- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 April 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 1 May 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether national health priorities can be met, given that a 1% per annum strategic change deduction to be applied by Lothian NHS Board has been agreed by the board's Chief Executive.
Answer
It is good practice for boards and trusts to identify cash releasing efficiency savings, to enable local/national health priorities to be met.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many payments have been made to the Scottish Consolidated Fund as balancing payments, as referred to in section 5.3 of HM Treasury's Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: A Statement of Funding Policy; how much each payment was; when each payment was made, and what budget line each payment refers to.
Answer
No payments have as yet been made.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Simpson on 13 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what payments will be made in the current and next financial years to fire boards to cater for pension provision; whether any such payments will be hypothecated, and whether any such payments will be based on a needs assessment of each board rather than in line with current grant aided expenditure allocations.
Answer
The Scottish Executive recently agreed to make an additional £5 million available to Fire Authorities in 2002-03 specifically for pension provision. These additional funds are in effect hypothecated and will be paid in 2002-03 on the basis of need. Information has been obtained from brigades and the help of the Government Actuary's Department has been sought to inform the basis of distribution.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether monies paid into the Scottish Consolidated Fund as balancing payments, as referred to in section 5.3 of HM Treasury's Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: A Statement of Funding Policy, will be earmarked for specific purposes and, if so, what those purposes are or will be.
Answer
No monies have as yet been paid into the Scottish Consolidated Fund and when they are Scottish ministers will decide for what purposes they will be used.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met HM Treasury to discuss balancing payments to the Scottish Consolidated Fund, as referred to in section 5.3 of HM Treasury's Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: A Statement of Funding Policy, to redress any imbalance in housing benefit and council tax benefit costs between Scotland and England.
Answer
Scottish Executive officials have been in correspondence with officials in HM Treasury about the adjustments to the Scottish Assigned Budget that will be necessary in respect of differences in Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit costs between Scotland and England. These will be made to the Scotland Departmental Expenditure Limit for 2002-03.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any monies paid into the Scottish Consolidated Fund as balancing payments, as referred to in section 5.3 of HM Treasury's Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: A Statement of Funding Policy, will be used to offset fire boards expenditure on pensions.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23095.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Simpson on 13 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the second supplementary question to question S1O-4625 by Mr Jim Wallace on 7 February 2002, what the specific remit is of the working group to consider fire brigade pensions, whether the group will be asked to make recommendations on how to address the funding of such pensions, and whether it will agree to be bound by the recommendations of the working group.
Answer
The remit of the short-term working group will be: To examine the current arrangements for the funding of the Firemen's Pension Scheme to determine whether the arrangements might be managed better for the benefit of all brigades. In taking the work forward the group will take into account the draft report on the outcome of the review of funding arrangements initiated by the Home Office last year.The group will prepare a report and ministers will consider its findings.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Simpson on 13 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to the second supplementary question to question S1O-4625 by Mr Jim Wallace on 7 February 2002, whether it will direct the working group considering fire brigade pensions to examine the figures for the three-yearly spending review and to report back before the end of the current financial year.
Answer
The working group will look at both the funding pressures on authorities and the current funding arrangements for the Firemen's Pensions Scheme. We have recently obtained pension information from brigades to assist in determining the levels of funding for the next Spending Review. We have also sought the assistance of the Government Actuary's Department in analysing the information and this will be invaluable in assisting the work of the group.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 13 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how many payments have been made from the Scottish Consolidated Fund as balancing payments, as referred to in section 5.3 of HM Treasury's Funding the Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales and Northern Ireland Assembly: A Statement of Funding Policy; how much each payment was, when each payment was made, and what budget line each payment refers to.
Answer
No payments have as yet been made.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 February 2002
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Simpson on 13 March 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive what arrangements it has made, or will be making, to ensure that front-line fire services are not affected by the requirement placed on fire boards to pay pensions for firefighters out of revenue budgets.
Answer
A meeting was held on 7 February with Fire Board conveners to discuss the issue of fire pensions. Since that time we have confirmed that an additional £5 million will be made available to Fire Authorities in 2002-03 to assist in meeting rising pension costs. A short-term working group has been established to address the implications of the continuing increase in the cost of fire service pensions.
