HC Deb 11 July 1996 vol 281 cc288-91W
Mr. Donohoe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the salary and benefit package payable to the chief executive of the Common Services Agency in(a) 1992 and (b) 1996. [36614]

Lord James Douglas Hamilton

The salary payable to the Common Services Agency board general manager in 1992 was in the range of £48,300 to £62,790 and in 1996 the range £60,855 to £76,068. The benefits package for both years includes NHS terms and conditions, Crown car and eligibility of entry to the NHS pension scheme.

Mr. Donohoe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff were employed by the Common Services Agency on a(a) permanent and (b) a temporary basis for (i) 1992 and (ii) 1996; and how many vacancies there were in the Common Services Agency in (i) and (ii). [36618]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

The number of whole-time equivalent staff employed by the Common Services Agency in 1992 was 5,262; in 1995, the latest year for which figures are available, it was 2,360. The 1995 data exclude the Scottish Ambulance Service, which is now a trust containing 2,722 staff. Identification of permanent and temporary staff is not possible from data held centrally. Vacancy information is available only for medical, dental and nursing staff.

Mr. Donohoe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent on running the board of the Common Services Agency; how much was spent on the remuneration of the members of the board of the CSA including the remuneration of expenses; and what was the overall budget administered by the Common Services Agency in(a) 1992 and (b) 1996. [36619]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

The board is an integral part of the administrative structure of the Common Services Agency and its running costs are not identified separately.

The remuneration of board members, including the general manager and director of finance, and the overall budget administered by the agency are as follows:

1991–92 1995–96
Remuneration of Board Members £141.753 1£164.164
Overall budget £126 million £143 million
1 Figures for 1995–96 still to be audited.

Mr. Donohoe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many members there were on the board of the Common Services Agency; and if he will list the members of the board in(a) 1992 and (b) 1996. [36620]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

The board of the Common Services Agency had 11 board members in 1992 and nine board members in 1996. The board members for these years are listed as follows:

  • 1992
  • Chairman
    • Mr. Don Cruikshank
  • Non-executive Board Members
    • Mr. Ian Mullen
    • Dr. Rowland Mitchell
    • Mr. George Mackie
    • Mr. John Blanche
    • Mr. Victor Wood
    • Mrs. Fiona Stephenson
  • Executive Board Members
    • Mr. Jim Donald (General Manager)
    • Mr. Gavin Anderson (NHS in Scotland Management Executive)
    • Mr. George Tucker (NHS in Scotland Management Executive)
    • Mr. Trevor Callaway (Director of Finance)
  • 1996
  • Chairman
    • Mr. Geoff Scaife
  • Non-executive Board Members
    • Mrs. Fiona Stephenson
    • Mrs. Jane Jolly
    • Mrs. Christine Lenihan
    • Mr. Sandy Barrie
    • Mrs. Linda McPherson
    • Mr. Gordon Lounsbach
    • Executive Members
  • Mr. Francis Gibb (General Manager)
  • Mr. Eric Harper Gow (Director of Finance)

Mr. Donohoe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which areas of responsibility administered by the Common Services Agency have left the responsibility of his Department since 1992; if he will list the functions which have been lost by the CSA; and to which departments they have been transferred. [36637]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

My right hon. Friend has powers under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1972 to delegate to the Common Services Agency a range of statutory and other functions.

Responsibility for the national services division passed from the NHS management executive to the Common Services Agency in 1993. The national services division purchases a range of clinical and other services on behalf of the NHS in Scotland as a whole. The Common Services Agency also now performs a small number of administrative functions formerly carried out by the Scottish Office Department of Health. These include the provision of oxygen concentrators for domiciliary oxygen therapy and the processing of advertisements placed in the EC Journal by NHS bodies in Scotland. These activities are regulated and funded by service level contracts between the Common Services Agency and the NHS management executive.

The Common Services Agency is no longer responsible for the Scottish Ambulance Service, which became an NHS trust on 1 April 1995. Following a tendering exercise, the agency's building division was sold to a private sector buyer on 1 November 1995. The services formerly provided by the agency's data centre are now supplied by a private sector company, the Computer Sciences Corporation.

Mr. Donohoe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what reviews his Department has undertaken of the role and responsibilities of the Common Services Agency during the last five years. [36639]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

The role and responsibilities of the Common Services Agency are kept under review by the Scottish Office Department of Health. As part of this process, accountability reviews took place in June 1992 and November 1993.

In addition, since 1994, the following divisions of the agency have been subjected to specific internal reviews:

  • Building Division
  • Central Services
  • Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service
  • Supplies Division
  • Pharmacy Practice Division
  • Dental Practice Division
  • Central Legal Office
  • Scottish Antibody Production Unit

As a result of these reviews, the building division was sold to the private sector and the central legal office and the supplies division became fee earning.

The overall effect of these changes has been to reduce the running costs of the agency and to provide more effective and efficient support for the national health service in Scotland.

Mr. Donohoe

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what changes have occurred in the areas of responsibility of the Common Services Agency between 1992 and 1996 with particular reference to changes in the status of(a) the ambulance service, (b) the building division and (c) dental service payments; and what assessment he has made of the impact of these changes. [36640]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

During the past few years the CSA has undergone a period of significant change in its structure and activities.

The Scottish Ambulance Service became an NHS trust in April 1995 and the agency's building division was sold to the private sector in November 1994. There has been no change in the agency's responsibility for dental service payments

The agency's services have been realigned to meet the needs of its customers and to improve its efficiency and effectiveness. The agency is now a more streamlined organisation supporting the NHS in Scotland for the overall benefit of patient care.