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As part of the procurement process, the Registrar General obtained references about previous contracts that CACI (UK) Ltd had completed, as assurance of the company''s capability to deliver the required services. The main reference related to Ireland, because CACI (UK) Ltd had provided support services for the two previous Irish censuses.

The Registrar General also obtained copies of recent published accounts for CACI (UK) Ltd to ensure its financial stability, as well as details of its insurance cover and accreditations, and carried out other research on the status and history of the company.

In June 2008, the Registrar General awarded a contract for work on the 2011 census which included certain IT services and other services such as the printing of the questionnaires.

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During parliamentary passage of the then Bill, no additional funding was deemed necessary for implementation of the Disabled Persons'' Parking Places (Scotland) Act 2009.

The contract to help with the Scottish census is with CACI (UK) Ltd. It was awarded under EU procurement rules which do not allow bidders to be excluded because they are subsidiaries of US companies. But the Registrar General put in place contractual precautions described in paragraph 6.8 of Scotland''s Census 2011, laid before the Parliament in December 2008, to ensure that personal information collected in the census could not leave Scotland and that the US Patriot Act could not catch that information.

The main contract for back office services for the 2011 Census, including certain IT services, was awarded in June 2009 to CACI (UK) Ltd.

The value of the contract awarded in June 2008 for back-office services (including printing the questionnaires and other material necessary for the census; providing a website to allow the questionnaire to be completed online and to offer general information and help on the census; the capture of the data on the paper questionnaires and the coding of responses from all questionnaires) was £18.6 million. It is not possible separately to identify the IT work involved in the contract.

The Act states that each local authority is required to publish an annual report on its performance of its functions in relation to the Act. The first reports cover the period 1 October 2009 to 31 March 2010 and are due to be published by 30 June 2011. The Act also requires the Scottish Government to publish a report on the local authorities. That report is due to be laid before the Parliament by 30 September 2011.

The Scottish Government fully endorses the principle that opportunities to participate, including standing for elected office, should be open to everyone and that active citizens are at the heart of the democratic process. Ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation and similar factors should never constitute a barrier to involvement. The Scottish Parliament is founded on important principles which emphasise the importance of access, power-sharing and equal opportunities.

The Scottish Government provided funding of £2.1 million over 2008-11 to national disabled people''s organisations with the aim of increasing the participation and inclusion of disabled people in the development and delivery of public policy at a national and local level. Ministers will shortly announce what national disability projects will be funded in 2011-12.

Lord MacLean wrote to me on 10 December 2010 informing me that because hearings scheduled for December 2010 had to be cancelled, due to adverse weather, there would be an impact on the overall inquiry timetable and a delay in publishing the final report at the end of May 2011.

Lord MacLean also advised that, on further investigation of the commissioned witness statements and the evidence gathered, it had become apparent that for the experts to produce high quality and credible reports they would require additional time. It is extremely important that the final report and its recommendations are robust in order that the Scottish Government can consider how these recommendations can assist in continuing to raise the standard of care for patients in Scotland and that the lessons learned can be shared not just across NHS Scotland but worldwide.

However, I have not yet agreed this further extension. Discussions with Lord MacLean continue and as soon as a date for publishing the final report has been agreed, I will inform the Parliament.