Chamber and committees

New supply shared equity is one mechanism available to support first-time buyers. Housing completions in Orkney in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 reflect the strategic priorities of the local authority, as set out in its Local Housing Strategy. This saw investment targeted in alternative grants to support first-time buyers.

The following table shows the number of unit approvals in a financial year for (a) new supply shared or shared ownership (b) open market shared equity and (c) rural home ownership grants in the Highlands and Islands since 1992-93.

Year	Shared Ownership/ Shared Equity	Rural Home Ownership Grant	Open Market Shared Equity
1992-93	179
1993-94	95
1994-95	83	37
1995-96	140	46
1996-97	38	39
1997-98	49	35
1998-99	55	33
1999-2000	26	39
2000-01	3	43
2001-02	4	45
2002-03	4	57
2003-04	79	68
2004-05	60	85
2005-061	199	74
2006-07	199	75
2007-082	207	59
2008-09	149	38	35
Total	1,565	773	35

Notes:

1. A shared equity mechanism (called Homestake) was introduced this year. The figures from this date onwards include both shared ownership and shared equity approvals.

2. The shared equity mechanism is renamed to New Supply Shared Equity as part of the Scottish Government''s Low Cost Initiative for first time buyers (LIFT).

The data in this table is from Housing Investment Division Management reports. The official statistics on the Affordable Housing Investment Programme, and on other housing statistics, can be found at the housing statistics for Scotland web pages at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/KeyInfo.

There were no sales under the Open Market Shared Equity Scheme in Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles and Argyll and Bute in 2008-09 as these areas were not included in the pilot at that time.

New supply shared equity is one mechanism available to support first-time buyers. Housing completions in the Western Isles in 2007-08 and 2008-09 reflect the strategic priorities of the local authority, as set out in its Local Housing Strategy. This saw investment targeted in alternative grants to support first-time buyers.

Nearly £260 million of grant funding from the Affordable Housing Investment Programme has been invested in the four Local Authorities in the Highlands and Islands, namely Highland Council, Orkney Island Council, Shetland Islands Council and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar during the period 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2008. A breakdown of this investment is shown in the following table.

Year	Spend (£ million)
1999-2000	10.157
2000-01	11.037
2001-02	13.864
2002-03	15.815
2003-04	21.002
2004-05	27.388
2005-06	44.060
2006-07	58.300
2007-08	58.235
Total	259.858

 

The Scottish Government committed to a one year temporary expansion of the Open Market Shared Equity Pilot scheme and this is being successfully delivered. We plan to carry out an independent evaluation of the Low-cost Initiative for First Time Buyers (LIFT) shared equity schemes next year in order to inform the schemes'' long-term future. In the meantime, we are currently reviewing the relative balance of support for the LIFT schemes in the planning of the 2010-11 Affordable Housing Investment Programme.

The staffing and equipment required to run an accident and emergency unit is a matter for NHS boards and varies depending on the size of the unit and the number of attendees. A wide range of health professionals, which includes consultants, doctors, nurses and support staff are required to care for patients needing emergency care.

Planning guidance on accident and emergency departments within hospitals in Scotland is provided in the Scottish Health Planning Note (SHPN 22) available from the following link:

http://www.hfs.scot.nhs.uk/online-services/publications/property/scottish-health-planning-notes/.

A further source of information is the College of Emergency Medicine publication The Way Ahead - December 2008, which sets out the workforce, facilities and equipment needed to deliver the core service in emergency medicine. The document is available at:

http://www.collemergencymed.ac.uk/CEM/About%20the%20College/Current%20Issues%20and%20Statements/The%20Way%20Ahead/default.asp.

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service launched a new, integrated marketing strategy in June 2008. This has already led to an increase of 70,000 new donors and the return of 40,000 donors. The service is working with management in the private and public sector to form partnerships and develop new blood donation opportunities within the workplace. It is also harnessing new technology, such as sending text messages, emails and use of the web and allowing text booking for donors. It is reviewing the location of donor centres to minimise queuing and improve the quality of accessibility of the experience of donors.

The Scottish Government supports the World Health Organization advice that blood donation should be based on the altruistic principle of voluntary, unpaid donation as the cornerstone of blood safety. The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service works closely with employers and asks for their continued support and endorsement of blood donation. The service is currently redesigning its blood collection strategy to allow it to collect from smaller workplaces and use less space than at present.

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) is working closely with rural communities to review methods of collection from remote, rural and island communities. SNBTS is fully aware of the need to continually seek innovative ways to encourage donors and values every donation.