Questions and answers

Question reference: S3W-17101

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 12 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with officers of the British Transport Police Authority and the British Transport Police; who was in attendance at such meetings; what topics were discussed, and what the outcomes were.

Question reference: S3W-17094

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Mike Pringle on 12 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body whether it will give details of the commissioners for which it is responsible, also indicating their terms of office and when they are scheduled to be renewed or replaced; what consideration is being given to rationalising the system of commissioners, and whether it will make a statement to the Parliament on this issue.

The SPCB is responsible for funding and setting the terms and conditions for the following officeholders:

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (Professor Alice Brown)	Re-appointed for four years on 30 September 2007. Professor Brown has given notice that she intends to stand down on 31 March 2009
Scottish Information Commissioner (Mr Kevin Dunion)	Re-appointed for four years on 24 February 2008.
Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland (Professor Kathleen Marshall)	Initial five-year appointment ends on 25 April 2009. Professor Marshall has indicated she does not wish to be considered for a second term of office.
Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland (Ms Karen Carlton)	Initial five-year appointment ends on 31 May 2009.
Chair of the Scottish Commission for Human Rights (professor Alan Miller) and Members of the Commission (Professor Kay Hampton, Shelagh McCall and John McNeil	The Chair of the Commission was appointed on 3 March 2008 for an initial five-year term. The part-time members were appointed on 1 May 2008 for an initial four-year term
Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner (Dr Jim Dyer)	Three-year re-appointment ends on 31 March 2009

In addition, the SPCB is responsible for determining the terms and conditions of the Auditor General for Scotland (Mr Robert Black), although the SPCB is not responsible for the funding of this office. Under the present legislation there is no set date on which the Auditor General is expected to retire from office.

I understand that the Parliamentary Bureau will be lodging a motion seeking the Parliament''s agreement to establishing an ad-hoc parliamentary committee to inquire into whether alterations should be made to the structure of the bodies supported by the SPCB. Should the Parliament agree the motion the SPCB will co-operate fully in providing any assistance it can to the committee.

In the light of the committee inquiry, the SPCB will be considering its options for filling the forthcoming vacancies in the offices of Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland and Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner.

Question reference: S3W-17099

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of the First Minister’s office in 2007-08, also broken down by different components, including staff, travel and entertainment costs.

Question reference: S3W-17367

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 12 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment has been made of the impact of the ban on smoking in public places on the (a) prevalence of smoking among and (b) health of (i) pregnant women and (ii) the total population and what assessment has been of similar experiences in other countries.

Although the smoke-free laws are undoubtedly the most important piece of public health legislation for a generation, they form part of a much wider tobacco control strategy, including programmes targeted specifically at reducing smoking among pregnant women, which is being pursued by the Scottish Government to drive down smoking prevalence across the population. For this reason, it is not possible to make a specific assessment of the unique contribution the smoking ban has had on smoking prevalence or to point to specific evidence showing that the smoking ban has accelerated the rate of decline.

Nevertheless, from the results available to date from the national evaluation of Scotland''s smoke-free legislation to assess its impact in the short and longer terms which is being conducted by the Clean-air Legislation Evaluation (CLEAN) Collaboration, Scotland is already beginning to reap the benefits of the smoking ban. For example, there is evidence of a 17% reduction in admissions for heart attacks among non-smokers to nine Scottish hospitals and of almost a 40% reduction in second hand smoke exposure in both non-smoking adults and children. Moreover, and importantly, there is evidence of a change in the cultural acceptability of smoking.

The Scottish Government wishes to capitalise on this shift in cultural attitudes to smoking, by stepping up action to stop people starting to smoke in the first place. In May 2008 we published a new smoking prevention action plan Scotland''s Future is Smoke-free which sets out an ambitious programme of measures designed specifically to dissuade children and young people from smoking.

As far as international experience is concerned, a US study found a 4% reduction in smoking prevalence after the introduction of the smoking ban in New York. However, the ban was accompanied by an increase in the cost of tobacco which is also a factor in smoking reduction, and it is impossible to disentangle the relative contribution of each policy to the decline in smoking prevalence witnessed in New York.

Question reference: S3W-17361

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 12 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what training exists to ensure that employment support workers take account of the needs of people with autism.

We know that autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) organisations, such as National Autistic Society, provide autism awareness training and such training is available for all agencies to raise awareness of needs of people with autism. Some organisations also provide employment support services for people with ASD. However, the Scottish Government is not aware of specific training for employment support worker to ensure they take account of the needs of people with autism. One of the key elements the Supported Employment Framework is seeking to address is staff training and qualifications. The Supported Employment Framework is being jointly developed by Scottish Government and COSLA with other stakeholders.

Question reference: S3W-17368

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 12 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what targets exist for reducing smoking and what progress has been made toward achieving them.

