- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 24 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 21 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-19469 by Iain Gray on 26 November 2001, why the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service did not provide information at that time on the provision of mandate forms under the Data Protection Act in prisons.
Answer
I have asked Mr Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The Scottish Prison Service keeps its policy and procedures on data protection under review. As part of that process, and following a suggestion from an MP, we decided in December to make data protection mandate forms available in prisons, as well as sending them to all MSPs and MPs. This amendment to our procedures was made after the answer to which the member refers.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Special Advisers or other civil servants can be expected to help ministers with constituency correspondence, accounts relating to the costs of constituency offices or other constituency matters.
Answer
Civil servants are required to conduct themselves in accordance with the Civil Service Code. Special Advisers are required to conduct themselves in accordance with the model contract for Special Advisers, which incorporates the Civil Service Code, although they are exempted from the provisions of the code which require political objectivity and impartiality.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 14 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will implement a "winding down" scheme that allows mature teachers to reduce hours whilst continuing to base pensions on the final full-time salary, as outlined in Section 3 of the report A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is taking forward work on a winding down scheme as outlined in Section 3 of the report A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century in partnership with the Scottish Public Pensions Agency. Discussions are taking place with the Inland Revenue and Treasury on the final detail of the scheme which will then be considered by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 14 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many members of the Arts and Humanities Research Board will be required to be experts in the field of Scottish culture and what representations it has made to the board on this issue.
Answer
Membership of the main board and its supporting panels and committees is a matter for the Arts and Humanities Review Board itself. However, the current review of the Arts and Humanities Research Board provides an opportunity to consider how Scottish interests are best represented. I note that the current Chair of the AHRB's Research Committee is based at a Scottish university.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 14 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the assessment of the advice given by the Principals of Scottish universities on the transfer of the functions of the Studentship Advisory Committee of the Student Awards Agency for Scotland to a UK-wide body included an assessment of any consultation carried out by individual Principals and their research staff.
Answer
The Executive's understanding of the views of higher education institutions was based on representations received from Universities Scotland, as the sector's representative body. Internal consultation within institutions is a matter for the members of Universities Scotland.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 14 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the chairmen and members of the Studentship Advisory Committee of the Student Awards Agency for Scotland were consulted about the recent decision to transfer the agency's functions to the UK-wide Arts and Humanities Research Board.
Answer
No. I very much regret the omission, and I have arranged for the chairman, who drew the matter to my attention, to receive a full apology.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it takes to ensure that commercial confidentiality issues do not impede full democratic discussion of proposed Public/Private Partnership business plans when they are discussed by local authority members prior to being submitted to the Executive.
Answer
Arrangements for approval within local authorities are a matter for local authorities.Scottish Executive approval processes relate to the award of financial support and so are primarily concerned with ascertaining that the conditions for support have been met. Guidance on the disclosure of information is given in Treasury Task Force Policy Statement No 4 which sets out general principles on the matter. Although primarily for central government departments, the document is publicly available on the Internet and in hard copy from the Scottish Executive. A copy is also available from the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 18318).
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it takes to verify that outline business plans for Public/Private Partnership projects submitted by local authorities have in each case been discussed fully and approved by the members of the local authority.
Answer
Arrangements for approval within local authorities are a matter of local accountability.Scottish Executive approval processes relate to the award of financial support and so are primarily concerned with ascertaining that the conditions for support have been met. One of the criteria against which outline business received in relation to Revenue Support for Public/Private Partnership Schools will be assessed is deliverability of the project. It encompasses, amongst other things, support for the project within the authority and approval by the members would be one such indication of support.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what its position would be with regard to any plan for a Public/Private Partnership project submitted by a local authority that permitted departments of the authority to bid for part or all of the contract.
Answer
It is a matter for local authorities to decide whether such a plan complied with its current legal powers and obligations, such as those provided by Local Authorities (Goods & Services) Act 1970, although we would also expect it to take Best Value into account.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 17 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 14 January 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it takes to verify that financial information supporting outline business plans for Public/Private Partnership projects submitted by local authorities has in each case been seen and approved by the members of the local authority.
Answer
Arrangements for approval within local authorities are a matter for the local authority.Scottish Executive approval processes relate to the award of financial support and so are primarily concerned with ascertaining that the conditions for support have been met. The Executive requires the Director of Finance for the local authority to certify the costs that are input to the calculation of revenue support in relation to the project. In addition, regardless of whether they are formal conditions of support, the Executive checks that the project is affordable and will deliver value for money.
