Chamber and committees

Staff who comeon to the register in phase one will have until the end of the first period ofregistration (a further three years) to achieve the necessary qualifications. Thenumbers of staff who will not achieve the required qualifications willtherefore be determined by employers as the registration process proceeds.

Information is not held centrally on the total number of drug misusers who have received a drugtreatment service since 1999. However, the Information and Statistics Divisionof the Common Services Agency (ISD Scotland) do publish figures on the numbersof new clients entering drug treatment services each year, based on returns tothe Scottish Drug Misuse Database. These figures are broken down by localauthority area and are available at www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org.

This information is not heldcentrally.

The same as you? recommended in May 2000 that all long stay hospitalsfor people with learning disabilities should close by 2005. Six have closedsince May 2000, with seven remaining for closure by 2005. On 12 January Thesame as you? national implementation group published the Home at Last?report on progress with hospital closures and service reprovision, a copy of whichis available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 31309). It setsout a number of action points that aim to assist local authorities and NHS boardsin meeting the 2005 target, including a programme of work by NHS QualityImprovement Scotland (NHSQIS) to monitor the hospital closure programme in therun up to 2005. NHSQIS has set up a project group to work with all partners todeliver the closure of all long stay hospitals for people with learningdisabilities by 2005.

The target of achieving a10% increase in the number of new clients attending drug treatment services ismonitored through returns to the Scottish Drug Misuse Database and figures arepublished annually by financial years.

Data for 2003-04 will not beavailable until the autumn.

This informationwas not collected. Local authorities were asked about systems in place tomonitor and improve waiting times as reported in Equipment and Adaptation Services in Scotland: ASurvey of Waiting Times for Social Work Provision, published in December 2001, copies of whichare available in the Parliaments Reference Centre (Bib number 18415).

£612,000 a year, £1.8 millionover three years, has been allocated to Scottish Training on Drugs and Alcoholsince its inception in April 2001.

We are committed tomaintaining at least this level of funding for a further three years until 31 March 2007.

The following table provides information on the number of clients receiving direct payments, by local authority, for the years ending 31 March 2001, 2002 and 2003.

This information was not collected prior to the year 2000-01.

Information on eligibility is not available.

Number of Direct Payments by Local Authority

Local Authority	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03
Aberdeen City	4	4	11
Aberdeenshire	8	6	11
Angus	4	23	30
Argyll and Bute	0	0	0
Clackmannanshire	1	4	18
Dumfries and Galloway	7	25	27
Dundee City	0	0	0
East Ayrshire	0	0	17
East Dunbartonshire	0	0	0
East Lothian	5	7	7
East Renfrewshire	0	0	0
Edinburgh, City of	67	49	89
Eilean Siar	0	3	5
Falkirk	0	0	0
Fife	30	64	120
Glasgow City	17	16	15
Highland	14	23	43
Inverclyde	0	0	0
Midlothian	0	0	0
Moray	0	5	7
North Ayrshire	0	0	0
North Lanarkshire	3	10	11
Orkney Islands	0	0	1
Perth and Kinross	4	4	19
Renfrewshire	3	3	3
Scottish Borders	12	20	50
Shetland Islands	0	0	0
South Ayrshire	22	18	31
South Lanarkshire	0	0	0
Stirling	0	0	0
West Dunbartonshire	0	0	0
West Lothian	6	8	19
Scotland	207	292	534

Source: SEHD – F1 Return.

The Sensory Impairment Action Plan, launched in January, gives the Executive, local authorities andother stakeholders clear goals for improved services for people with a sensoryimpairment. A key recommendation is that a short life working group be set upto produce common sensory impairment service standards for implementation by September 2005.

We expectall schools to end the active promotion or advertising of fizzy, sugary softdrinks and snacks high in fat and salt. Where vending machines are present theyshould promote healthier options/brands such as water and fruit juices ratherthan high sugar soft drinks.