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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: S3W-22288

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 29 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how much each local authority spends on (a) wages and salaries and (b) external contractors, expressed (i) in cash terms and (ii) as a proportion of the total local authority expenditure.

The information on wages and salaries for 2007-08 is in the following table. Local authorities'' expenditure on external contractors is not held centrally.

Local Authorities'' Employee Costs 2007-08

	Employee Costs (£000)	Employee costs as a % of gross expenditure
Scotland	6,846,523	43.9%
Aberdeen City	266,945	45.1%
Aberdeenshire	288,288	47.3%
Angus	133,701	44.2%
Argyll and Bute	122,426	39.8%
Clackmannanshire	64,062	44.6%
Dumfries and Galloway	168,922	39.6%
Dundee City	234,429	49.4%
East Ayrshire	164,975	48.6%
East Dunbartonshire	127,468	47.9%
East Lothian	110,423	44.4%
East Renfrewshire	120,681	49.2%
Edinburgh, City of	563,474	41.2%
Eilean Siar	63,383	45.8%
Falkirk	193,749	46.9%
Fife	471,181	48.1%
Glasgow City	809,287	33.1%
Highland	330,943	47.9%
Inverclyde	128,187	45.5%
Midlothian	108,481	47.4%
Moray	111,813	46.6%
North Ayrshire	173,106	43.1%
North Lanarkshire	422,468	46.6%
Orkney Islands	43,294	43.3%
Perth and Kinross	165,855	45.7%
Renfrewshire	234,816	46.6%
Scottish Borders	147,336	47.3%
Shetland Islands	80,524	54.7%
South Ayrshire	149,339	47.6%
South Lanarkshire	370,535	44.6%
Stirling	117,594	47.1%
West Dunbartonshire	149,772	48.7%
West Lothian	209,063	48.7%

Source: Local Financial Returns 2007-08

Note:

1. Police and fire expenditure is apportioned to councils using the amount that the Joint Boards requisition from them.

2. Expenditure on council tax and non-domestic valuation and registration of electors is apportioned to councils using the amount that the Valuation Joint Boards requisition from them.

3. Regional Transport Partnerships expenditure is apportioned to councils by population (GROS 2007 mid-year estimates).

The relatively low percentage of employee costs as a percentage of gross expenditure for Glasgow is due to the creation of a number of Arms Length External Organisations. These were created as part of the council''s on-going programme of service reform. The greatest impact on employee costs has been in relation to the transfers of Building Services and Culture and Related Services.

Question reference: S3W-22287

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 14 April 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total revenue budget is for each local authority in 2009-10.

Question reference: S3W-22004

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 30 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the mileage rate is for reimbursing its employees for work-related journeys made by car and, if there are differing rates, who is entitled to each rate.

A mileage allowance is payable when Scottish Government staff use their private motor vehicles for travel on official business. The use of private motor vehicles, however, should only occur when it is established that an official allocated vehicle, a hired car or public transport is either not available or practicable. The current mileage rates apply to all staff and are as follows:

Motor Vehicle Mileage	40 pence per mile
Motor Cycle Mileage	24 pence per mile
Leased Car Mileage	8 pence per mile (this does not apply to self drive hired cars or officially allocated self drive cars)
Passenger Supplement	5 pence per mile for each passenger travelling
Equipment Supplement	2 pence per mile

Question reference: S3W-22007

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-20359 and S3W-21586 by Nicola Sturgeon on 23 February 2008 and 16 March 2008 respectively, for what reason it did not provide the 2008 figures in answer to the earlier question.

The information presented in the answer to question S3W-20359 was extracted from a snapshot of the national Scottish Morbidity Record (SMR) file taken during January 2009. Initial data for December 2008 had not, at that time, been submitted to the national file and therefore the Information and Statistics Division of NHS National Services Scotland (ISD) were not in a position to provide 2008 figures.

The information presented in the answer to question S3W-21586 was extracted after the February update to the national file when initial December 2008 data had become available. These 2008 data are provisional.

As stated in the questions S3W-21983 and S3W-21984, SMR01 data returns relating to the private sector are known to be significantly incomplete. In July 2008 NHS boards were asked to ensure submission of complete and accurate data. In addition the ISD data return relating to the private health care includes independent hospitals, hospices and care homes run by local authorities and charities.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-21983 on 27 March 2009. 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-22006

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 25 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive in how many cases the NHS has been guilty of clinical negligence in each year since 1997 and how much compensation was paid each year, also broken down by NHS board.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11099 on 14 April 2008 which contains the data requested for the financial years 1996-97 to 2006-07. 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.

