- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 2 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the natural life of the buildings comprising the Belford Hospital is nearing its end and, if so, whether contingency plans will now be made for a new purpose-built hospital in Fort William.
Answer
It is not for the Scottish Executive to form an opinion on such issues as operational responsibility for the strategic planning and day-to-day operational management of health care buildings is delegated to NHSScotland bodies, in this case NHS Highland.
The Belford Hospital was built in 1965 with an anticipated lifespan of 65 years and has been designated by NHS Highland as a Rural General Hospital following a fundamental review of all hospital facilities. This review examined each hospital for fitness for the new purpose of delivering care as close to home as possible in line with Delivering for Health. The consequence of this decision is that the Belford hospital will be retained as part of the local clinical framework.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 31 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates that Her Majesty’s Government will bring forward the new grant programmes intended to replace the PowerShift scheme and on what date applications for grants under the new programmes will be considered.
Answer
The UK Government Department for Transport (DfT) is developing a new scheme. The timescale for introduction is dependent on clearance by the European Commission.
The Energy Saving Trust (EST), which administers transport programmes on behalf of the Department, will continue to keep the public informed of developments via its website www.est.org.uk.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when the buy-out of the PFI contract for the Inverness Airport terminal building will be completed and from what date it will be legally extinguished.
Answer
The buy-out of the InvernessAirport PFI is expected to be achieved through the purchase of Inverness AirTerminals Limited (the PFI concession company) by Highlands andIslands Airports Limited (HIAL). As a consequence, the PFI contract will comeunder the control of HIAL. Completion of the purchase will take placeimmediately after agreement between HIAL and the PFI owner is executed. Negotiationsare at an advanced stage.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, once the PFI contract for the Inverness Airport terminal building has been bought out, whether it will publish the public sector comparator used at the outset to compare the relative estimated costs of PFI with public sector funding and, if not, whether it will give its reasons for declining to make the document public.
Answer
Yes.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 25 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it expects further delay to the publication of the Route Action Plan for the A82 and, if not, on what date it expects the plan to be published.
Answer
The draft report arisingfrom the A82 Route Action Plan Study has been received and is being consideredby my officials. I expect a report to be submitted to me by the end ofFebruary. Following that our consultants will be preparing an executive summarywhich will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. The fulldocuments will be available for inspection at that time.
Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted for moreinformation if required.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 20 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what regard the Scottish Enterprise Network should have, in considering any application for grant assistance or other financial aid submitted by a private company or by a company engaged in the private sector, to the issue of displacement whereby the granting of financial assistance to the applicant may place other businesses at a competitive disadvantage or may disturb the market in that sector.
Answer
The Management Statement between the Scottish Executive and the Scottish Enterprise Network states that projects with economic objectives should generally be undertaken only where there is the prospect of a net benefit at the level of the Scottish economy. However, where a project is aimed at one or more narrower geographical areas which are considered to merit priority treatment, it may be legitimate to support the project although it brings only a local benefit to the area or areas in question. The networks are required to comply with state aid rules and H.M. Treasury guidance on appraisal when considering if assistance can be given to businesses.
The Management Statements of both Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are updated regularly and the latest versions can be accessed at the following website address:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Enterprise/16858/6702.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to the request by Shona Robison MSP during the debate on future arrangements for health services in the Argyll and Clyde area for a guarantee that the Minister for Health and Community Care will formally review the sufficiency of the financial settlement and how services are working for patients a year after the new arrangements come into force (Official Report c. 21626).
Answer
As outlined in the debate in Parliament regarding the future arrangements for health services in the Argyll and Clyde area, the area’s financial resources will be allocated to the successor boards using the Arbuthnott formula. The formula ensures that funds are distributed fairly on the basis of relative health care needs of each board area and fully recognises the influence of remoteness and deprivation. This will ensure the successor boards are given their fair share of the resources available nationally.
NHS Greater Glasgow and Highland intend to monitor both the financial and service impact of inheriting the former Argyll and Clyde area separately over the first few years in order to review progress. The Health Department will keep in regular contact with the successor boards regarding the impact of inheriting the former NHS Argyll and Clyde area, monitoring the situation closely. I do not propose carrying out a formal review as requested by Shona Robison.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Health and Community Care in the debate on future arrangements for health services in the Argyll and Clyde area that “the key requirement now is for the outgoing board and the two successor boards to work closely together to agree realistic financial plans for 2006-07 and 2007-08 that will secure the return to financial stability, which we need. We are prepared to consider the case for transitional financial assistance only once that planning task has been demonstrated to be complete and robust.” (Official Report c. 21623), whether these plans have to be submitted by a certain date or deadline and, if so, what that date is and whether the plans will be made public; how the additional funding of £80 million to write off the accumulated deficit of NHS Argyll and Clyde was calculated, and whether the Minister for Health and Community Care will make a statement to the Parliament once the reports have been received, where MSPs will have the opportunity of asking questions.
Answer
NHS Argyll and Clyde, in line with all NHS boards, is expected to agree a local delivery plan (LDP), including a five year strategic financial plan, with the Health Department by the end of March 2006. The plan will be allocated between the two successor boards, NHS Greater Glasgow and Highland, and both boards will be required to approve the plan with NHS Argyll and Clyde. Given that LDP’s are approved by NHS boards, they will be made available publicly.
With regard to the calculation of the £80 million funding, I can confirm that this was based on NHS Argyll and Clyde’s revised financial plan as submitted by the board in July 2005. The plan demonstrated a maximum accumulated deficit of £80 million (for financial year 2006-07) with the board returning to in-year financial balance thereafter. The sum was therefore expected to cover all deficits incurred by the board and provide a clean slate to the successor boards.
I do not propose making a statement to Parliament regarding local delivery plans.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 12 January 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is in respect of disclosing public sector comparator calculations on PFI and PPP contracts and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Final Business Case of a PPP project that has reached financial close contains calculations on the Public Sector Comparator. Since June 1999, Scottish Executive policy has been to publish Final Business Cases, having due regard to issues of commercial confidentiality.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 December 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 23 December 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what the maximum amount is that can be provided to any one applicant to meet the costs of commissioning reports, such as preliminary environmental assessment or economic impact assessment reports, whether there is any requirement for the company itself to meet a proportion of the cost and, if so, what that proportion is.
Answer
No maximum amount is prescribed.Where the enterprise networks provide support towards the costs associated withcommissioning reports, such as environment or economic impact assessments it isfor the networks to determine appropriate levels, having regard to requirementsin the Management Statements between them and the Scottish Executive.
http://www.hie.co.uk/hie-network-management-statement---october-2004.doc,http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/publications/management_statement.doc.
