Scottish Parliament e-Brief
Issue 54, 20th February 2001
SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK
Parliament is in recess this week. Business in Committees and the Chamber returns on Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th February respectively.
SECTION 2 - NEWS
More doctors and nurses are to be employed by the NHS in Scotland to deal with illness in deprived and rural areas.
The Scottish Executive is investing £18.5 million over three years to fund up to 50 GP posts and 50 additional nursing posts.
It will also deliver enhanced local services across the country.
For the first time GPs will have the option of becoming permanent salaried employees of NHS Scotland instead of being independent contractors responsible for their own business.
The extra resources will benefit all 15 of Scotland's health board areas - with the greatest shares of resources going to those areas with high levels of deprivation and rural communities.
Health Minister, Susan Deacon, said five pilot schemes, which have now been given the go-ahead to become permanent, had been used to test the idea and were living proof of the benefits patients would receive.
She said a new type of GP would be created, working for patients and employed by the NHS rather than as a form of small business.
McCONNELL ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR SCHOOL PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS
Education Minister, Jack McConnell, today paved the way for 21 local authorities across Scotland to replace or renovate their schools.
The Minister said:
"Too many Scottish schools are in a poor state and need significant renovation. Pupils and teachers should have a positive environment in which to work and develop. The investment of £5 million I am announcing today is the most significant step yet in rolling out action across Scotland.
"A number of authorities are already seeing the benefit of seizing the opportunities a Public private partnership can give for early investment in school buildings.
"With the obvious rewards of these partnerships, more authorities should benefit from them. The £5 million will help them with the cost of early investigation and feasibility studies of possible future school Ppp developments and will pave the way for further major investment.
"I hope this will encourage the authorities to take a broad, strategic approach to improving the overall mix of their school building and lead to projects which will help to redress the long-standing neglect of Scotland's school buildings."
Authorities were invited last September to submit bids, which were judged against a number of criteria, including the level of interest the authorities had already shown in Ppp, and the extent to which authorities could demonstrate they were taking a wide strategic view of property needs. Under the scheme, Inverclyde Council will receive £150,000.
SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS
Parliament is in recess.
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