Chamber and committees

The Executive’s CoronaryHeart Disease (CHD) and Stroke Strategy, drawn up in 2002 set out recommendationsto improve stroke services in NHS Scotland. NHS boards have taken action to implement these recommendations. AStroke Managed Clinical Network (MCN) has been set up in each health boardarea. These networks are a way of bringing together clinicians from all sectorsof the NHS to work with patients to deliver sustainable improvements in strokeservices. A National Advisory Committee for Stroke has been established to takeforward the implementation of the stroke elements of the strategy. £40 millionof additional funding for the period 2003-06 was allocated to boards to helptake forward the recommendations of the CHD and Stroke Strategy. Approximately50% of this funding was allocated to priority projects identified by the StrokeMCNs. These projects included: setting up Acute Stroke Units, enhancedneurovascular services, and recruiting more allied health professionals andnursing staff.

Followingon from the strategy we set a target to reduce deaths from stroke by 50% in theunder-75s between 1995 and 2010. We are on track to meet these targets as therehas been a 40% reduction in the mortality rate for the under-75s during thisperiod.

NHSQuality Improvement Scotland published its Stroke Standards in March 2004 andall boards have been visited by NHS QIS staff during 2004-05 to assess whetherthey were meeting these standards. All boards have developed action plans toincrease their compliance with the quality standards.

In their treatment of strokepatients boards are also expected to take account of evidence-based SIGN Guideline78 - Management of patients with stroke: Identification and management ofdysphagia, and SIGN Guideline 64 Management ofpatients with stroke: rehabilitation, prevention and management ofcomplications, and discharge planning. SIGN Guideline 64 is currently beingreviewed but its recommendations are not significantly affected by newevidence.

Following the launch of theCoronary Heart Disease and Stroke Strategy in 2002 an additional £40 millionwas “ring fenced” to support its implementation for a period of three yearsbetween 2003 and 2006. Managed clinical networks, established in each NHS boardarea, have been an integral component in determining the allocation of thesefunds at a local level.

NHS boards do not receive aspecific budget for the treatment of coronary heart disease. An annualallocation is made to each board to utilise and meet the health care needs ofits resident population, including the cost of treatment for coronary heartdisease, taking account of national and local priorities. Coronary HeartDisease is a national priority for NHS Scotland and the Scottish Executive.

Thegeneral allocation to NHS boards since 1999 is as follows:

1999-2000- £4,566.26 million

2000-01- £4,919.40 million

2001-02- £5,272.54 million

2002-03- £5,932.08 million

2003-04- £6,384.51 million

2004-05- £7,465.22 million

2005-06 - £8,112.94 million.

This information is not heldcentrally. NHS boards do not receive a specific budget for the treatment ofstroke. NHS boards receive an annual allocation. It is for each NHS board toutilise the funds available to meet the health care needs of its residentpopulation, including the cost of treatment for stroke, taking account of nationaland local priorities. The general allocations to boards since 1999 are asfollows:

1999-2000- £4,566.26 million

2000-01- £4,919.40 million

2001-02- £5,272.54 million

2002-03- £5,932.08 million

2003-04- £6,384.51 million

2004-05- £7,465.22 million

2005-06- £8,112.94 million.

£40 million of additionalfunding has been allocated to boards to help implement the recommendations of the CHD and Stroke Strategy since 2002. Approximately 50% of this funding wasallocated to priority projects identified by each Stroke MCN. In addition, afurther £15 million has been ring-fenced in 2006-07 to help boards improve CHDand stroke services.

The amount of fundingallocated for modern apprentices (MA) in a particular local authority area,parliamentary constituency or by year is an operational matter for ScottishEnterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. This information is not heldcentrally.

At the 2002 spending review,the Executive allocated an additional £25 million pounds to the enterprisenetworks for the period 2003 to 2006 to increase the number of modernapprentices in training.

The enterprise networks publishtheir annual reports and accounts which contain the total expenditure on learningand skills, of which the MA programme is a part. These can be found at:

http://www.scottish-enterprise.com/sedotcom_home/about_se/research-and-publications.htm#annual_report_and_accountsand http://www.hie.co.uk/corporate-publications.htm.

The available information isshown in the following tables. There are no prison establishments in either of theselocal authority areas.

Net revenue expenditure on policeforces and fire brigades in the Argyll andBute and West Dunbartonshire local authority areas from 1999-2000

Police Forces

	1999-2000 (£ Million)	2000-01 (£ Million)	2001-02 (£ Million)	2002-03 (£ Million)	2003-04 (£ Million)	2004-05 (£ Million)
Argyll and Bute	8.302	8.172	8.501	8.304	9.830	9.678
West Dunbartonshire 1	11.935	12.033	12.547	24.775	27.648	27.490

Source: Local Financial Returns.

Note: 1. Large increase from2002-03 due to change in accounting practice.

