Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) issued joint guidance on National Eligibility Criteria and Waiting Times for the Personal and Nursing Care of Older People on 28 September 2009. All 32 local authorities have confirmed that their local arrangements for access to social care services and timescales for access to personal and nursing care services are consistent with the guidance.

Scottish Government continues to support the aim of the COSLA Charging Guidance for Non-Residential Social Care Services to achieve consistency. The guidance is not intended to produce uniformity but to provide discretion to councils to establish their own charging policies in order to align with local priorities and local needs.

COSLA are responsive to public concern about the variations in local authorities approach to charging for home care. COSLA undertake annual charging surveys, and have developed a community of practice to enable councils to benchmark charging practice. A short life working group has recently been set up to take forward work on developing new guidance with a view to implementation by spring 2012. This working Group will include representatives from a range of stakeholders, including Disabled People's Organisations, National Carers Organisations and Organisations representing Older People.

Published information on headcount and whole time equivalent epilepsy nurse specialists broken down by NHS board can be found on the workforce statistics website at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health%2DTopics/Workforce/Nursing%2Dand%2DMidwifery/Clinical%20Nurse%20Specialists%202010.xls

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02562 on 15 September 2011. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-02562 on 15 September 2011. All answers to written parliamentary uestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to questions S4W-01633, S4W-01634, S4W-01635, S4W-01636 and S4W-01637 on 2 September 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx

The delay in answering these written questions occurred as a result of the time necessary to retrieve information from the human resources systems across the range of bodies in respect of which the information was sought.

Six staff transferred from HM Inspectorate of Education to Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland on 1 April 2011.

One hundred and seventy-nine staff transferred from HM Inspectorate of Education to Education Scotland on 1 July 2011.

Only permanent and fixed-term appointment staff have been counted. These figures do not include sessional/fees paid staff, agency workers or staff seconded from another employer.

The performance of all NHS boards against key government targets and measures are closely monitored on a continuous basis, including formal Mid-Year Reviews. The changes to the Annual Review arrangements are about encouraging as much direct dialogue and accountability as possible between local communities and the NHS boards that serve them.

All NHS boards will continue to hold Annual Reviews in public which will include an opportunity for local people to question the board representatives. All boards will submit a written report to Ministers on their performance over the previous year and plans for the forthcoming year. And Ministers will continue to respond to all boards in writing, with these letters being published in the usual way.

It is important to note that NHS boards will still have their Annual Reviews chaired by a Minister at least every two years and more often should circumstances demand. These arrangements are about achieving the right balance and ensuring that boards are subject to proportional and robust scrutiny.

Information on the numbers of applications and awards and total spend for community care grants and crisis loans for Scotland in 2009-10 is published in Annex C, Table 1 of Local support to replace Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans for living expenses in England, available at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-fund-localisation-response.pdf.

The associated spreadsheet Social Fund spend by local authority http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-fund-spend-by-local-authority.xls has information for individual Scottish local authorities.

These are both available at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/consultations/2011/local-support-replace-ccg-cl.shtml.

The Tackling Poverty Board last met on Wednesday 13 April 2011. Board papers can be found at http://www.employabilityinscotland.com/tacklingpovertyboardpapers.aspx.

Membership of the Tackling Poverty Board is outlined within the November 2009 Tackling Poverty Board paper remit and membership at http://www.employabilityinscotland.com/tacklingpovertyboardpapers.aspx.