Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-01152 on 18 July 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 Ministerial statement published on 17 March 2011, acknowledges the importance of the role of specialist physiotherapists, and outlines the action that the Scottish Government has taken to ensure that people living with neuromuscular conditions have access to specialist physiotherapy.

The Scottish Muscle Network is also planning to improve the education of
non-specialists, including community physiotherapists and is also undertaking work to identify all professionals across Scotland working with people with neuromuscular disorders, to ensure they are able to draw on appropriate peer and expert support.

It is however for individual NHS boards to determine the number of dedicated physiotherapists they require to meet the full range of needs of their resident population, including people living with neuromuscular disease.

At our request, the Scottish Muscle Network is developing a job description for these posts so that we can better understand how their establishment might be taken forward.

It is not yet clear what the Barnett Formula implications may be of the range of potential reforms the UK Government is considering introducing in its response to Lord Hutton’s recommendations, which can be found at the following web address – http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/hutton_final_100311.pdf. The Scottish Government understands that the UK Government is currently engaged in high-level negotiations with Trade Unions and does not intend to announce the detail of potential longer-term reforms until autumn 2011.

Data on the number of new cases of cervical cancer, diagnosed in each year since 2007, are shown in the following table.

The latest year for which cancer registration data are complete is 2008.

The Scottish Muscle Network is setting up a specialist respiratory sub-group to promote access to specialist respiratory services for people living with neuromuscular conditions who require it. This group will liaise with other existing local and national respiratory groups on issues relating to neuromuscular disorders, including the regional complex respiratory Managed Clinical Networks that are being developed, to maintain a co-ordinated approach.

The Scottish Muscle Network has now produced a job description for these posts. We will ask the Regional Planning Groups to consider how they might be funded by the NHS on a sustainable basis.

The last major reform of the NHS Superannuation Scheme (Scotland), which took effect on 1 April 2008, had the following key features:

an increase in the Normal Pension Age (the age a scheme member is normally able to draw their accrued pension benefits without penalties) from 60 to 65 for new members from April 2008;

introduction of tiered employee contribution rates, which become progressively higher the more scheme members earn;

introduction of ‘cap and share’ arrangements as a means of dealing with any future cost increases;

introduction of two-tier ill-health provisions.

The special advisers appointed to date are:

The current special adviser pay ranges are:

The estimated salary cost of the current team of 11 special advisers in post (including ERNIC and employer pension contributions) is £822,000. The cost of the team of 12 special advisers under the previous Labour administration in 2006-07 was £854,000.

I met with the Scottish Power (UK) Retail Director on 14 June 2011 to discuss their recent price increases and the implications for consumers in Scotland. I expressed my serious concerns at their recent price rises and the impacts of these on consumers in Scotland. I secured Scottish Power's commitment to work with the Scottish Government and local authorities on a targeted £10 million programme to deliver more of their regulatory obligations to help the most vulnerable communities in Scotland.