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No referrals have yet been made to the independent advisers on the ministerial code.

The budgetary provision for concessionary fares for the next three years is £181.4 million in 2008-09, £187.4 million in 2009-10 and £189.4 million in 2010-11. This budget provides support for the development and delivery of concessionary travel schemes for older, disabled and young people. It covers reimbursement to bus, ferry and rail operators participating in the schemes and the marketing and survey costs of running the schemes. The vast majority, almost 99%, of the budget is for bus operators participating in the Scotland-wide free bus travel scheme for older and disabled people.

The 2008-09 estimates are subject to an agreed cost escalator. Negotiations are underway with the Confederation of Passenger Transport to reach this agreement which is necessary to establish the estimate for 2008-09. The estimates for 2009-10 onwards are subject to the outcome of the three year review of the scheme, which is also currently underway.

Scottish ministers only have power over the Scotrail franchise.

As at 1 August 2008, the number of full time employees aged 60 or over in the Scottish Government, broken down into the groups of directorates that report to the Permanent Secretary and each Director General respectively, and agencies was as follows:

Business Unit	Age
	60-64	65-69	70+	Total
DG Economy	17			17
DG Education	8			8
DG Environment	36			36
DG Health	10			10
DG Justice	16	1		17
Permanent Secretary	48	2	1	51
Accountants In Bankruptcy	2			2
Fisheries Research Service	15			15
General Registers Of Scotland	14			14
HM Inspectors of Prisons	1			1
HM Inspectorate of Education	8			8
National Archives of Scotland	10	1		11
Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator	1			1
Student Awards Agency for Scotland	3			3
Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency	10			10
Scottish Public Pensions Agency	8	1		9
Social Work Inspectorate Agency	2	1		3
Transport Scotland	9			9
Total	218	6	1	225

 

The First Minister has travelled by rail on two separate occasions, details of which are as follows:

3 April 2008 - Washington (US) to New York (US)

25 April 2008 - Edinburgh to Inverurie.

Scotland is represented on the UK-wide Organ Donation Taskforce, which is currently considering the risks and benefits associated with a move to a system of opting out as the basis of organ donation. The taskforce will be submitting its report on the subject to the UK Health Ministers later in the year.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13387 on 5 June 2008, which explained when I last met the City of Edinburgh Council. There has been no meeting since 5 June.

As to Edinburgh''s school building programme, I refer the member to the answer to question S3O-3183 on 8 May 2008.

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/webapp/wa.search.

All answers to oral parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-08/sor0508-02.htm#Col8422.

It is not possible to produce the requested information as no central record is kept of the qualifications of staff.

The pay structure in the Scottish Government comprises nine pay ranges. The factors which are used to determine the salary for each member of staff are their performance, the pay range for their post, and length of time spent in that pay range.

The Scottish Government continues to use the Royal Mail for its mail services. Officials meet regularly with representatives of Royal Mail to discuss a range of issues covering service provision.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-9304 on 19 February 2008. Postal services are a matter wholly reserved to the UK Government, therefore the Scottish Government''s powers to provide direct support to the Post Office network are extremely limited. Nevertheless, the Scottish Government continues to seek ways to add value.

A number of meetings have taken place between ministers and officials with representatives of Royal Mail Group and Post Office Limited. These meetings primarily dealt with the Network Change Programme and alternative methods of delivering postal services (outreach services), with the aim of ensuring that sustainable business models underpin the Post Office branches that remain after the current Network Change programme is completed.

In addition, ministers have continued to encourage all Community Planning Partners, particularly local authorities, to consider the opportunities to promote their services alongside local Post Offices to aid their viability.

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/webapp/wa.search.

There were two complaints under the Scottish Government''s Dignity at Work policy in 2007, one each in Directorates in the Justice and Communities and Education portfolios respectively, and one so far in 2008 in a Directorate in the Finance and Sustainable Growth portfolio. All of these complaints related to allegations of bullying and harassment. Of these three cases, one case is still on-going, one was withdrawn to allow mediation to take place and one found there was no case to answer. There were no complaints about race discrimination or gender discrimination in 2007 and there have been none in 2008 to date.

In line with its Dignity at Work policy, the Scottish Government takes all complaints of this nature seriously and strives to ensure that all staff have the opportunity to work in an environment where they feel safe and secure and are not subject to unacceptable behaviour.