- 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 15 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to build career pathways and improve career development in the NHS.
Answer
We have appointed a dedicated NHSScotland SVQ/Modern Apprenticeship secondee to encourage all staff to take up formal qualifications that are workplace based and assessed.
In addition to this, we have provided support funding for Return to Learn, a programme designed to widen the access to education and learning for all NHSScotland staff.
- 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 15 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure equal pay for work of equal value in the NHS.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is playing a full part in taking forward Agenda for Change - proposals for modernising the NHS pay system. These proposals aim to ensure that issues of equal pay for work of equal value are addressed and that all NHSScotland staff are rewarded fairly according to the work they do and the contribution they make.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting period in term weeks was for (a) four day proofs and (b) proofs with an estimated duration of 10 days or more in the Outer House of the Court of Session in the year up to 31 August 2001 and the two previous years.
Answer
Four days Proofs
1999-2000 | 18 term weeks |
2000-2001 | 20 term weeks |
01.04.2001 to 31.08.2001 | 21 term weeks |
Information of the average waiting periods for proofs of 10 days or more is not held centrally.
Proofs of this duration are fixed on an individual basis taking account of a range of factors. These include the availability of counsel, the urgency of the case and the court programme.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the implications for the business and judicial resources of the supreme courts of the settlement rate of cases in the Outer House of the Court of Session.
Answer
In programming the work of the Outer House the court proceeds on the assumption that the settlement rate will run at around 95%. This figure is monitored from time to time and has been fairly constant in recent years.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what calls were made upon retired judges for sittings of the supreme courts in the year up to 31 August 2001 and the two previous years.
Answer
Retired judges sat on the following number of days:
Calendar Year 1999 | 299 days |
Calendar Year 2000 | 456 days |
01 January 2001 to 31 August 2001 | 215 days |
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the implications for the business and judicial resources of the supreme courts of Senators taking up public duties on UK bodies or outwith Scotland.
Answer
The loss of a judge or judges to public duties elsewhere in the UK or abroad is one of the factors which the Lord President will take into account in planning the supreme court programme. In the case of lengthy absences additional resources may be provided, recent examples of this being the trial of the Lockerbie bombing suspects and the Ladbroke Grove Rail Disaster Inquiry. The absence of the judges concerned led directly to an increase in the complement from 27 to 32.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the implications of the Scotland Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human Rights for the business and judicial resources of the supreme courts.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18633. In the further representations which the Lord President made to ministers last year he took account of the impact of the new legislation when requesting an increase in the complement of judges.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil proofs could not proceed for want of a judge per term week in the Outer House of the Court of Session in the year up to 31 August 2001 and the two previous years.
Answer
The information sought is not readily available in term weeks, and the collated statistics for 1999-2000 do not identify civil proofs, but show all civil hearings unallocated. The following table shows (a) for 1999-2000 all civil hearings which did not settle and could not proceed owing to lack of judicial time and (b) for 2000-01 all civil proofs which did not settle and which could not proceed owing to the lack of judicial time.
| | 1999-2000 (all Outer House hearings unallocated) | 2000-01 (civil proofs unallocated) |
April | 0 | 0 |
May | 0 | 0 |
June | 0 | 3 |
July | 0 | 0 |
August | 0 | 0 |
September | 2 | 3 |
October | 2 | 2 |
November | 10 | 0 |
December | 1 | 3 |
January | 0 | 0 |
February | 0 | 0 |
March | 0 | 0 |
Total | 15 (all types) | 11 (proofs) |
No civil proofs have fallen for want of available judicial time during the period 01.04.2001 and 31.08.2001
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting period was for (a) a civil appeal, other than those sent for early disposal and (b) a solemn conviction appeal in the year up to 31 August 2001 and the two previous years.
Answer
| Civil Appeal |
1999-2000 | 31 term weeks |
2000-2001 | 33 term weeks |
01.04.2001 to 31.08.2001 | 32 term weeks |
Solemn Conviction |
1999-2000 | 18 term weeks |
2000-2001 | 20 term weeks |
01.04.2001 to 31.08.2001 | 22 term weeks |
Term weeks do not include periods when the Court is not in session.
- Asked by: Brian Fitzpatrick, MSP for Strathkelvin and Bearsden, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 28 September 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 12 October 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the average availability of Outer House judges per term week was for (a) four day proofs and (b) business in the Outer House of the Court of Session in the year up to 31 August 2001 and the two previous years.
Answer
The information sought is not readily available. The average number of judges sitting each week in the Outer House during term is as follows:
1999-2000 | 8 |
2000-2001 | 8 |
01.04.2001 to 31.08.2001 | 9 |
