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Official Report: search what was said in Parliament

The Official Report is a written record of public meetings of the Parliament and committees.  

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Dates of parliamentary sessions
  1. Session 1: 12 May 1999 to 31 March 2003
  2. Session 2: 7 May 2003 to 2 April 2007
  3. Session 3: 9 May 2007 to 22 March 2011
  4. Session 4: 11 May 2011 to 23 March 2016
  5. Session 5: 12 May 2016 to 5 May 2021
  6. Current session: 12 May 2021 to 7 January 2025
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Displaying 1041 contributions

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Finance and Public Administration Committee

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum

Meeting date: 8 November 2022

Kevin Stewart

On the pay and conditions of local government staff and the differentials if they were to transfer to care boards and the NCS, I think that 43 per cent of the cost assumptions for care boards in the financial memorandum are down to the staff costs if that were to happen. However, I go back to my point that no decision has been taken on any transfer of assets or staff, as that is a matter for the co-design project.

Finance and Public Administration Committee

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum

Meeting date: 8 November 2022

Kevin Stewart

I am well aware of the college aspect. I go back to my earlier point about having no unintended consequences. We have to work through all of this. We have made some assumptions in the financial memorandum, but no decision has been taken, and it is a matter for co-design. I go back to my earlier point that, at the moment, many local authorities deliver high-quality care services. Is there a need to transfer those services to local care board control? Probably not, but that is a matter for the co-design process.

Finance and Public Administration Committee

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum

Meeting date: 8 November 2022

Kevin Stewart

What I have talked about is national quality standards that should be adhered to, but there will still be local flexibility around the delivery of care. Let me make it quite clear that there should and will be local flexibility in terms of delivery of care. We will have national standards, but it is not what I would term standardisation overall.

This is not about centralised commissioning but about commissioning at a local level. As we move forward, it may well be that we choose, in co-operation and collaboration with partners, to do some specialised centralised commissioning for more specialist services. Again, many members of the public would like to see that, but it is not about centralised commissioning.

Does Donna Bell want to come in?

Finance and Public Administration Committee

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum

Meeting date: 8 November 2022

Kevin Stewart

I never said that either.

Finance and Public Administration Committee

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum

Meeting date: 8 November 2022

Kevin Stewart

IT is a vital component in almost all that we do nowadays. However, the starting point is to look at what we have in place and ask whether it can be used to deliver what we want. We will then look elsewhere to see what was required as we moved forward. Again, we would come back with a business case for all that.

Finance and Public Administration Committee

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum

Meeting date: 8 November 2022

Kevin Stewart

If we had done it that way round, it is likely, as I said to Mr Greer, that folk would not have been happy with that either—

Finance and Public Administration Committee

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum

Meeting date: 8 November 2022

Kevin Stewart

I will not reiterate the point that I just made. If we had done it the other way round, folks would have said that that was not the right way round and probably would have taken umbrage with it.

Finance and Public Administration Committee

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum

Meeting date: 8 November 2022

Kevin Stewart

No, I do not think that there is. As this committee will be well aware, I take my responsibilities in this very seriously and questioned to the nth degree the officials who put together the financial memorandums and other documents. As I have said throughout, this financial memorandum covers the aspects that the bill covers.

Finance and Public Administration Committee

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum

Meeting date: 8 November 2022

Kevin Stewart

I have never known Parliament to legislate for an IT system. As I am sure that every member is aware, an FM covers what is covered in the bill—that is what is covered by the financial memorandum.

Finance and Public Administration Committee

National Care Service (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum

Meeting date: 8 November 2022

Kevin Stewart

No decision has been made on those things—they are on the table as part of the co-design process. I repeat what I said earlier to Mr Mason: we also have to take cognisance of where there is already good service delivery. Why would we make a change for change’s sake if there is already good service delivery?