On what dates ministerial directions, as described under section 6.4 of the current Scottish Ministerial Code regarding a course of action …

Since devolution there have been no occasions where Accountable Officers have sought an authority on the grounds of propriety or regularity. There have however, been five occasions where Accountable Officers have sought an authority on value for money grounds, two of which were on the same issue. The following table gives more detail:
Description
| Background
| Minister
| Date

Campbeltown to Ballycastle Ferry Service
| In the light of the financial and economic appraisals that were carried out officials had advised ministers that, with a high anticipated subsidy requirement and a low level of forecast employment creation, the project represented very poor value for money in terms of the probable costs and economic benefits.
| Wendy Alexander
| 29-01-02

Lifeline Air Services Glasgow & Barra
| Officials advised ministers that the savings from the withdrawal of air services out of Barra would have a positive NPV for the Sound of Barra vessel. An instruction was therefore sought to act on the ministers'' decision to continue the Glasgow
- Barra air service.
| Iain Gray
| 19-03-03

Relocation of Scottish Natural Heritage
| SNH were subject to a relocation review in pursuance of the Executive''s relocation policy. Their main headquarters functions were housed in two buildings in Edinburgh. The option appraisal showed that a move to anywhere outside Edinburgh would be significantly more expensive than the status quo.
| Ross Finnie
| 26-03-03

Campbeltown to Ballycastle Ferry Service
| In light of the financial and economic appraisals that had been carried out officials had advised ministers that, with a high subsidy requirement and a low level of forecast employment creation, the project did not pass the value for money appraisals applied to such proposals. (The 2002 instruction did not cover this tendering exercise “ it was effectively spent at the conclusion of the previous tendering exercise.)
| Nicol Stephen
| 30-03-05

HMP Bishopbriggs
| The Accountable Officer was concerned that cancelling the competition for a PFI design, build and operate contract and beginning a new competition to design and build a prison for public sector operation would result in significant additional expenditure
- because of the gap in cost efficiency between public and private operation
- and import significant delay into the project
- because the procurement process would effectively go back to start.
| Kenny MacAskill
|