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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S4W-00073

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 May 2011
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 31 May 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to create new jobs and tackle unemployment in West Dunbartonshire, given that research by the TUC indicates that the area has the highest rate of claimants per vacancy in Britain, with over 40 claimants applying for every vacancy.

Based on the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (April 2011), West Dunbartonshire has a claimants to vacancies ratio of 30.5, which is the fourth highest in Britain. Against this backdrop, we remain firmly committed to supporting a more sustainable labour market in West Dunbartonshire and its surrounding area.

For example, 75 jobs were created in Dunbartonshire last year through Regional Selective Assistance grants totaling over £900,000. In addition, Scottish Enterprise has 36 Account Managed businesses in West Dunbartonshire, 86% of them in key and growth sectors.

From 1 July, a further £2.7 million is being made available to the area through the new Priority 5 European Structural Funds (ESF) programme. This investment is planned to help at least 480 people into employment. West Dunbartonshire also forms an integral part of the Clyde Waterfront Partnership, which aims to develop a vibrant, thriving River Clyde with people and communities at its heart. Since its inception a combined private and public investment of almost £1,800 million, including £80 million from Scottish Enterprise, has been effective in creating over 18,000 new jobs.

Finally, West Dunbartonshire Council has gone to considerable lengths recently to revise its Single Outcome Agreement to have a much clearer and stronger focus on jobs. This includes urgent action to align a range of key services for the unemployed under a single management structure.

I am hopeful that these combined initiatives and investments will lay a strong foundation for jobs and growth in West Dunbartonshire.

Question reference: S4F-00015

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 May 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 June 2011

To ask the First Minister what measures the Scottish Government will take to ensure the highest possible standards of care are in place for older people.

Question reference: S3W-39505

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 February 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 March 2011

Data on the average number of available staffed beds for all acute specialities since the 1985-86 financial year is shown in table 1. Data on available staffed beds by NHS board is available from the 2000-01 financial year onwards. This information is shown in table 2. Information on the 2010-11 financial year will be published on 28 June 2011. Further information on the average number of available staffed beds is routinely published on the Acute Hospital Care section of the ISD website at the following link: http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/3426.html.

Table 1: Average Number of Available Staffed Beds in Scotland for all Acute Specialties; Financial year 1985-86 to 2009-10

Financial Year	Number of Beds
1985-86	23,002
1986-87	22,649
1987-88	22,322
1988-89	21,904
1989-90	21,578
1990-91	21,396
1991-92	20,724
1992-93	20,747
1993-94	20,308
1994-95	19,941
1995-96	19,678
1996-97	19,391
1997-98	19,058
1998-99	18,764
1999-00	18,456
2000-01	18,091
2001-02	18,029
2002-03	17,903
2003-04	17,710
2004-05	17,559
2005-06	17,537
2006-07	17,505
2007-08	17,344
2008-09	17,383
2009-10	17,099

Source: ISD(S)1.

Table 2: Average Number of Available Staffed Beds by NHS Board for all Acute Specialties; Financial Year 2000-01 to 2009-10

NHS Board	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05
Scotland	18,091	18,029	17,903	17,710	17,559
Ayrshire and Arran	1,200	1,226	1,230	1,234	1,238
Borders	387	392	380	389	378
Dumfries and Galloway	435	433	429	430	430
Fife	864	868	857	834	869
Forth Valley	742	750	741	722	713
Grampian	1,967	1,936	1,917	1,894	1,909
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	5,241	5,238	5,180	5,156	5,049
Highland	1,138	1,144	1,142	1,086	1,098
Lanarkshire	1,708	1,664	1,640	1,627	1,573
Lothian	2,584	2,628	2,589	2,536	2,516
Orkney	59	61	63	63	65
Shetland	58	58	58	58	58
Tayside	1,541	1,480	1,524	1,523	1,455
Western Isles	165	152	153	158	163

NHS Board	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10
Scotland	17,537	17,505	17,344	17,383	17,099
Ayrshire and Arran	1,236	1,214	1,204	1,209	1,171
Borders	391	400	400	387	362
Dumfries and Galloway	431	442	438	527	534
Fife	832	842	845	828	802
Forth Valley	672	653	672	688	609
Grampian	1,898	1,971	1,910	1,878	1,850
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	5,069	5,087	5,101	4,968	4,915
Highland	1,111	1,092	1,059	1,076	1,038
Lanarkshire	1,570	1,537	1,522	1,509	1,509
Lothian	2,533	2,518	2,530	2,538	2,518
Orkney	58	53	43	48	48
Shetland	58	57	46	48	50
Tayside	1,456	1,412	1,374	1,378	1,384
Western Isles	151	145	131	131	131

Source: ISD(S)1.

