- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 20 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what systems it has instituted to protect its staff against workplace bullying and, in particular, whether a confidential helpline is in place.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has a harassment policy in place. This includes bullying and applies to all staff working in the Executive. Well-established procedures exist for staff who feel that they are victims of workplace harassment or bullying to report and to have their case investigated. A confidential harassment helpline, staffed by trained councillors, is available to all staff.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 20 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much is owed, in total, to its Security Branch staff in back pay and travel allowances, what grades of staff these monies are owed to, over what period of time these monies have accrued, why this position has arisen, when these monies are to be paid and what steps have been taken regarding future arrangements.
Answer
There is no money due to security staff in back pay. Management in the Scottish Executive became aware earlier this year that security staff had not been claiming payment for time spent travelling to work. Steps have been taken to ensure that security staff are fully aware that they are able to claim travel time and consequently they have been doing so since 1 April 2001. Management and the relevant trade union have recently issued joint guidance to security staff advising them how to make retrospective claims back to 1 April 1995. These claims will be paid as soon as possible after they have been received. Until such time as all of the claims are received, the total payments to be made will not be known.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 20 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its staff have taken sick leave as a result of stress-related conditions, and how many sick days in total this represents, in each year since its inception and whether the reasons for these conditions have been identified.
Answer
In the 12-month period from 1 August 1999 to 31 July 2000, 82 officers took sick leave because of stress-related illnesses. These absences represented a loss of 3,402 working days.In the following 12-month period, 1 August 2000 to 31 July 2001, 73 officers took stress-related sick leave, representing a loss of 2,741.5 working days.As medical certificates do not always specify the cause of a stress-related illness, it is not possible to determine whether these absences result from problems at work or from personal or domestic difficulties.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 20 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether its employees will be protected under TUPE regulations if further services are outsourced and whether these protections will match those which would apply to civil servants employed in England or Wales.
Answer
The TUPE Regulations implement obligations under European law and apply in the same way throughout Great Britain. Therefore, if the regulations apply they will have the same effect whether the affected civil servants work in Scotland, England or Wales. Whether the regulations apply in any particular case will depend upon the particular circumstances of that case.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 19 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) regarding the length of time clients are expected to stay in emergency accommodation while awaiting a NASS decision on support in the light of the Social Justice Committee's response to Petition: PE242 on asylum seekers published in February 2001.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues including asylum seekers.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 18 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering outsourcing any further services concerned with the management of its estate and buildings.
Answer
The Scottish Executive commissioned a consultancy study in March this year to review the provision of facilities management services. The consultants were asked to advise on a range of potential options including the evaluation of different mixes of in-house and outsourced provision of these services. The Executive will consider these issues in detail in the light of the consultants' final report.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 18 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering any transfer of its assets at Victoria Quay.
Answer
The Scottish Executive commissioned a consultancy study in March this year to review the provision of facilities management services including those services currently provided in Victoria Quay. The consultants were asked to advise on a range of potential options including the evaluation of different mixes of in-house and outsourced provision of these services. One option involves a potential transfer of assets. The Executive will consider these issues in detail in the light of the consultants' final report.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 14 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of a motion of no confidence in its management having been passed by its security staff; if so, what actions have been taken to address the concerns raised, what further actions will be taken to address the concerns raised and what steps are being taken to ensure that a similar situation does not arise again in the future.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is aware that a motion of no confidence was passed at a union meeting attended by security staff in July but no concerns following the motion have been raised with Security Branch management.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 16 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 13 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive why it did not provide the specific information on issues relating to asylum seekers, refugees and the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 requested in questions S1O-2628, S1W-6472, S1W-6475, S1W-3792, S1W-1981, S1W-1983, S1W-3650, S1W-3649, S1W-2542, S1W-1167, S1W-1166, S1W-142, S1W-163 and S1W-58 and whether the information requested in these questions was withheld at the request of Her Majesty's Government under paragraph 11 (a) of the Memorandum of Understanding and supplementary agreements between the United Kingdom Government, Scottish Ministers and the Cabinet of the National Assembly for Wales.
Answer
Discussions between the Scottish Executive and the UK Government are normally conducted on a confidential basis. As stated in paragraph 11 of the Memorandum of Understanding, the principle that each administration will wish to ensure that the information that it supplies to others is subject to appropriate safeguards in order to avoid prejudicing its interests is strictly adhered to.
- Asked by: Fiona Hyslop, MSP for Lothians, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 10 September 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the National Asylum Support Service regarding any resourcing problems faced by those voluntary organisations involved in offering services and assistance to asylum seekers in Scotland, as identified in the Social Justice Committee's response to Petition: PE242 on asylum seekers.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues including asylum seekers.
