Chamber and committees

The plan for action onalcohol problems, which was published in January 2002, sets out a range oflocal and national measures to reduce alcohol-related harm in Scotland. Itprovides a framework for action in the areas of culture change, prevention andeducation, the provision of support and treatment services and protection andcontrols. Since launching the plan, we have, amongst other things, introduced anational alcoholcommunications campaign to change cultures surrounding drinking and promote amore responsible approach to alcohol, and provided funding for NHSHealth Scotland and Alcohol Focus Scotland to raise awareness of alcoholproblems and undertake preventative activities. The partnership agreement commits the Executive to providing additional resources for treatment services incommunities across Scotland.

Greater Glasgow Alcohol Action Team submitted their three-yearalcohol action plan in March. Key action in the plan includes a major review andrepositioning of addiction treatment, care and homelessness services to improveopportunities for early intervention and ensure a whole system approach totreatment care.

Glasgow’s plan notes that reversing the upward trend inalcohol-related deaths requires a long-term approach and there needs to be astrong focus on education and prevention together with regeneration and measuresto tackle inequalities. There are a wide range of alcohol services and groupsrunning in Glasgow and three community alcohol projects working in the east end,Greater Easterhouse and Pollock. Other action in this area includes theintroduction of an arrest referral scheme to target offenders with alcoholproblems and route them into treatment services, the development of familysupport services, the provision of training for primary care teams, social carestaff and teachers, a review of school drug and alcohol education and thedevelopment of procedures to record alcohol-related incidents, and research toinform service developments and maximise opportunities for early intervention.

The plan is available at:

www.scotland.gov.uk/health/alcoholproblems/plans/glasgow.pdf.

It is for NHS boards toassess the relative risks and ensure the provision of a safe, effective andhigh quality maternity service balancing risk and taking cognisance of existinginfrastructures, demographics and support mechanisms on a local and regionalbasis. The EGAMS report is a consensus view to advise health boards.

The definition of level IIcand level III maternity units is consistent across both reports including theissue of access to adult intensive care. The risk section of the technicalreport also makes reference to the recommendation in the Confidential Enquiryinto Maternal Deaths (CEMD 2001) regarding on-site adult intensive care inthese units. The expert group agreed that “accessto” adult intensive care was sufficient to provide clinical safety withthe provision of the right risk management, transport and supportinfrastructures. However the optimum arrangement would be co-location of adultintensive care facilities.

NHS Greater Glasgow, alongwith all other NHS boards, makes additional beds available each winter to dealwith anticipated seasonal pressures. I understand there are no fewer bedsavailable in NHS Greater Glasgow than were available this time last year. Inaddition, there are more clinical staff working within Glasgow’shospitals now than there were a year ago, as a result of investment fromvarious national initiatives, such as cancer, stroke and coronary heartdisease.

The overalleffect of the bill will be that every tenement in Scotland will have a management scheme. Thiswill make it easier for owners to take decisions on repairs and on othermatters of mutual interest and concern. Majority decision making will becomethe norm and I hope that this will lead to many outstanding repairs beingcarried out. Under the existing common law all owners must consent beforerepairs can be carried out and unanimity can often be difficult to achieve.

I understand that theindependent task group now expects to report in May or June. The intention isto publish the report and make it available on the Scottish Executive website. Ministers will thereafter consider the report’s recommendationand respond in due course.

The Executive believes that mediation cancontribute to the effective and efficient administration of justice in thecivil courts. That is why we strongly support its use and are keen to encourageit where feasible and appropriate.  The Executive already provides support andfunding for a range of mediation and advice services. We are activelyconsidering what further action might be taken to encourage greater use.

The Summary Justice ReviewCommittee held its final meeting on 22 January. I have now received a copy of the text of the Committee’s final report. Arrangements for publication arecurrently being considered.

All of the services listedin the answer given to question S2W-4968 will continue to be funded by NationalServices Division from 1 April 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can befound at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

The investment programmes of the registered social landlords which have acquired stock in the three wholetransfers to date include a commitment to both central heating and other energyefficiency measures.

The Warm Deal managed byEaga delivers insulation measures across all sectors of the housing stock.Local authority stock that has been transferred and the stock of registeredsocial landlords will benefit from that part of the Warm Deal programme.

We see the management of tenancy deposits as an integral part of good management and so do not at present have proposals to establish a separate system for controlling the management of deposits.

We are committed to encouraging high standards of management in the private rented sector. The work done so far to take forward the partnership agreement commitment to develop core standards for voluntary accreditation schemes has included the issue of tenancy deposits and their return. The Housing Improvement Task Force has recommended strengthened powers of regulation to complement the voluntary route of accreditation and, as I said on 16 December when I announced by response to the task force proposals, we will explore the possibility of a national registration scheme for all private landlords.