- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 29 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what common procurement initiatives were undertaken by it or its agencies in 2008-09 and what the estimated savings are.
Answer
The Scottish Government led a wide range of procurement initiatives over the period as part of its Public Procurement Reform Programme. Audit Scotland''s report on the programme, published on 23 July 2009, commented on savings it had achieved since its inception in 2006. Efficiency savings achieved by public sector bodies in 2008-09 are due to be published by the end of October 2009.
The Scottish Government''s Procurement Directorate also led 20 separate common (or collaborative) contracting initiatives in 2008-09, on behalf of both the Scottish Government and its agencies and, in some cases, the wider public sector. The estimated savings of these initiatives, as well as transaction cost (costs of processing purchase orders and invoices) savings through the use of the e-Procurement Scotland system, are anticipated to be between £31.7 million and £35.6 million.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 29 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent on consultants by (a) it and (b) its agencies in 2008-09 and what the equivalent figures were in 2007-08.
Answer
We are examining the available information and will write to the member as soon as possible. A copy will also be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 49262).
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 29 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth has met the President of COSLA since May 2007; what other members of COSLA were present, and what subjects were discussed at each meeting.
Answer
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth has met with the President of COSLA and other members of COSLA on regular occasions since May 2007. In addition, the Cabinet Secretary has also met regularly with COSLA''s Political Group Leaders. Those meetings have included discussion on a range of issues.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 29 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what appointments to non-departmental public bodies have been made by ministers since January 2009.
Answer
Information on appointments by Scottish ministers to non-departmental public bodies regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments in Scotland is available on the Scottish Government website at
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/directory.
Information on unregulated appointments is not held centrally.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 28 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive who from the Scottish Executive went to Brussels for the launch of Europe and Foreign Affairs: Taking Forward our National Conversation and what the estimate is of the total cost invovled.
Answer
My private secretary, one special adviser, one policy official and a communications officer all travelled to Brussels for the launch. Travel and accommodation costs (including my own) were approximately £3,114.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Bruce Crawford on 28 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what information has been provided to SNP MSPs by ministers on matters that are reserved to the UK Parliament.
Answer
Scottish ministers regularly provide information to members of all parties represented in the Parliament on a wide variety of matters.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 28 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive what the level of organ donation has been in each month since September 2008.
Answer
The information requested is given in the following tables.
Scotland: Deceased Organ Donors September 2008 to August 2009
| Month | Heart Beating | Non Heart-Beating | Total |
| September 2008 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| October 2008 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| November 2008 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| December 2008 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| January 2009 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| February 2009 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| March 2009 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| April 2009 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| May 2009 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Jun 2009 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Jul 2009 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| August 2009 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| Total | 52 | 16 | 68 |
UK: Deceased Organ Donors September 2008 to August 2009
| Month | Heart Beating | Non Heart-Beating | Total |
| September 2008 | 47 | 24 | 71 |
| October 2008 | 57 | 32 | 89 |
| November 2008 | 64 | 15 | 79 |
| December 2008 | 43 | 32 | 75 |
| January 2009 | 59 | 30 | 89 |
| February 2009 | 39 | 21 | 60 |
| March 2009 | 47 | 29 | 76 |
| April 2009 | 38 | 22 | 60 |
| May 2009 | 47 | 32 | 79 |
| Jun 2009 | 51 | 26 | 77 |
| Jul 2009 | 51 | 29 | 80 |
| August 2009 | 51 | 26 | 77 |
| Total | 594 | 318 | 912 |
Source: NHS Blood and Transplant.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 August 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 25 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister was first informed of the job losses planned by Diageo at Kilmarnock and when he first met with Paul Walsh, Group Chief Executive of Diageo.
Answer
The First Minister''s office was made aware on the evening of 30 June 2009 that there would be an announcement made by Diageo about the company''s review of its operations the next day. However, he was not informed of the nature of Diageo''s intentions until after the company had informed its workforce on 1 July 2009.
The First Minister met Mr Walsh on 22 July although he had a telephone discussion with Mr Walsh on 2 July.
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Bruce Crawford on 25 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, given that he had only eight days of official engagements, what government work was undertaken by the Minister for Parliamentary Business during summer recess 2009.
Answer
From 27 June 2009 to 30 August 2009 I undertook specific government work as detailed in the following table.
But I also received ministerial papers for clearance and information on a regular basis and held telephone discussions with my Ministerial Private Office and governmen3t colleagues on a variety of matters.
| Date | Event |
| 29 June 2009 | Attended Cabinet Meeting, University of Abertay, Dundee |
| 29 June 2009 | Attended Homecoming Reception, Dundee Contemporary Arts Centre |
| 30 June to 2 July | Represented the Scottish Government at the Hearts Great war memorial to remember the Scottish soldiers of McCrae''s Battalion who fell at the Battle of the Somme in 1917 at Contalmaison, France. |
| 20 July 2009 | Meeting with Ministerial Private Office Staff |
| 22 July 2009 | Phone call with the Permanent Secretary |
| 25 July 2009 | Attended The Gathering, Holyrood Park, Edinburgh |
| 26 July 2009 | Attended The Gathering, Holyrood Park, Edinburgh |
| 27 July 2009 | Attended Homecoming Reception, Melrose Rugby Club |
| 28 July 2009 | Attended Cabinet Meeting, Melrose Rugby Club |
| 28 July 2009 | Participated in National Conversation, Corn Exchange, Melrose |
| 31 July 2009 | Phone call with Ms Gari Donn, Edinburgh University |
| 11 August 2009 | Phone call with the Minister for Environment |
| 11 August 2009 | Meeting with Private Office Staff |
| 17 August 2009 | Signed the Stirling Single Outcome Agreement at Gartmore House, Stirlingshire, with members of the Stirling Community Planning Partnership. |
| 17 August 2009 | Attended Homecoming Reception, King''s College Campus, Elphinstone Hall |
| 18 August 2009 | Attended Cabinet Meeting, King''s College Campus, Aberdeen |
| 18 August 2009 | Participated in National Conversation, Kings College, Aberdeen |
| 18 August 2009 | Visit to Cytosystems company, Craibstone, Aberdeen |
| 21 August 2009 | Homecoming Event, Fraserburgh Golf Club |
| 24 August 2009 | Minister for Parliamentary Business & Mike Rumbles - Phone Call |
| 24 August 2009 | Minister for Parliamentary Business & Patrick Harvie - Phone Call |
| 24 August 2009 | Phone call with Presiding Officer |
| 24 August 2009 | Meeting of Government Whips |
| 24 August 2009 | Meeting of the Parliamentary Bureau |
| 27 August 2009 | Taste of the Tattoo, Jedburgh Rugby Ground |
| 27 August 2009 | Reception, Reception - Taste of the Tattoo, Jedburgh Rugby Ground |
| 27 August 2009 | Meeting with COSLA at Rosebery House Haymarket Terrace |
- Asked by: George Foulkes, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 18 September 2009
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 25 September 2009
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to S3W-27398 by John Swinney on 29 September 2009, what responsibility it has in relation to the appointment of trustees of the Lothian Pension Fund.
Answer
At the time of transfer from Strathclyde Partnership for Transport to Transport Scotland (May 2008) the combined costs for the Glasgow Airport Rail Link incorporating Paisley Corridor (signalling) Renewal project were estimated at £326 million out turn.
