- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 29 October 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 November 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason GPs are charging up to £150 for vaccinations for people who are going to Malawi and other countries on aid programmes.
Answer
The arrangements for general practice in the National Health Service are set out in the NHS (General Medical Services Contracts)(Scotland) Regulations 2004. These provide that a general practitioner may not demand or accept a fee from a person on their patient list except in certain circumstances. These are set out in Schedule 4 to the Regulations.
Paragraph (g) of Schedule 4 provides that in the case of any immunisation which is not available free of charge under National Health Service arrangements, and which is requested in connection with travel abroad, a general practitioner may take a fee.
The cost of the treatment is a matter between the general practitioner and the patient.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 October 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 4 November 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what contractual responsibilities the Permanent Secretary of the Scottish Executive has apart from his work for the Scottish Government.
Answer
In common with other permanent secretaries, the employment contract for the Permanent Secretary of the Scottish Government does not specify detailed functions or responsibilities, apart from the accountable officer role.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 October 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 4 November 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has given to local authorities regarding salary levels of chief officers; what action it proposes regarding any excessive increases in such salaries; whether it will make a statement on the matter, and, if so, when.
Answer
Chief officers salary levels are a matter for local authorities themselves as independent corporate bodies.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 October 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 4 November 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has given to non-departmental public bodies regarding salary levels in 2010-11.
Answer
The Scottish Government''s public sector pay policies for staff pay remits and for senior appointments are revised annually. The 2009-10 pay policies were published in May 2009. The staff policy applies to pay settlements with effective dates from 1 May 2009 to 30 April 2010 inclusive and the senior appointments applies from 1 April 2009 to 31 March 2010 inclusive.
Public sector pay policies for 2010-11 will be developed for publication in spring 2010. The policies will set out relevant pay limits for 2010-11.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 October 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Bruce Crawford on 2 November 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what account it takes of decisions of the Parliament that are critical of the actions of ministers.
Answer
The Scottish Government takes careful account of all decisions of the Parliament.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 29 October 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27403 by Kenny MacAskill on 24 September 2009, whether the Scottish Ministerial Code precludes ministers from detailing the cost of any legal advice sought since May 2007 and, if not, whether it will provide that information.
Answer
The Scottish Ministerial Code does not preclude ministers from detailing the cost of any legal advice sought since May 2007. Since that date the Scottish Government and its agencies have spent the following sums on legal representation and advice:
| | Counsels Fees | Work Outsourced to External Legal Firms | Running Costs of Internal Legal Offices (the Scottish Government Legal Directorate, the Office of Scottish Parliamentary Counsel and the Legal Secretariat to the Lord Advocate) |
| 1 May 2007 to 31 March 2008 | £688,636 | £1,874,959 | £8,245,417 |
| 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 | £765,656 | £4,078,303 | £9,207,000 |
| 1 April 2009 to 30 September 2009 | £234,272 | £3,428,367 | £4,643,500 |
| Total | £1,688,564 | £9,381,629 | £22,095,917 |
The following is the original answer (published on 29 October 2009); see below.
The Scottish Ministerial Code does not preclude ministers from detailing the cost of any legal advice sought since May 2007. Since that date the Scottish Government and its agencies have spent the following sums on legal representation and advice:
| | Counsel''s fees: | Work outsourced to external legal firms*: | Running costs of internal legal offices (the Scottish Government Legal Directorate, the Office of Scottish Parliamentary Counsel and the Legal Secretariat to the Lord Advocate): |
| 1 May 2007 to 31 March 2008 | £688,636 | £1,874,959 | £8,245,417 |
| 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009 | £765,656 | £4,078,303 | £9,207,000 |
| 1 April 2009 to 30 September 2009 | £234,272 | £2,479,168 | £4,643,500 |
| Total | £1,688,564 | £8,432,430 | £22,095,917 |
Note: *This figure includes the cost of services provided by these firms to the Advocate General for Scotland who also makes use of the Scottish Government''s framework contract for procuring legal services.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Keith Brown on 29 October 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will define what it means by substantially refurbished in the context of the school estate.
Answer
As set out in the footnote to table 4 of the School Estate Statistics 2009 publication (
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/10/08104324/0), a school is recorded as having been substantially refurbished where total expenditure exceeds £500,000 for a primary school and £1,000,000 for a secondary or special school.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Bruce Crawford on 28 October 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27349 by Bruce Crawford on 28 September 2009, on what occasion written briefs have been provided by it to SNP MSPs but not to MSPs from other political parties.
Answer
Information and briefing is provided to MSPs by the Scottish Government in accordance with the ministerial code.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 October 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 28 October 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive whether ministers may agree expenditure only where such expenditure is included in the budget approved by the Parliament.
Answer
The Scottish Public Finance Manual provides details of the circumstances under which the Scottish Government may undertake expenditure without the authority of a Budget Act. The relevant section is headed Expenditure Without Parliamentary Authority.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 01 October 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 26 October 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-27348 by John Swinney on 29 September 2009, on how many occasions the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth has met the President of COSLA when no other COSLA member was present and what subjects were discussed.
Answer
There have been no formal meetings between the President of COSLA and the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth that have not also been attended by one or more others. Since 2007, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth has had regular meetings with the President of COSLA and other members of COSLA, including COSLA''s political group leaders. All these meetings, which have included discussion on a range of issues, have also been attended by at least one other person, usually a COSLA officer or a Scottish Government official.
