Chamber and committees

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) was briefed by senior Parliament officials about the appointment of Bovis as Construction Managers for the Holyrood project following the transfer of responsibility for the project to the SPCB on 1 June 1999. The SPCB is satisfied that the appointment was undertaken properly and in full compliance with existing regulations. Furthermore, the independent assessments of the Holyrood project, by John Spencely and the Auditor General for Scotland, gave no suggestion that any procurement regulations had been breached.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) was briefed by senior Parliament officials about procedures used for the Construction Management appointment for the Holyrood project following the transfer of responsibility for the project to the SPCB on 1 June 1999. No details of the individual bids involved were reported at that time but I understand that the selection panel were satisfied that, on the basis of price and quality, Bovis were the best candidates for the commission. The Auditor General for Scotland in his recent report confirmed that, in appointing a Construction Manager, Project Management was correct in taking quality as well as price into account.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) was briefed by senior Parliament officials about the selection process which culminated in the appointment of EMBT/RMJM as architects for the new Parliament building, following the transfer of responsibility for the Holyrood Project to the SPCB on 1 June 1999. The briefing indicated that the backgrounds of all shortlisted candidates for the appointment were taken into account before the commission was awarded to EMBT/RMJM. The information was passed on to MSPs in SPCB report no. 1 of 9 June 1999.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) was briefed by senior Parliament officials about procedures used for appointments of the consultants and professionals involved in the Holyrood project following the transfer of responsibility for the project to the SPCB on 1 June 1999. The SPCB is satisfied that the appointments were undertaken properly and in full compliance with existing regulations. Furthermore, the independent assessments of the Holyrood Project, by John Spencely and the Auditor General for Scotland, gave no suggestion that any procurement regulations had been breached.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) was briefed by senior Parliament officials about the selection process which culminated in the appointment of EMBT/RMJM as architects for the new Parliament building, following the transfer of responsibility for the Holyrood Project to the SPCB on 1 June 1999. I understand that positions on the panel were not advertised publicly, but that suitably qualified individuals were identified and appointed by the then Secretary of State for Scotland.

Reliable estimates of demand for slate in Scotland are not available. However Scottish Homes estimate that there are currently 642,000 houses with slate roofs in Scotland. It is estimated that around 50% of these homes will require roofing renewal over the next 30 years. In addition, the stock of listed buildings, most of which have slated roofs, provides a large maintenance market for Scottish recycled slate. Approximately 100 listed building repair projects are grant-aided by the Historic Buildings Council for Scotland each year.

There are no plans to establish a college to train physical education teachers.

The 1996 Scottish House Condition Survey estimated that slate was the predominant roof covering for 642,000 houses, or 30% of the stock.

Ongoing demand in Scotland exists primarily for slate to repair historic buildings of importance. Scottish slate has been out of production since the 1950s and demand for slate in Scotland is met either by recycling slate from existing buildings or by import from the rest of the UK or abroad. Reliable estimates are not available for the amount of slate imported into Scotland although at a UK level around half of demand is met by imports from overseas.

The appointments of the main consultants to the Holyrood Project, including agreement on fee levels, were made prior to 1 June 1999 and were therefore the responsibility of the Scottish Office. I understand however that each member of the Design Team has been appointed under the appropriate terms of appointment as issued by the professional body relevant to their individual disciplines. The standard terms were amended to take into account the particular nature of the project and the specific requirements of the Client. The Construction Manager's contract, for which there is no industry standard, was based on closely related contracts and was agreed by Scottish Office legal advisers. The Spencely report studied the consultants' fees and described them as conventional. The Auditor General for Scotland's recent report confirmed that, in general terms, the appointments of the consultants were properly undertaken.