NCTJ PUBLIC AFFAIRS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
GRADED A+
✔✔Unicameral Parliament - ✔✔Unlike Westminster it has one chamber not two. One
Plenary Chamber Powerful Committee System designed not just to do the type of work
committees do at Westminster but also provide the scrutiny that the House of Lords
does. Approves - Forwards Legislation, Scrutinises Scottish Government, Represents
People of Scotland, Debates and Deliberates, Legitimation. Presiding Officer -
Parliament Bureau.
✔✔Scottish Parliament Committees - ✔✔Combine Select and Standing Committee
Roles; designed to allow for scrutiny - problems around membership though; proposed
reforms of committee system. Initiate legislation; scrutiny and fact finding.;
✔✔The Scottish Legislative Process - ✔✔1. Lead committee appointed.
2. Pre-legislative stage - ensuring proper consultation
3. Introduction of bill (accompanied by documentation)
4. Stage 1: principles considered in committee, evidence taken, debate and vote in
plenary
5. Stage 2: bill returns to committee for amendments
6. Stage 3: amendments approved in plenary and debate and vote on whole bill
7. Royal Assent
✔✔First Minister powers - ✔✔The First Minister leads the government. In theory
parliament also has to approve any ministerial cabinet changes which are made. In
practice the First Minister has the power to hire and fire cabinet members much as a UK
Prime Minister does.
✔✔Distinctive Policies - ✔✔Introduction of free personal care
Establishment of NHS Foundation Trusts in England and Wales, but not Scotland;
alternative medical professional infrastructure in Scotland
Smoking ban in public places in 2005.
Introduction of free prescriptions (Wales did this too)
Abolition of undergraduate student fees and bridge tolls
Greater council house and affordable house building than rest of UK
Alcohol: minimum pricing introduced
✔✔Increased Competition v Rigorous Standards - ✔✔"Private competition and cost
cutting have reduced the resources available for in depth reporting and investigation
into policy issues and increased the reliance on spin doctors and insider gossip on who
is up and who is down" (Keating 1995: 91).
Opinion replaces factual reporting
✔✔NHS Founding Principles - ✔✔Free at point of delivery
Comprehensive (it covered as many health-related matters as possible)
, Not a NI scheme (funded through general taxation)
✔✔NHS Policy Actors - ✔✔The UK government and the Scottish government have
important roles in setting the overall direction of policy, establishing targets for the NHS
etc.
Other key actors include those within the medical profession itself.
I.e General Medical Council (recognising and licences doctors etc. to allow them to
practice medicine),
British Medical Association (the union of doctors.) and
Royal College of Nursing (the union of nurses).
Other Health Professionals
Private Sector
✔✔NHS Funding - ✔✔mostly through general taxation (80%). The other 20% comes
from a mix of NHS element of NI contributions
- Prescription charges (Not Scotland)
- Land sales and income generation schemes
- Voluntary appeals
Scotland is funded through Barnett Formula
✔✔NHS Scotland - ✔✔The scottish government Sets overall direction
Sets national standards to enhance quality of services
Works with key partners - mainly local government to ensure quality of service
✔✔NHS structure - ✔✔[Scottish Government] Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social
Care(Humza Yousaf) - targets, performance, funding
Minister for Public Health, Women's Health and Sport (Maree Todd)
Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care(Kevin Stewart)
Below them is [NHS Scotland]
There is a Health and Social Care Management Board with its own head who is the
Chief Executive of NHS Scotland. The board is responsible for the overall standard of
care & support provided to healthcare professionals.
The next level down is that of the 14 NHS Regional Health boards who are responsible
for the delivery of frontline healthcare services. Run the hospitals and provide both
inpatient and outpatient care. There are also seven special boards too.
The next level down is the community health or care partnerships which bring together
local health care with those from local government to integrate aspects of healthcare
such as drawing up plans for elderly residents or other vulnerable adults who require
special assistance.
