A service from mySociety A service from mySociety

TheyWorkForYou

Menu

NHS Hospitals

– Scottish Parliament written question – answered at on 16 December 2008.

Alert me about debates like this

Photo of Marlyn Glen Marlyn Glen Labour

Question S3W-18660

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing’s statements on 11 September 2008 that a buy-out of the PFI contract for car parking at Ninewells Hospital "would cost tens of millions of pounds" ( Official Report c. 10734 and 10736) and subsequent notification in a letter dated 12 November 2008 to Marlyn Glen MSP that this estimated cost emerged in a telephone conversation between her officials and representatives of NHS Tayside, for what reason the cabinet secretary is unable to provide a copy of the written record of the telephone conversation, as stated in a letter to Marlyn Glen dated 18 November 2008.

Photo of Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Sturgeon Scottish National Party

The written record of the conversation contained officials’ initial assessment of the potential negotiating position of the PFI provider. It would undermine NHS Tayside’s negotiating position if that figure was in the public domain and therefore it is not in the public interest to release it.

Does this answer the above question?

2 people think so

2 people think not

Would you like to ask a question like this yourself? Use our Freedom of Information site.

Cabinet

The cabinet is the group of twenty or so (and no more than 22) senior government ministers who are responsible for running the departments of state and deciding government policy.

It is chaired by the prime minister.

The cabinet is bound by collective responsibility, which means that all its members must abide by and defend the decisions it takes, despite any private doubts that they might have.

Cabinet ministers are appointed by the prime minister and chosen from MPs or peers of the governing party.

However, during periods of national emergency, or when no single party gains a large enough majority to govern alone, coalition governments have been formed with cabinets containing members from more than one political party.

War cabinets have sometimes been formed with a much smaller membership than the full cabinet.

From time to time the prime minister will reorganise the cabinet in order to bring in new members, or to move existing members around. This reorganisation is known as a cabinet re-shuffle.

The cabinet normally meets once a week in the cabinet room at Downing Street.