The following table details the number of clinical negligence cases that settled in 2007-08 together with the sums paid out in those settlements.

Health Board	Settled Cases (No.)	Sums Paid (£)
Ayrshire and Arran	15	363,985
Borders	8	1,650,348
Dumfries and Galloway	4	98,696
Fife	11	507,829
Forth Valley	9	82,186
Grampian	14	1,979,524
Greater Glasgow and Clyde	48	5,826,852
Highland	6	898,000
Lanarkshire	22	1,805,088
Lothian	25	905,907
Tayside	16	198,229
Scottish Government Health Directorates	3	128,000
Scottish Ambulance Service	1	70,000
Total	182	14,514,644

Question reference: S3W-21801

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with HM Government and other key stakeholders with a view to helping to reduce the number of maternal and neonatal fatalities in developing countries.

The Scottish Government is an active member of the steering group to take forward Health is Global: A UK Government Strategy and officials have participated in meetings with colleagues in the relevant UK Departments involved in the strategy. This reinforces Scotland''s commitment to tackling global health issues and meeting the Millennium Development Goals of developing countries, including that of maternal health.

More specifically, as part of our international development programme maternal and neonatal health is an area which the Government of Malawi has highlighted as a priority for Scottish Government support. We have continued our support for this important area, working with key stakeholders in Malawi and Scotland, and in January this year we announced further funding for projects which will work to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality.

Question reference: S3W-22005

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 16 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 24 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde’s decision to transfer 30 continuing care beds from St Margaret of Scotland Hospice to new facilities at Blawarthill Hospital by 2012, what assurances it has received that these facilities will be available on time and within budget.

A preferred bidder for Blawarthill Hospital was appointed in May 2007 to take forward the development of the Blawarthill Hospital site in order to provide:

60 NHS continuing care beds staffed by the NHS;

60 care home beds;

16 very sheltered housing units, and

eight disabled housing units.

Negotiations with the bidder continue and, assuming these are concluded, it is expected that new NHS facilities will be available early, in 2012.

Question reference: S3W-21799

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to reduce the number of maternal and neonatal fatalities.

In partnership with Information Services Division, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland produces an annual report on stillbirths and neonatal deaths The Scottish Perinatal and Infant Mortality and Morbidity Report. This report includes information on numbers, rates, causes and associated factors for all stillbirths and neonatal deaths in Scotland. It identifies trends and makes recommendations for practice where appropriate.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland also oversees the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Health in Scotland. This enquiry is conducted by a multidisciplinary committee of health professionals and examines all maternal deaths in Scotland. The committee reaches a consensus as to the cause of death and a view is taken about the standard of care provided and recommendations are made for practice where appropriate. This information contributes to the UK Confidential Enquiry which produces the triennial report Saving Mothers Lives under the auspices of the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health.

Measures with recommended standards to render childbirth as safe as possible for both mothers and babies are contained in guidance from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives.

Question reference: S3W-21800

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 23 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to assist people coming to terms with a maternal or neonatal fatality.

Maternity and Neonatal Units have explicit guidelines surrounding the occurrence of stillbirths, neonatal deaths and maternal deaths. Health professionals from maternity units, including midwives and neonatal nurses, as well as primary care teams where appropriate, provide support at a local level immediately to other members of the family following a fatality.

The involvement of a bereavement counsellor may be suggested and relatives may be referred to an appropriate voluntary sector organisation.

Question reference: S3W-21798

Asked by: Jackson Carlaw, MSP for West of Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 19 March 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) maternal and (b) neonatal fatalities there have been in each year since 1999, also expressed as a proportion of births in each year.

The information requested is available on the General Register Office for Scotland website, Vital Events Reference Tables for 2007:

http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/vital-events/index.html.

Births, Marriages and Deaths - Preliminary Annual Tables for 2008 (published 12 March 2009):

http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/preliminary-return/index.html.

(a) Maternal fatalities. The numbers of women''s deaths for which the cause was pregnancy, childbirth and the puerperium are shown in the Vital Events Reference Table 6.1 (1997 to 2007) and in Births, Marriages and Deaths - Preliminary Annual Table P4 (figures for 2005 to 2008).

(b) Neonatal fatalities. The numbers of live births, neonatal deaths (deaths in the first four weeks of life) and the neonatal death rate per 1,000 live births are shown in Vital Events Reference Table 1.2 (figures for 1996 to 2007) and Births, Marriages and Deaths - Preliminary Annual Table P2 (figures for 2008).