Fire Brigades

	1999-2000 (£ Million)	2000-01 (£ Million)	2001-02 (£ Million)	2002-03 (£ Million)	2003-04 (£ Million)	2004-05 (£ Million)
Argyll and Bute	3.027	3.117	3.364	3.550	3.866	4.052
West Dunbartonshire	5.482	5.642	6.092	6.428	6.989	7.339

Source: Local Financial Returns.

The number of modern apprentices(MAs) broken down by local authority area and by year is an operational matter forScottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. This information is not heldcentrally.

However, Scottish Enterprisehave published MA figures which include the parliamentary constituency of Dumbartonas well as Dunbartonshire local enterprise company area. These are now in the publicdomain and can be found on their website:

www.scottish-enterprise.com/sedotcom_home/training-providers-top/training-providers/performance-and-reports.htm?siblingtoggle=1.

On 12 June 2006, I launched WorkforcePlus, An Employability Framework for Scotland. The framework aims to help more disadvantaged individuals,including lone parents and ethnic minorities towards and into sustained employmentby setting out the actions required at both nation and local level to achieve this.

The framework is targeted atseven Closing the Opportunity Gap areas, including West Dunbartonshire, with the highest levels of benefit claimants in Scotland. Theseareas have set a combined target to reduce benefit claimants by 30,000 by 2007 and66,000 by 2010. The West Dunbartonshire component of these targets is 840 and 2,190 respectively.We have allocated £840,000 to West Dunbartonshire Community Planning Partnershipover the next two years to assist local partners in bringing together services tohelp achieve this target.

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

The Better Neighbourhood ServicesFund operated between 2001-02 and 2004-05 when it was merged with the funding providedto Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIPs) to form the Community Regeneration Fund(CRF).

In addition to the CRF, CommunitiesScotland also provides grant funding to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) to supportthe provision of housing for rent or low cost home ownership. Communities Scotlandalso provides RSLs with funding from the Wider Role programme to support communityregeneration and social inclusion activities.

Details of the allocation ofeach of these funding streams are shown as follows:

West Dunbartonshire Council

	SIP (£ Million)	BNSF (£ Million)	CRF (£ Million)	Housing Grants to RSLs (£ Million)	RSL Wider Role (£ Million)	Total (£ Million)
1997-98	n/a	n/a	n/a	7.122	n/a	7.122
1998-99	n/a	n/a	n/a	7.929	n/a	7.929
1999-2000	2.193	n/a	n/a	6.707	n/a	8.900
2000-01	2.087	n/a	n/a	8.385	0.133	10.605
2001-02	2.076	2.000	n/a	10.108	0.330	14.514
2002-03	2.228	3.000	n/a	7.808	0.338	13.374
2003-04	2.236	4.000	n/a	7.650	0.646	14.532
2004-05	2.365	3.000	n/a	9.008	1.107	15.480
2005-06	n/a	n/a	4.956	12.658	0.760	18.374

 

Argyll and Bute Council

	SIP (£ Million)	BNSF (£ Million)	CRF (£ Million)	Housing grants to RSLs (£ Million)	RSL Wider Role (£ Million)	Total (£ Million)
1997-98	n/a	n/a	n/a	5.441	n/a	5.441
1998-99	n/a	n/a	n/a	4.427	n/a	4.427
1999-2000	0.206	n/a	n/a	5.653	n/a	5.859
2000-01	0.280	n/a	n/a	4.435	0	4.715
2001-02	0.369	0.60	n/a	4.057	0.013	5.039
2002-03	0.379	0.90	n/a	3.642	0.065	4.986
2003-04	0.370	1.20	n/a	7.288	0.274	9.132
2004-05	0.369	0.90	n/a	10.690	0.142	12.101
2005-06	n/a	n/a	0.985	14.979	0.218	16.182

 

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

Communities Scotland managesa number of programmes aimed at promoting social inclusion. Until 31 March 2005, theseincluded the Social Inclusion Partnership Fund (SIP) and the Better NeighbourhoodServices Fund (BNSF), and from 1 April 2005 the Community Regeneration Fund. Project informationfor the SIP and BNSF programmes is not held centrally.

Information on the CommunityRegeneration Fund is contained in the Regeneration Outcome Agreements for Argylland Bute and West Dunbartonshire. These can be viewed on:

www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk.

The following table sets outthe number of people who have moved into jobs in Dumbarton through the various NewDeal programmes since their introduction.

Programme	Individuals into Jobs in Dumbarton
New Deal for Young People (NDYP)	1,580
New Deal 25 plus (ND25+)	600
New Deal for Lone Parents (NDLP)	820
New Deal 50 plus (ND50+)	120
New Deal for Partners (NDP)	10

Source: Department for Work andPensions, Information Directorate.

Notes:

1. Figures are rounded to thenearest ten.

2. Figures for NDYP ND25+ andNDLP are the cumulative totals to November 2005.

3. Figure for ND50+ is the cumulativetotal from April 2003 to February 2006.

4. The NDP figure is the cumulativetotal from April 2004 to February 2006.

5. Data are not available atconstituency level for New Deal for the Disabled.