Chamber and committees

Paediatric growth charts arean important tool for recording changing patterns in a child’s growth. Midwivesare responsible for the care of each client and it is an accepted good practiceto weigh and measure the baby. Current charts are based on calculations using thegrowth patterns of babies fed largely on formula milk.  Bottle-fed babies put onweight more quickly than those that are breast-fed, meaning breast-fed childrencould be shown as underweight. The new recommended charts are based on data frombreast-fed babies. The Scottish Executive launched the Infant Feeding Strategyfor Scotland – A consultation paper in March 2006. As part of this consultation,due to finish on the 30 June, we will look at and review the use of these charts.

The Scottish Executive worksthroughout the year with NHS Health Scotland who support a range of promotional, research and bestpractice at a national level. In addition during breastfeeding awareness week, thereare numerous activities planned across Scotland to raise awareness to the public about breastfeedingand health benefits. The Executive has provided funds towards the cost of theseevents. An information leaflet about the Breastfeeding etc. (Scotland) Act is alsobeing distributed by the Executive to promote awareness amongst employers of theirresponsibilities towards breastfeeding mothers under the act.

The Scottish Executive, in associationwith NHS Health Scotland, has produced an information leaflet for the industrysector to advise them of their responsibility under the act. This will be distributedto all businesses during breast awareness week. Scotland already has an existinginfrastructure to support breastfeeding and through a multi-agency effort we continueto work with these groups to publicise the new legal protection afforded to individuals.As part of the consultation on our Infant Feeding Strategy we will monitor the effectof the introduction of breastfeeding legislation, ensuring key recommendations areconsidered and implemented.

The Executive is committed toensuring that alternatives to custody are in place, and that where woman do endup in prison, effective work is done to minimise the likelihood of re-offending.

I am pleased to say that theevaluation of the innovative 218 centre in Glasgow which was published lastweek supported a new approach developed here in Scotland. The 218 centre bringstogether in one place a range of interventions targeting the specific offendingneeds of women. We now are looking to see how the lessons from the 218 centre canbe applied more widely.

Lanarkshire Acute Hospitals NHSTrust received £2.7 million from the Capital Modernisation Fund for the upgradeof the accident and emergency department at Monklands Hospital in 2002.However, in 2002-03 the basis of funding capital expenditure changed from beinga project by project bidding request to the Health Department to a system whereNHS boards are given a single allocationbased on an agreed formula. The application of this capital resource is prioritisedby NHS boards themselves, having regard to national, regional and local priorities.

NHS Lanarkshire received formulacapital allocations of £11.67 million in 2002-03, £15.92 million in 2003-04, £17.571million in 2004-05, £19.703 million in 2005-06 and £23.644 million in 2006-07. Thiswill increase again in 2007-08 to £28.390 million. Details on the proportion ofthis resource applied in upgrading and maintaining accident and emergency departmentsis not held centrally.

The £2.7 million award was givento Lanarkshire Acute Hospital NHS Trust from the Capital Modernisation Fund, whichwas a centrally based initiative. MEL (1999)75 which issued on 7 October 1999 invitedNHS trusts to submit proposals for the  re-design of their Accident and EmergencyServices, to improve the quality of service and to address issues of accessibility.The MEL set out the criteria which the successful proposals should address and statedthat only those proposals which successfully met the criteria would receive funding.The criteria were:

1. Funding would only be availablefor the capital costs and trusts and health boards had to agree to meet consequentrevenue effects;

2. Bids had to be consistentwith the recommendations for the development of emergency services outlined in theAcute Services Review, and with local strategies for the management of emergencies;

3. An inter-relationship betweenNHS Direct pilots, telemedicine and accident and emergency investments were welcomed,although developments had to be flexible enough to cope with the different timeframes;

4. Proposals had to address theredesign agenda set out in the White Paper “Designed to Care” and definenew ways of working and caring for patients, and

5. Successful proposals had tooutline the opportunities for joint working between primary care, accident and emergencyand other secondary care services.

This information is not heldcentrally.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-23644 on 9 March 2006. All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The funding for the mainstreamingof New Futures Fund (NFF) will be allocated to Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs)that have NFF projects in their areas. The allocations are outlined in the tablebelow. We are in discussion with some CPPs to finalise funding arrangements as anumber of the existing projects provide services into two partnership areas. Bythe end of September, CPPs will be required to provide plans for developing employabilityservices for those people furthest from the labour market, building on NFF projectswhere appropriate.

Local Authority	Allocation for 2006-07 and 2007-08
Aberdeen City	£219,000
Aberdeenshire	£25,000
Dumfries and Galloway	£210,000
Dundee	£89,000
East Lothian	£42,500
Midlothian	£42,500
East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire	£79,000
East Ayrshire	£30,000
Edinburgh	£296,000
Falkirk	£49,000
Fife	£131,000
Glasgow	£1,094,000
Inverclyde	£70,000
North Lanarkshire	£277,000
Perth and Kinross	£148,000
South Ayrshire	£186,000
South Lanarkshire	£69,000
West Dunbartonshire	£95,000

 

I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

The latest available statisticsfor Registered Social Landlords (2004-05) show that the national average monthlyrent for a two-apartment dwelling, let as a Scottish Secure Tenancy in 2005, was£188.07.