Chamber and committees

Good quality care in care homes is a high priority for the Scottish Government. The Care Commission regularly inspects care homes against the National Care Standards and various related regulations. The standards clearly state that a resident can expect that the home is run in a way that protects them from any avoidable risk or harm. The Care Commission investigates all complaints of neglect or abuse.

Any suggestion of malpractice should in the first instance be investigated by the care provider and then referred on to the appropriate professional registration body where appropriate. The provider is also legally obliged to notify the Scottish Social Services Council of any individual who they have dismissed due to misconduct, or who would have been dismissed had that person not abandoned their post. The Scottish Social Services Council has not been notified of any cases of malpractice in care homes resulting in the death of a care home resident in the last five years.

A local authority may make a request to Scottish ministers to consider trunking a local road. Scottish ministers may consider any such request and if satisfied that it is expedient for the purposes of extending, improving or reorganising the trunk road network, have powers to direct that the road becomes part of the trunk road network.

The strategic motorway and trunk road network was last reviewed in the public consultation Shaping the Trunk Road Network in 1994-95 which was linked to the reorganisation of local government at the time (the previous review was 1946). Following this review, a number of trunking and detrunking orders were made, resulting in the present local and trunk road networks.

Following the announcement of the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) on 10 December 2008 which identified national strategic land-based transport priorities we are considering the need to undertake a comprehensive review of the national strategic trunk road network.

This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0226-01.htm

I am pleased to announce that the Scottish Government will continue the Healthy Living Centre (HLCs) transition fund in 2009-10. The fund will allow further time for HLCs to secure sustainable local funding for their services.

We will provide up to £70,000 per HLC in 2009-10. The fund will continue to be administered by local health boards using a rigorous set of criteria, similar to that in 2008-09, including HLCs having very good prospects of achieving sustainability by March 2010.

This event, which I was delighted to help launch, was a very useful one in helping to showcase Scotland''s significant interests and capabilities in space technology to an international audience. This consisted of some 3,000 people including space scientists and engineers and representatives from government and funding agencies. The event provided excellent opportunities for our scientists and technologists to discuss possible partnerships with overseas collaborators and funders. In addressing the audience at the launch I drew attention to several of our interests in space. These included the University of Strathclyde''s recent success in winning two million Euros of European Research Council Funding for frontier research on visionary space systems; the UK Astronomy Technology Centre at the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh, which is world renowned as a leading supplier for major astronomical observatories worldwide; STAR-Dundee Ltd, a spin-out company from the University of Dundee, which specialises in supporting users and developers of SpaceWire communications technology; Clyde Space Ltd, spacecraft hardware company in Glasgow which designs power supplies, batteries and solar panels, for small satellites, and the Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, which is achieving excellence in Astrophysics and Space Research. There is no doubt scientists in Scotland have a key role to play in the global space effort. Of course this conference will also have brought very significant benefits to the local economy, and helped to showcase Scotland''s capabilities as a host for international conferences. I would like to congratulate Glasgow City Council for their success in winning this major conference, the benefits of which will be felt for a considerable period.

The Scottish Government does not hold any such information. Nuclear safety is a reserved matter for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) who regulate safety at civil nuclear installations. Safety at specific sites such as Hunterston are a matter for the site operator and HSE. There are local liaison committees, on which the Scottish Government is represented at official level, who are involved, with HSE, in off site contingency planning.

Scottish Government officials are in regular touch with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on issues which may impact on civil nuclear contingency planning arrangements. HSE produce regular summaries of site inspections for the local liaison committees on which Scottish Government officials are represented.

HSE reviewed the fire arrangements for Hunterston in May 2007 as part of their normal inspection arrangements. Officials were aware that the review was taking place, that HSE considered that issues arising did not have any immediate impacts on nuclear safety and that HSE considered that operations could continue without affecting nuclear safety. They were not specifically informed at the time of the details of the review of fire arrangements. They are currently discussing with HSE mechanisms for ensuring transparency on such issues where this is required.

Officials are in regular touch with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) about the off site emergency response implications of its safety work and would work with HSE to take whatever action is required when information comes to our attention.

Nuclear safety is a reserved matter for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) who regulate safety at civil nuclear installations. Safety at specific sites such as Hunterston are a matter for the site operator and HSE. On nuclear contingency planning arrangements, the Scottish Government has regular dialogue with operators and other stakeholders via the UK led Nuclear Emergency Planning Liaison Group (NEPLG) and the Scottish Nuclear Emergencies Group (SNEG). In addition, officials liaise with site operators via the Site Stakeholder Groups (SSGs) for each site. The SSGs allow representatives from the local community to discuss issues of public interest, including safety, with the site operator.