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: S1W-03273

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 13 December 1999
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 16 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how many hospitals charge car parking fees for patients and/or staff, and which these are.

Question reference: S1W-04157

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive to provide a breakdown, by course type, of the funding paid out under the Post Graduate Students' Allowances Scheme in each of the past five academic years.

The breakdown, by course type, of the funding paid out under the Postgraduate Students' Allowances Scheme (PSAS) in each of the past five academic years is set out in the table below.

Course Type	1994-95 £	1995-96 £	1996-97 £	1997-98 £	1998-99 £
PG Dip 1	9,384,260	9,610,582	11,021,976	12,211,463	13,917,279
PGCE 2	5,600,051	4,496,386	4,187,298	3,991,345	2,681,033
PGCert 3	130,031	225,371	325,806	533,387	583,338
PGMA/MSC 4	595,174	652,831	573,075	658,468	759,400
Other 5	641,754	617,444	644,421	635,811	316,923

Total	16,351,720	15,602,614	16,752,576	18,030,474	18,257,973

1. Postgraduate Diploma courses are one or two year vocational courses. This category includes an allocation of 300 places each year for the Diploma in Legal Practice. Although the cost of this course is not recorded separately, the cost for 1998-99 was about £1.6million.

2. PGCE courses are Postgraduate Certificates in Education (teacher training courses). This category of course attracted loan support in place of maintenance grant from 1998-99.

3. The Postgraduate Certificate a Certificate in Community Education.

4. Under PSAS awards may be given for the Diploma element of Postgraduate Masters courses in Art and Science undertaken in England and Wales. A maximum of 150 awards are made each year.5. "Others" includes smaller numbers of courses such as Adult Education.

Question reference: S1W-04156

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by Henry McLeish on 16 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been allocated to the Postgraduate Students' Allowances Scheme for the coming academic year and each of the past five academic years.

The funding allocated to the Postgraduate Students' Allowances Scheme for academic year 2000-01 and each of the past five academic years is set out in the table below:

1995-96

1996-97

1997-98

1998-99

1999-2000

2000-01

Allocated

Funding

17,291,000

17,104,000

18,807,000

18,156,000

18,182,000

18,091,000

Reduction in expenditure from 1998-99 onwards is a result of Dearing policy changes in respect of funding for Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students. This resulted in PGCE students having non means tested tuition fees and no longer receiving maintenance grants.

Question reference: S1W-03677

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 11 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what compensation was paid to each Chief Executive for loss of office at each outgoing NHS Trust in 1999.

The Trust reconfiguration process was a managed one and is expected to save £100 million for investment in patient care. Annual savings of £8 million are expected as a direct consequence of the reduction in the number of chief executives and executive directors resulting from the reconfiguration of Trusts from 46 to 28. Early retirement was given to 17 individuals and the redundancy payments made to the chief executives in that group are set out in the table. These payments have been made in accord with the General Whitley Council regulations. The chief executives would also be entitled to immediate payment of pension and lump sum calculated under the NHS Superannuation Scheme regulations. The process has been audited and found to provide value for money.

Chief Executive of	Redundancy
Angus NHS Trust	£21,805
Kirkcaldy Acute NHS Trust	£39,174
Dumfries and Galloway Acute and Maternity NHS Trust	£13,480
Raigmore Hospital NHS Trust	£33,252
Hairmyres and Stonehouse NHS Trust	£40,311

Question reference: S1O-01125

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 February 2000
Current Status: Answered by John Home Robertson on 10 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to address the financial problems facing the farming industry.

The Executive is committed to supporting and enhancing the rural economy, and agriculture is an important and integral part of that strategy. We are resolved to develop an approach to the agriculture sector in Scotland which results in its long-term sustainability and we are taking forward a range of measures designed to help.We have already provided substantial support to farmers, including £40 million paid to livestock farmers and £33 million in compensation for the relative weakness of the euro. For the longer term, we are promoting strategies to help the development of the sheep, milk and food sectors, and are consulting on proposals for a Rural Development Plan which will help to create a more sustainable future for the agriculture industry.

Question reference: S1W-03965

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 February 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times for Angus outpatients were in each of the past six months and what the comparable figures were for the previous year.

The information on waiting times for an outpatient appointment following referral from a General Practitioner/General Dental Practitioner is shown in the table below:

Waiting Times of Angus Residents¹ for a First Outpatient Appointment following referral from a General Medical Practitioner/General Dental Practitioner²
First appointment during:	Median Wait (days)
July 1998	34
August 1998	40
September 1998	41
October 1998	42
November 1998	45
December 1998	38
July 1999	43
August 1999	49
September 1999	42
October 1999	49
November 1999^p	46
December 1999^p	35

^{p Provisional Information
Notes:
1. Known residents of the known Angus Council Area2. Relates to referrals made by GMPs or GDPs to all specialties (excluding A&E and GUM) - patients with a Patient's Charter guarantee are also excluded.}

Question reference: S1W-03609

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 28 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how many job losses are proposed for the coming year at Stracathro Hospital, Angus and in which departments.

Question reference: S1W-03608

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 07 January 2000
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 28 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jobs have been lost at Stracathro Hospital, Angus over the past year and in which departments these job losses occurred.

Question reference: S1W-01617

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 September 1999
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 26 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive for what purpose the money raised by bequest and public donation for the stroke unit at Stracathro Hospital, Angus has been disbursed.

Question reference: S1W-02350

Asked by: Andrew Welsh, MSP for Angus, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 04 November 1999
Current Status: Answered by Susan Deacon on 19 January 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what precise role community resource centres will have in the management of patients requiring secondary care in Angus.