Chamber and committees

The statutory Debt ArrangementScheme came into force on 30 November 2004. There have been 74 debt payment programmes approved,all in 2005. The scheme does not require a court application, and numbers are nottherefore available by sheriff court district.

The Executive expects to publishthe draft strategy in the spring of 2006.

I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-20067 on 7 November 2005, which applies to the primary curriculum also. All answersto written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, thesearch facility for which can be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

There are no plans to make financialeducation compulsory within the curriculum.

The secondary school curriculumin Scotland is not prescribed by statute and delivery is a matterfor education authorities and schools. The Scottish Executive’s policy is to ensurethat guidance to education authorities and schools and the framework of nationalqualifications provide opportunities for teaching financial education.

Work on the implementation ofA Curriculum for Excellence will produce a framework for enabling all youngpeople to become responsible citizens, effective contributors, confident individualsand successful learners. We will ensure that cross-curricular issues such as citizenshipeducation, education for sustainable development, enterprise in education, creativityand financial education are reflected in new guidance across curricular areas.

No decision has been taken about the future of these two hospitals. As you know, NHS Borders has been reviewing in-patient facilities in the Borders area with a view to deciding how services should be delivered in future. The board’s overall strategy was discussed at the NHS Borders Annual Review on 10 October.

I understand that, having considered the outcome of the review, NHS Borders has selected preferred options, and these will be subject to a three month public consultation starting this month. The role of Jedburgh and Coldstream Cottage Hospitals in the future will form part of the consultation.

I expect NHS Borders to continue to engage closely with the local communities and their representatives over the course of the consultation.

Yes. Consultants have been commissioned to carry out research into the operation of the scheme and have already carried out a preliminary evaluation of its operation. Phase 2 of the evaluation will begin in October 2005 and last for about six months. An interim report is expected during November 2005, when a review of the scheme will begin.

It is thought that 150 approved advisers will provide the necessary support for expected demand for the Debt Arrangement Scheme. To date, 36 money advisers have been approved. This is disappointing, and I am not satisfied that there are enough advisers to support the scheme. My officials are, however, continuing to work with the money advice sector to identify and overcome obstacles to take up. I am encouraged by the fact that 200 money advice workers have been trained on the Debt Arrangement Scheme and can therefore go ahead and complete the approval process.

The majority of patients who require in-patient and day case treatment, including hernia operations, are treated quickly. Nearly 55% of patients treated in NHSScotland hospitals receive immediate treatment and never join a waiting list. Of those who do wait 41% are admitted within one month and almost 70% within three months.

For those who wait longer, the current national maximum waiting time is nine months. This guaranteed waiting time will be reduced to six months from the end of 2005 and to 18 weeks from the end of 2007. On 30 June 2005, no NHSScotland patient with a guarantee had waited more than nine months for in-patient and day case treatment.

The deferred waiting list was abolished on 1 April 2003. Prior to that date, patients admitted for treatment from the deferred list were excluded from any analysis of published retrospective waiting time data. Consequently, as the data prior to 1 April would not be directly comparable with later years, information has only been provided for 2003-04 and 2004-05. The information provided is derived from data on patients treated during the year and includes patients who will have had an Availability Status Code (ASC) applied, for example because they were medically unfit or asked for their admission to be deferred for personal reasons. The following table shows the number of patients who had waited more than a 100 days for a hernia operation in the years ending 31 March 2004 and 2005, by NHS board of residence.

Number of Patients who had Waited More than a 100 Days for a Hernia¹ Operation, by NHS Board of Residence, for the Years Ending 31 March 2004 and 2005^P

NHS Board Area	31 March 2004	31 March 2005P
Argyll and Clyde	316	342
Ayrshire and Arran	261	318
Borders	135	100
Dumfries and Galloway	153	119
Fife	414	399
Forth Valley	243	304
Grampian	521	522
Greater Glasgow	698	643
Highland	138	180
Lanarkshire	579	648
Lothian	853	758
Orkney	3	10
Shetland	3	5
Tayside	420	304
Western Isles	16	11
NHSScotland	4,753	4,663

^PProvisional.

Note: 1. Hernia operations are defined as all OPCS4 procedures “T19” to “T27” inclusive.

Broadcasting is a reserved matter.The Scottish Executive regularly engages with Ofcom to discuss different aspectsof broadcasting in Scotland, including digital switchover. The Executive has madeclear to Ofcom the importance it attaches to social inclusion. Officials have alsomet the Scottish representative on the Ofcom Consumer Panel to discuss broadcastingand digital switchover issues as they affect Scotland.

Broadcasting is a reserved matter.On 15 September 2005, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport,Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP, confirmed the timetable for digital switchover and announceddetails of a supportscheme to make sure that no one is left behind in the switch. Questions about digital switchover are a matter for UK Ministersat the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.