The Scottish Government is committed to reducing the smoking rate for adults aged 16 and over to 22% by 2010. The longer term trend in smoking prevalence is clearly downwards, with rates decreasing from 30.4% in 1999 to 24.7% in 2007.

The Scottish Government is further committed to reducing smoking during pregnancy from 23.8% in 2004 to 20% in 2010. The overall percentage of women smoking at the time of their first antenatal booking has decreased consistently from 29.0% in 1995 to 21.7% in 2006 and a low of 20.9% in 2007. However, it should be noted that the percentage of ˜unknowns'' has risen from 5% in 1995 to 9.4% in 2006 and 11.9% in 2007 and that this may include a proportion of smokers.

In the recently published, Scotland''s Future is Smoke-free (May 2008), the Scottish Government set new separate targets for boys and girls aged 13 and 15 and for 16 to 24-year-olds as set out below:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/05/19144342/0/

To reduce the level of smoking amongst:

13-year-old girls from 5% in 2006 to 3% in 2014

13-year-old boys from 3% in 2006 to 2% in 2014

15-year-old girls from 18% in 2006 to 14% in 2014

15-year-old boys from 12% in 2006 to 9% in 2014

16 to 24-year-olds from 26.5% in 2006 to 22.9% in 2012.

Question reference: S3W-17098

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 12 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what contracts have been let for highways and related projects since May 2007; what the procedure was, and who the successful contractor was in each case.

Details of the 62 contracts for works, supplies and services in relation to trunk roads awarded since May 2007 are set out in the following tables :

1. Works Contracts

(i) Above EU threshold of £3,497,313.00 (‚¬5,150,000.00)

Title	Procedure*	Successful Tenderer
A9 Helmsdale to Ord of Caithness Improvements - Phase 2	Restricted	RJ MacLeod (Contractors) Ltd
M8/A8 Edinburgh to Greenock Trunk Road, M77 to Clyde Tunnel Westbound	Restricted	Tarmac Construction Ltd
A77 Haggstone Climbing Lane and A77 Glen App Improvement	Competitive Dialogue	RJ MacLeod (Contractors) Ltd
A9 Kincraig	Restricted	Ennstone Thistle
Supply and Installation of Variable Message Signs (VMS) and Signal Units	Restricted	Techspan Systems
A76 Glenairlie Improvement	Restricted	Raynesway Construction Limited
M74 Junction 11 to Gleck and Bog Bridge Northbound	Restricted	Tarmac Construction Ltd
M74 Completion Fullarton Road to West of Kingston Bridge	Competitive Dialogue	Interlink Joint Venture
M8 Kingston Bridge Complex Bothwell Street Off Ramp Refurbishment	Competitive Dialogue	Graham Construction
The M8 Harthill Footbridge Replacement	Competitive Dialogue	Raynesway Construction
M74 Gleck and Bog to junction 11 Southbound	Restricted	Tarmac Construction Ltd

(ii) Below threshold

Title	Procedure	Successful Tenderer
A95/A96 Keith Junction	Competitive Tender	Carillion
A83 Arrochar	Competitive Tender	Ennstone Thistle
M8 A8 Bishopton and M8 C22 Overbridge strengthening	Competitive Tender	Barr Ltd
A9 Auchterarder to Whitemoss Northbound	Competitive Tender	Tarmac Construction Ltd
A96 Woodside to B9103	Competitive Tender	Ennstone Thistle
M8 Dewshill to Shottsburn	Competitive Tender	Aggregate Industries
M90 Craigend to Bridge of Earn Southbound	Competitive Tender	Ennstone Thistle
A87 Varragill to Portree Phases 1 & 2	Competitive Tender	Leiths
A90 Powrie Brae to Inveraldie Northbound Carriageway	Competitive Tender	Tayside Contracts
A82 810 Achnambeithach Bridge Replacement	Competitive Tender	Morrison Construction Ltd
M8 Duntilland Quarry Eastbound	Competitive Tender	Tarmac Construction Ltd
A90 Middle Essie	Competitive Tender	Ennstone Thistle
A83 Inverary	Competitive Tender	Ennstone Thistle
M80 Dunipace to Bankhead	Competitive Tender	Leiths
A7/A6091 Kingsknowes Roundabout Improvement	Competitive Tender	Scottish Borders Council Roads DLO
A92 Halbeath to Dundee Trunk Road, East Dock Street Safety Fencing	Competitive Tender	BEAR Scotland
M8 High Mast Lighting Replacement Phase 6	Competitive Tender	Lightways Contractors Ltd
A1 Oldcraighall to Wallford	Competitive Tender	Cemex
M9 - A9 Overbridge to M80 Junction Westbound	Competitive Tender	Cemex
A90 Oatyhill to Dubton Southbound	Competitive Tender	Ennstone Thistle
Forth Replacement Crossing - Ground Investigation - Land Based South	Competitive Tender	Ritchies Limited
Forth Replacement Crossing - Ground Investigation - Land Based North	Competitive Tender	Norwest Holst Limited
Forth Replacement Crossing - Detailed Marine Ground Investigation	Competitive Tender	Glover Site Investigations
A82 Pulpit Rock Ground Investigation	Competitive Tender	Structural Soils
A82 Bilingual Signing	Competitive Tender	Corrie Construction Ltd
A737/A738 St James Interchange Old Woodwynd Road to Skew Bridge	Competitive Tender	Tarmac Construction Ltd
A90 Glendoick to Ardgaith “ Eastbound Carriageway	Competitive Tender	Ennstone Thistle
A737 Dalry Bypass: Phase 1 - Preliminary Ground Investigation	Competitive Tender	White Young Green
M8/M74/M73 Concrete Repair	Competitive Tender	Laser Special projects Ltd
M8 Blairmains to Blairmuckhill Eastbound	Competitive Tender	Tarmac Construction Ltd
M8 Shotts Bridge - Refurbishment	Competitive Tender	ERDC Group
A96 Moss Street Keith	Competitive Tender	Ennstone Thistle
M73 Woodneuk Avenue & Johnston Road Bridge Painting	Competitive Tender	Mackenzie Construction Ltd
A90 Finavon Junction	Competitive Tender	Ennstone Thistle
A90 The Snabs to Star Farm “ Eastbound Carriageway	Competitive Tender	Tayside Contracts
A96 Darnaway Junction to Brodie	Competitive Tender	Leiths (Scotland) Ltd

