in February we felt that, as the Health and Safety Commission (HSC), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Better Regulation Task Force and CORGI (the Council for Registered Gas Installers) had all been contacted by the Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF) and other UK installer bodies, the best course of action would be to contact HSE and find out what the position was in respect of the claim that SNIPEF had not received any response to their representations. We were informed that the Chair of the HSC had responded to the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (APHC) which had written on behalf of itself, SNIPEF and two other trade bodies. A response was due to be issued by the Better Regulation Task Force. On this basis and the fact that health and safety is reserved, we felt that it was sufficient to respond setting out this information.

Question reference: S2W-16264

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 9 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15979 by Allan Wilson on 21 April 2005 on the introduction of the Gas Work Notification Scheme, what the content was of each of the representations made to it.

Question reference: S2W-16266

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 9 May 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to conduct an economic impact assessment on the introduction of the Gas Work Notification Scheme.

Question reference: S2W-15979

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 April 2005
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 21 April 2005

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received, or made to the UK Government, regarding the impact of the introduction of the Gas Work Notification Scheme on the housing market and what studies the Executive has undertaken to determine the economic impact that the scheme will have on gas installation services and businesses in Scotland.

The Gas Work Notification Scheme is being introduced by CORGI (the Council for Registered Gas Installers) as a part of the registration scheme they operate. Subject to limited exceptions, under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, employers and self-employed persons must be in membership of CORGI if they carry out gas installation work.

The Executive has received four representations on this issue. Representations have also been received by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and some UK ministers. The Executive has not made any formal representation to the UK Government nor has it undertaken any studies to determine the economic impact. My officials have been in contact with HSE officials to discuss how to reply to representations. We have recently been advised that APHC (the Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors) is taking action preparatory to a judicial review involving CORGI.

Question reference: S2W-12819

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 December 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 15 December 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time prison officers there were at HM Prison Castle Huntly in each of the last five years and what the turnover of prison officers was in each year.

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

As at 31 March
2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
(A)	(B)	(A)	(B)	(A)	(B)	(A)	(B)	(A)	(B)
36	0	33	0	35	0	35	0	33	0
Turnover	6.5%	Turnover	0%	Turnover	0%	Turnover	0%	Turnover	6%

Question reference: S2W-12821

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 December 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 15 December 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-2596 by Cathy Jamieson on 26 September 2003, what action it takes to ensure that prisons are always sufficiently staffed in accordance with management assessments.

Question reference: S2W-12820

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 December 2004
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 15 December 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) recommended and (b) actual maximum number of inmates has been at HM Prison Castle Huntly in each month since 1999.

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

Not all information requested is available. There is no recommended numberof prisoners. The following table gives the maximum population for Castle Huntlyin the past five years:

Year	Average Daily Population	Maximum Population
1999-2000	117	142
2000-01	135	150
2001-02	136	152
2002-03	146	160
2003-04	153	160”

Question reference: S2W-12690

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 November 2004
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 December 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what the range and nature has been of services supplied to the private health care sector by the NHS due to patients on waiting lists being transferred to the private sector in each of the last five years; what the resultant costs have been to the NHS, and whether any such costs are recoverable.

Question reference: S2W-12689

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 26 November 2004
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 December 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions patients on NHS waiting lists have been transferred to private health care in each NHS board area in each of the last five years.

Question reference: S2W-12610

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 November 2004
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 10 December 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that data in respect of the (a) collation of actual and (b) projection of future costs of free personal care for the elderly is accurate and up-to-date.

In respect of (a), the collection of actual data, the Executive collects up-to-date information on free personal care expenditure through an annual data collection from local authorities. The accuracy of this data is ensured through validation procedures and comparison to recipient figures collected quarterly. These figures are published annually in a National Statistics release; and the latest of these is Free Personal/ Nursing Care Scotland 2004, which is available on the web via the link http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00368-00.asp.

As for (b), the projection of future costs, a strategy for evaluating the implementation of free personal care is currently being developed, and this will incorporate analysis of actual and projected costs.