Note: The Scotland total also includes beds within the Golden Jubilee National Hospital.

Question reference: S3W-40462

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what health projects that are (a) legally committed, (b) at final business case stage and (c) at outline business case stage will be funded under the capital allocation for 2011-12.

NHS Scotland health boards prepare annual local delivery plans supported by a balanced financial plan for discussion and agreement with Scottish Government. Financial plans include a rolling five-year programme of capital expenditure. Draft Plans for 2011-12 have been received and the process for reaching agreement on each health board''s capital programme and hence individual health projects in 2011-12 is currently underway.

Question reference: S3W-40448

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-39516 by Nicola Sturgeon on 1 March 2011, whether it has informally indicated to Lord MacLean that a delay in publishing the final report on the Vale of Leven Hospital Inquiry would be acceptable.

Question reference: S3W-40447

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-39516 by Nicola Sturgeon on 1 March 2011, when it will reply to the letter from Lord Maclean of 10 December 2010.

Question reference: S3W-40463

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what capital projects in health are (a) legally committed, (b) at final business case stage and (c) at outline business case stage.

a) In relation to capital projects which are legally committed could I please refer the member to my answer to question S3W-40462 on 22 March 2011.

b) There are no capital projects with approved final business cases which are not yet legally committed.

c) There are two capital projects for which have reached an Outline Business Case stage “ NHS Highland''s day surgery centre at Raigmore Hospital and NHS Lothian''s reprovision of the Royal Hospital for Sick Children.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Question reference: S3W-40461

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 22 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what capital projects in health will be supported by the financial allocation for 2011-12, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) amount allocated.

NHS Scotland health boards have prepared draft Local Delivery Plans for 2011-12 supported by financial plans for discussion and agreement with Scottish Government. When finalised these documents will provide details of which capital projects will be taken forward in 2011-12 broken down by (a) NHS board

Financial plans include a rolling five-year programme of capital expenditure and the process for reaching agreement on each health board''s capital programme and hence individual health projects is currently underway. When finalised these documents will provide details matching capital projects being taken forward in 2011-12 with (b) amount allocated

Revised capital planning arrangements are in place from 1 April 2011 as a result of guidance issued via CEL32 (2010). The formula based allocation is now made to support routine statutory compliance and equipment replacement only, with specific funding allocated to boards/special boards to support existing legal commitments in excess of delegated limits. Formula allocations for territorial and special health boards are therefore not directly comparable with those for previous years. Project specific funding in health will be supported by either wholly public funding through capital allocations or revenue finance when carried out through the hub initiative or NPD model or through a mixture of both.

Question reference: S3W-40435

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37690 by Nicola Sturgeon on 26 November 2010, what progress has been made in achieving a 25% reduction in senior manager posts in the NHS, expressed as a (a) number and (b) percentage.

I refer to the member to the answer to question S3W-37689 on 9 December 2010. The guidance referred to in that answer, which had been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 52181) made clear that progress against the target will be monitored as part of each board''s annual workforce plans and projections. Boards'' workforce plans and projections for 2010-11 were already in place when the target was announced on 16 October 2010. I would therefore expect progress against the target to begin to feature in boards'' workforce plans and projections for 2011-12 which will be available later this year.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Question reference: S3W-40439

Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 March 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 18 March 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-37313 by Nicola Sturgeon on 17 November 2010, whether it will suspend the National Performance Management Committee.

No. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-40438 on 18 March 2011. The National Performance Management Committee has an important function to perform in ensuring that NHSScotland has a fit for purpose performance management system in place for its most senior managers.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.