[Health Care Related]
Self-employed - GPs, dentists,
Scottish Medicines Consortium, (procures drugs and meds)
Health Care Improvement Scotland - Key NHS regulator (makes sure standards are
being met)
GRADED A+
✔✔Unicameral Parliament - ✔✔Unlike Westminster it has one chamber not two. One
Plenary Chamber Powerful Committee System designed not just to do the type of work
committees do at Westminster but also provide the scrutiny that the House of Lords
does. Approves - Forwards Legislation, Scrutinises Scottish Government, Represents
People of Scotland, Debates and Deliberates, Legitimation. Presiding Officer -
Parliament Bureau.
✔✔Scottish Parliament Committees - ✔✔Combine Select and Standing Committee
Roles; designed to allow for scrutiny - problems around membership though; proposed
reforms of committee system. Initiate legislation; scrutiny and fact finding.;
✔✔The Scottish Legislative Process - ✔✔1. Lead committee appointed.
2. Pre-legislative stage - ensuring proper consultation
3. Introduction of bill (accompanied by documentation)
4. Stage 1: principles considered in committee, evidence taken, debate and vote in
plenary
5. Stage 2: bill returns to committee for amendments
6. Stage 3: amendments approved in plenary and debate and vote on whole bill
7. Royal Assent
✔✔First Minister powers - ✔✔The First Minister leads the government. In theory
parliament also has to approve any ministerial cabinet changes which are made. In
practice the First Minister has the power to hire and fire cabinet members much as a UK
Prime Minister does.
✔✔Distinctive Policies - ✔✔Introduction of free personal care
Establishment of NHS Foundation Trusts in England and Wales, but not Scotland;
alternative medical professional infrastructure in Scotland
Smoking ban in public places in 2005.
Introduction of free prescriptions (Wales did this too)
Abolition of undergraduate student fees and bridge tolls
Greater council house and affordable house building than rest of UK
Alcohol: minimum pricing introduced
✔✔Increased Competition v Rigorous Standards - ✔✔"Private competition and cost
cutting have reduced the resources available for in depth reporting and investigation
into policy issues and increased the reliance on spin doctors and insider gossip on who
is up and who is down" (Keating 1995: 91).
Opinion replaces factual reporting
✔✔NHS Founding Principles - ✔✔Free at point of delivery
Comprehensive (it covered as many health-related matters as possible)
, Not a NI scheme (funded through general taxation)
✔✔NHS Policy Actors - ✔✔The UK government and the Scottish government have
important roles in setting the overall direction of policy, establishing targets for the NHS
etc.
Other key actors include those within the medical profession itself.
I.e General Medical Council (recognising and licences doctors etc. to allow them to
practice medicine),
British Medical Association (the union of doctors.) and
Royal College of Nursing (the union of nurses).
Other Health Professionals
Private Sector
✔✔NHS Funding - ✔✔mostly through general taxation (80%). The other 20% comes
from a mix of NHS element of NI contributions
- Prescription charges (Not Scotland)
- Land sales and income generation schemes
- Voluntary appeals
Scotland is funded through Barnett Formula
✔✔NHS Scotland - ✔✔The scottish government Sets overall direction
Sets national standards to enhance quality of services
Works with key partners - mainly local government to ensure quality of service
✔✔NHS structure - ✔✔[Scottish Government] Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social
Care(Humza Yousaf) - targets, performance, funding
Minister for Public Health, Women's Health and Sport (Maree Todd)
Minister for Mental Wellbeing and Social Care(Kevin Stewart)
Below them is [NHS Scotland]
There is a Health and Social Care Management Board with its own head who is the
Chief Executive of NHS Scotland. The board is responsible for the overall standard of
care & support provided to healthcare professionals.
The next level down is that of the 14 NHS Regional Health boards who are responsible
for the delivery of frontline healthcare services. Run the hospitals and provide both
inpatient and outpatient care. There are also seven special boards too.
The next level down is the community health or care partnerships which bring together
local health care with those from local government to integrate aspects of healthcare
such as drawing up plans for elderly residents or other vulnerable adults who require
special assistance.
[Health Care Related]
Self-employed - GPs, dentists,
Scottish Medicines Consortium, (procures drugs and meds)
Health Care Improvement Scotland - Key NHS regulator (makes sure standards are
being met)
