- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what real term increases in NHS spending and planned spending there were in each quarter from November 1998 to date.
Answer
Information is not available on a quarterly basis. The available information on the resource based Departmental Expenditure Limit at 2000-01 prices is as follows:
Year | Initial plans (£ million) | Final/current plans (£ million) | Outturn (£ million) |
2000-01 | 5,317 | 5,506 | 5,362 |
2001-02 | 5,755 | 5,909 | |
The current plans for 2001-02 include the resources allocated to the Scottish Health Budget following the Chancellor's Budget in March and the end year flexibility funding, which were announced by the Minister for Finance and Local Government on 28 June 2001 and 19 September 2001 respectively, and various other transfers which are subject to parliamentary approval in the Autumn Budget Amendment.Information on earlier years is not available on a resource basis due to the change from cash to resource based budgeting.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the planned per capita spending in the NHS is for 2002-03 and 2003-04.
Answer
The planned per capita expenditure in the NHS for 2002-03 and 2003-04 is £1,258 and £1,345 respectively.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 19 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to reduce short-term contracts and promote family-friendly policies in the NHS.
Answer
The Health Department issued guidance in 1999 to NHSScotland advising that temporary contracts should only be used in exceptional and defined circumstances. The Scottish Partnership Forum, which represents all NHS Scotland staff group has established a Guideline Development Group which is currently preparing further guidance and this is expected to issue next summer. The department has been monitoring the use of temporary contracts since 1999 on a regular basis.Our National Health committed NHSScotland to meeting or exceeding the best practice guidance on family-friendly policies which I launched to the service in January this year. Progress on implementing the policy will be made through the Staff Governance Standard and associated staff survey.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 19 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have been held with the Department of Trade and Industry on changes to Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment legislation as it effects the NHS in Scotland.
Answer
Employment law is a reserved matter. However, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is currently consulting widely on its proposals to change the Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment Regulations. Both the Scottish Executive and NHSScotland employers have been given the opportunity to put their views to the DTI.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 16 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) when it last estimated the number of people who have access to the internet and what the results were, and (b) how many children are using the internet, broken down by age group.
Answer
Results from the Scottish Household Survey, for the first quarter of 2001, show an estimated 31% of people in Scotland aged five years and older had access to the internet for personal use. When disaggregated by age, 27% of 5 to 10-year-olds are estimated to access the internet for personal use. The corresponding figure for 11 to 18-year-olds is 51%.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 16 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the need to protect the identity of young users connecting to the internet through school systems and using school email addresses and what advice or guidance it has issued on the matter.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is aware of the potential risks to young people that can arise from the disclosure of personal information in e-mails and chatrooms. All schools were issued with an information pack "ClickThinking - Personal Safety on the Internet" in 1999, which encouraged effective risk assessment. The expert group that Jack McConnell established in March is reviewing this document to make sure that it reflects the latest technology and will report shortly.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 16 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer S1W-18631 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 October 2001, (a) how many appointments to Senators of the College of Justice have been made since March 2001, (b) how many of those appointed were male, (c) how many of those appointed attended public schools, (d) how many of those appointed hold degrees from the Universities of Cambridge or Oxford and (e) how many of those appointed had a father or grandfather who held a legal qualification.
Answer
The information requested is as follows:
(a) 3
(b) 3
(c) 3
(d) 3
(e) This information was not collected from candidates.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 16 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to the 5-14 curriculum guidelines for information and communications technology, what steps it is taking to ensure that online safety topics are included within this subject area.
Answer
National 5-14 Guidelines for information and communications technology (ICT) and associated Guides for Teachers and Managers emphasise the need for education authorities and schools to ensure that appropriate measures for the safe use of ICT are in place and that personal safety programmes for pupils cover this important area. The Guides refer education authorities and schools to the Scottish Executive publication, ClickThinking, which provides detailed advice on using the internet safely. The Guides also advise that parents are engaged as partners by schools in the development of ICT for teaching and learning purposes including safe use of ICT.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 16 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made, by it or on its behalf, of the capacity of information and communications technology to be a tool for change in lower-income communities, with particular reference to strengthening the internal operations and external outreach of community groups.
Answer
The Executive recently published our Digital Inclusion Strategy Connecting Scotland's People which sets out how we intend to bridge the digital divide and achieve universal access to the internet by 2005. We see new technologies as making a key contribution to social justice - increasing opportunities for disavantaged individuals and disadvantaged communities. The strategy sets out action to develop awareness; access; support; skills; content; and community involvement.To assist community and voluntary sector groups we have made £1.5million available over three years for IT development in the voluntary sector. Last year, £500,000 was made available to a wide range of projects to develop Internet access, develop websites, and improve connectivity. The successful projects included £8,625 for One Parent Families Scotland to develop a website and interactive-group for lone parents and £56,815 to set up a new and improved digital telephone conference service for Scottish charities. Criteria for organisations to apply for this year's round of grants will be announced shortly.We have also contributed £432,000 to the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations Voluntary Sector Web Portal. The Portal will offer one-stop access to information about voluntary sector groups and services in Scotland, as well as facilitating communications between voluntary sector organisations and community groups.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 16 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18645 by Mr Jim Wallace on 12 October 2001, what discussions it has held with officials of the Supreme Courts, including the Keeper of the Rolls, with regard to the waiting periods in calendar weeks for proofs with an estimated duration of 10 days or more in the Outer House of the Court of Session and the reckoning of the number of such cases.
Answer
Officials of the Supreme Courts including the Keeper of the Rolls were consulted and provided the information given in the answer to question S1W-18645. The programming of business in the Court of Session is the responsibility of the Lord President of the Court of Session.
