- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 14 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the availability of burgh records and assist local authorities in making them available to researchers and genealogical enquirers on a uniform basis throughout Scotland.
Answer
The Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 empowers local authorities to make whatever provision they consider appropriate for enabling any person to inspect their records. The Executive recognises the importance of such records to researchers and genealogists and will do all it can within available resources to encourage local authorities to make appropriate access arrangements.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many appeals against a refusal of early retirement on medical grounds have been (a) accepted and (b) refused in each year since 1999 by the Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) and how many of the initial or further health assessments relating to these appeals were undertaken by Lanarkshire Health Executive Ltd or Workability Ltd.
Answer
The process following the refusal of medical early retirement allows the applicant to apply for a review of the decision at any time. All such reviews are undertaken by Workability Ltd (formerly Lanarkshire Health Executive) who make a further recommendation to SPPA based on the new situation.In addition, the applicant may make a formal appeal in the form of a determination by ministers.In these cases, a specialist, independent of Workability, is appointed to conduct an examination and make a recommendation to ministers.The outcomes of determinations concluded in each year since 1999 is given in the following table.
| Scheme/Year | Determinations Concluded | Accepted | Rejected |
| Teachers1999-2000 | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| Teachers2000-01 | 10 | 8 | 2 |
| Teachers2001-02 | 7 | 6 | 1 |
| Teachers2002 to date | 2 | 2 | - |
| NHS1999-00 | 6 | 3 | 3 |
| NHS2000-01 | 7 | 5 | 2 |
| NHS2001-02 | 11 | 5 | 6 |
| NHS2002 to date | 9 | 8 | 1 |
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements the Scottish Public Pensions Agency makes, or has made, with outside contractors for health assessments of employees seeking early retirement from posts covered by the agency and what evaluation it has made of those contractors in each year since 1999.
Answer
Since 1999, the Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) has had a contract with Workability Ltd, formerly Lanarkshire Health Executive for the provision of medical advice, primarily assessments of employees seeking early retirement on medical grounds. Performance under the contract is reviewed regularly. The contract ends in April 2004 and will be re-tendered this year
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what rules govern the use of outside contractors working for the Scottish Public Pensions Agency on health assessments of employees seeking early retirement from posts covered by the agency and, in particular, what declaration of interest any employees of, or advisers to, the agency have to make if they are directors of any such contracting companies.
Answer
Outside contractors working for the Scottish Public Pensions Agency (SPPA) are subject to normal public sector procurement arrangements. The Chief Executive of Workability Ltd is the medical adviser to SPPA under the contract and other staff of Workability may also advise SPPA under it. Employees of or other advisors to SPPA would be expected to declare any interests in its contractors in the usual way.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 14 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the figures in Incidents of Violence and Anti-social Behaviour against Local Authority School Staff in 2001/02 include incidents of violent or threatening behaviour to teachers by pupils that occur outwith school premises.
Answer
Yes. This information can be found in the publication, Incidents of Violent and Anti Social Behaviour against local authority staff in 2001/02, copies of which are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 26274).
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 12 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of the cost of educational maintenance allowances in (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04, (c) 2004-05 and (d) 2005-06 and how many young people will benefit from the scheme in each of those years.
Answer
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) related costs for the years in question are:
| (a) 2002-03 | projected costs | £8.2 million |
| (b) 2003-04 | budget provision | £5.0 million |
| (c) 2004-05 | budget provision | £13.0 million |
| (d) 2005-06 | budget provision | £31.0 million |
EMAs during 2002-03 and 2003-04 will reach approximately 7,000 young people each year. We estimate that EMAs will reach 39,000 young people from low-income families by time of full national rollout.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 12 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any circumstances in which, despite experiencing an incident of violence or threatening behaviour, teachers are encouraged or instructed not to complete a form reporting that incident.
Answer
The guidance the Scottish Executive issues, to education authorities, on the reporting of incidents of anti social behaviour and violence against staff in schools makes it clear that all such incidents should be reported. Since 1997, local authorities have been expected to have reporting arrangements in place which ensure the prompt reporting of incidents to the headteacher and then to the education authority.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 10 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the online search costs charged by the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) for the information it makes available on the internet with a view to replacing the current charging system with a charge for a single day's unrestricted access.
Answer
The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) keeps its charges under regular review, and has recently set up a user group consisting of customers of its ScotlandsPeople internet site and Scotland Online, the contractors who run the site on its behalf, to advise it on the future development of the site. Following discussion in the user group, GROS plans to seek the approval of the Parliament to extend the length of an online search session paid for on the site from the 24 hours laid down in the current Statutory Instrument to 48 hours. In the longer term, GROS plans a wider review of the site's charging structure with the aim of achieving discounted and less restricted access for heavy users of the site, or to allow institutions such as libraries to give access to the site through their facilities to users who may not have their own internet access or credit cards.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 10 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider changes to legislation to allow access to census records after 80 years rather than 100 years.
Answer
The Executive has no plans to consider changes to the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to reduce from its present 100 years the exemption applying to access to census records relating to individuals. The provisions in the act reflect undertakings given to individuals responding to successive censuses that their individual details would remain confidential. The Executive recognises the interest among family historians in gaining access to the returns. However, it is also mindful of the concerns of those who respond to the census regarding confidentiality and of the need to address these concerns so as to ensure reliability and completeness of census coverage. The Executive's view is that the recent act reflects the most satisfactory balance of these interests.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 6 February 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional costs would be incurred in rolling out the Education Maintenance Allowance scheme to all local authorities by May 2003.
Answer
The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) budget for 2003-04 is £5 million. This will provide funding towards the final year of EMA piloting. National rollout will commence during academic year 2004-05.