2. Services and Supplies Contracts

(i) Above EU threshold of £90,319.00 (‚¬133,000.00)

Title	Procedure*	Successful Tenderer
Term contract for the supply of traffic monitoring units for Transport Scotland	Restricted	Applied Traffic
A737 Dalry Bypass Consultancy Commission for Design Services	Restricted	Mouchel Fairhurst Joint Venture
Term contract for the Supply of Traffic Monitoring Units (TMU''s) for Transport Scotland	Restricted	Counters & Accessories
Term Contract for the supply of traffic monitoring units (TMU''s) for Transport Scotland	Restricted	TDC Systems
First Generation Traffic Scotland Operator Service	Restricted	Atkins
Forth Replacement Crossing Multi Disciplinary Management Consultancy Commission	Competitive Dialogue	Jacobs/Arup Joint Venture
Forth Replacement Crossing - Geodetic Survey	Restricted	Blom Aerofilm Limited
Multiple Framework Agreement for In-House Project Management Personnel for Trunk Road Schemes	Restricted	Faber Maunsell
Multiple Framework Agreement for In-House Project Management Personnel for Trunk Road Schemes	Restricted	Grontmij
Multiple Framework Agreement for In-House Project Management Personnel for Trunk Road Schemes	Restricted	Mouchel
Multiple Framework Agreement for In-House Project Management Personnel for Trunk Road Schemes	Restricted	Mott MacDonald
Multiple Framework Agreement for In-House Project Management Personnel for Trunk Road Schemes	Restricted	Scott Wilson
Multiple Framework Agreement for In-House Project Management Personnel for Trunk Road Schemes	Restricted	Waterman Group
Management, Operation and Development of the Scottish Roads Traffic Database (SRTDb)	Restricted	IBI Group
Term Contract for the supply of traffic monitoring units (TMU''s) for Transport Scotland	Restricted	See Tech Ltd

Note: *The award procedures for above threshold procurements are set out in the EC Directives governing public sector procurement as implemented in Scotland by the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations SI 2006.

Question reference: S3W-17319

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 12 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it gives to NHS boards regarding health service staff with moral or religious objections who wish to opt out of abortion procedures.

The Abortion Act 1967 has a conscientious objection clause which permits health care staff to refuse to participate in terminations but which obliges them to provide necessary treatment in an emergency when the woman''s life may be jeopardised.

While the Scottish Government does not provide direct guidance on this issue, which is a matter reserved to Westminster, guidance is provided by UK professional regulatory, and representative bodies such as the General Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the BMA.

Question reference: S3W-17318

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 12 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is provided by it, its agencies or bodies for which it is responsible, to Brook Advisory Centres or any other body providing advice on abortion.

The Scottish Government currently provides additional funding of £4.5 million each year to NHS boards to implement Respect and Responsibility, Scotland''s national sexual health strategy.

In addition, the Scottish Government also provides a total of £312,000 each year to voluntary organisations such as Caledonia Youth, the Family Planning Association and to a national sexual health helpline which, as well as providing general sexual health information and advice, will provide advice on termination of pregnancy. The government does not provide direct funding to Brook Advisory Centres.

Question reference: S3W-17308

Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 12 November 2008

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a substantive answer to question S3W-12149, which received a holding reply on 6 May 2008.

Staff	£471,222
Travel	£38,345
Hospitality	£1,678
Administration	£12,617

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