Chamber and committees

Over 2014-15 the Glasgow Prestwick Airport management team worked to increase income across all of the airport’s revenue streams. This included actively pursuing commercial opportunities connected with military aircraft. Business from this sector increased over 2014-15 and included training flights, large scale military exercises and fuel stops. In addition, the RAF have used the airport to bring troops back from exercises.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is responsible for ensuring that all medical devices placed on the UK market are compliant with the relevant legislation and has a duty to enforce this legislation. When a quality or safety concern with a device is identified MHRA may issue a medical device alert to healthcare professionals outlining the problem and appropriate action(s) to take, including identifying and contacting all patients who have been implanted with the product.

It is a requirement of the Medical Devices Regulations that manufacturers have to inform MHRA of any Field Safety Corrective Action taken in the UK for their devices; this includes any device recalls from the market. MHRA has reported that Boston Scientific has not informed them that they have taken any kind of Field Safety Correction Action for these devices including any removal of devices from the market for safety reasons or non-conformity with the Regulations. MHRA has stated that it has not had a robust body of evidence indicating that any vaginal mesh implants are unsafe requiring MHRA to initiate any enforcement action against any manufacturers in the UK under the European Medical Device Directive and, to the best of their knowledge, neither has any other EU country.

The Scottish Government advises any woman who is worried, or is experiencing complications, to contact their surgeon or GP for advice. The surgeon will have access to her records and should be able to confirm what device has been implanted and discuss any concerns that she may have. This is the quickest and most effective route for any woman who is experiencing complications.

It is the responsibility of each public body to determine their own terms and conditions, ensuring that these are appropriate both for their staff and for their business needs.

Under the Public Sector Pay Policy, Scottish Government approval is only required where an organisation proposes to make changes to an existing allowance or introduce a new one.

In the financial year 2014-15 the Scottish Government paid £3,040,000 in recruitment, retention or similar market based pay supplements for jobs where it is challenging to recruit and retain staff. This figure excludes associated employer on-costs.

In the 2014-15 financial year 1,009 employees received payment for a recruitment, retention or similar market based pay supplement. The breakdowns requested are provided in the following tables:

(a) Geographical area (broken down by local authority area)

Aberdeen City	53
City of Edinburgh	692
Dundee City	15
Glasgow City	200
Highland	7
Scottish Borders	10
West Lothian	23
Other*	9
Total	1,009

Note: As the number of staff in receipt of payment in some areas is below five per area, they have been grouped together for data protection reasons to protect the identity of individuals. Other areas include Fife, North Ayrshire, Perth and Kinross and South Lanarkshire.

 

(b) Age breakdown

20-29	45
30-39	274
40-49	317
50-54	167
55-59	126
60-65	59
65+	21
Total	1,009

 

(c) Gender breakdown

Female	311
Male	698
Total	1,009

Note: The Scottish Government systems record people rather than posts. Therefore the number of employees receiving a payment at any point during the 2014-15 financial year has been given. The number of employees could be higher than the number of posts. For example, where an employee has left and another taken their place this would represent two employees in one post.

<>Transport Scotland monitors all aspects of the delivery of the Forth Replacement Crossing project on behalf of Scottish Ministers. The contractor (Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors) is obliged to comply with relevant Scottish law. This includes those laws in relation to its personnel, wages and conditions of labour.

The contractor is also required to ensure that all site-based employment opportunities (including those with subcontractors and suppliers) are notified to job centres (including local job centres) at the time they become available.

The contractor, Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors, has confirmed that it does not use umbrella companies in the recruitment or employment of workers on the Forth Replacement Crossing project.

No umbrella companies are employed by Transport Scotland or their representatives on site.

The Scottish Government is aware of the number of legal claims being lodged with the courts and the sums being sought in relation to mesh implants.

The Scottish Government is aware of this court case in the USA.

The former Cabinet Secretary asked that an independent review of transvaginal mesh implants carries out an assessment of the evidence. The report is due in summer 2015 and thereafter the Scottish Government will decide on appropriate steps following an assessment of the independent review’s findings.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information centrally.