Chamber and committees

Visually impaired people use a wide range of health, social and voluntary sector services. The Social Work Services Inspectorate published a review of social work services for people with a sensory impairment in 1998 entitled Sensing Progress. No further reviews are planned.

Some 163 RSA applications were received prior to the expiry of the Assisted Areas map in December 1999. This compares with 253 applications for the whole year to December 1998. The bulk of these applications have been dealt with but we have yet to reach a final decision on 71. In addition, we have had a further 26 Regional Selective Assistance applications this year. We are able to appraise these applications but will not be in a position to make an offer of Regional Selective Assistance until the new Assisted Areas map is approved by the European Commission. The table below shows these applications by Scottish Enterprise Area.

Scottish Enterprise Network	Applications received 1999 - decision outstanding	Applications received in 2000
Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire	6	6
Scottish Enterprise Borders	0	0
Scottish Enterprise Dumfries and Galloway	0	0
Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire	5	0
Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian	10	0
Scottish Enterprise Fife	5	3
Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley	1	2
Scottish Enterprise Glasgow	17	6
Scottish Enterprise Grampian	0	0
Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire	15	4
Moray, Badenoch and Strathspey Enterprise	0	0
Scottish Enterprise Renfrewshire	4	4
Scottish Enterprise Tayside	8	1

Normally a decision is reached on most RSA applications within 40 working days of receipt and this doesn't differ significantly by area. However, given the exceptionally large number of applications received prior to the expiry of the previous Assisted Areas map, the Scottish Executive has been unable to maintain the usual application processing times.

A number of sources are being utilised to monitor progress towards the dietary targets. These include the Scottish Health Survey, the UK National Food Survey, the UK Diet and Nutrition Survey and the Infant Feeding Survey. The work of the Food Standards Agency, which was established on 3 April, will also contribute to the monitoring of changes in the Scottish diet.

Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government, which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish organisations as indicated in the answer to question S1W-5969 also answered today.The table below shows the numbers in Scotland by Unit of Delivery currently enrolled (end-January figures) in each of the following New Deal options: (a) employment, (b) full-time education and training, (c) voluntary sector and (d) environment task force.

Unit of Delivery	Employer	Full Time Education/Training	Voluntary Sector	Environment Task Force
Ayrshire	195	133	126	74
Borders	101	25	20	30
Dumfries & Galloway	74	48	17	13
Edinburgh, East & Midlothian	228	95	67	53
Forth Valley	127	111	34	54
Glasgow	218	416	216	211
Grampian	43	67	29	21
Inverness & Nairn	13	24	7	15
Lanarkshire	307	250	112	187
Renfrewshire	54	75	82	66
Tayside	179	118	89	101
Western Isles	22	10	3	11
Dumbarton	71	83	16	73
Fife	89	222	44	81
Moray,Strathspey & Badenoch	19	7	6	11
West Lothian	35	18	33	21
Argyll & the Islands	18	12	11	38
Caithness & Sutherland	7	20	4	13
Lochaber	1	1	1	1
Orkney	7	1	1	3
Ross & Comarty	17	25	5	9
Shetland	8	2	1	0
Skye & Lochalsh	6	3	0	1

Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish organisations as indicated in the answer to question S1W-5969 also answered today.

The expenditure on each New Deal programme in Scotland to February 2000 was:

a) New Deal for Lone Parents: £4 million

b) New Deal for Disabled People pilot: £0.6 million

c) New Deal for Partners of Unemployed People: £0.4 million

d) New Deal 25 plus: £12.5 million

e) New Deal 50 plus pathfinder: £0.1 million

These figures understate the total costs accrued due to time lags in billing and reimbursement. In addition, there are central running and marketing costs for each programme which have not been included in these figures.

The number of people in Scotland who have taken part in each New Deal at end of January 2000 are:

a) New Deal for Lone Parents: 11,180

b) New Deal for Disabled People: 947

c) New Deal for Partners of Unemployed People: 262

d) New Deal for 25+: 22,200

e) New Deal 50 Plus: New Deal 50 Plus will be available nationally from 3 April 2000. This represents a major new £270 million programme for people on benefits over 50 looking for work. It is too early for national participation figures to be available.

Skillseekers and Training for Work are both delivered by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Each year Grant-in-Aid targets are agreed with the respective Enterprise bodies. These include volume-based targets, which are outlined in the reply below, and other targets which are designed to measure the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Skillseekers and Training for Work. As these targets are agreed annually with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, they can only be supplied for the current year, 2000-01. Expenditure figures for both programmes have been supplied for 2000-01 and 2002-02 but not for 2002-03 as these will be considered as part of the Spending Review.

The youth training budget is £87.6 million in 2000-01 and £89.6 million in 2001-02. This includes an additional £3 million in 2000-01 and £5 million in 2001-02 for Modern Apprenticeships. In 2000-01, Scottish Enterprise have been set a target of 24,000 first-time entrants to Skillseekers, which includes 8,000 Modern Apprenticeships. They have also been set a target of 36,000 Skillseekers in training, including 15,000 Modern Apprenticeships. Highlands and Islands Enterprise have been set a target of 1,175 first-time entrants to Skillseekers, including 400 Modern Apprenticeships, and a target of 2,555 Skillseekers in training including 1,310 Modern Apprenticeships.

The budget allocation for Training for Work from the Comprehensive Spending Review is £48 million for the three years from 1999-2000 to 2001-02. For 2000-01 the number of new starts to the programme have been agreed as 14,000 for the Scottish Enterprise LEC network and 750 for Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish organisations as indicated in the answer to question S1W-5969 also answered today.

The information requested on expenditure and throughputs for all New Deals in Scotland for the next three financial years is not currently available. However, details of the allocation for 2000-01 should be available in May - as will planning assumptions for 2001-02 and 2002-03 based on latest volume information.

The total expenditure to date (end-February) on all the New Deals in Scotland amounts to approximately £65.5 million. This figure understates the total cost accrued due to time lags in billing and reimbursement.

In addition, there are central running and marketing costs for each programme, which have not been included in the above figure.

Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on the funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish organisations as indicated in the answers to question S1W-5969 also answered today.

The total number to the end of January 2000 was 9,340 and this represented 60% of those who had moved into sustained employment by that date.

Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish Organisations as indicated in the answer to the question S1W-5969 also answered today.

By the end of January 2000, 4,120 had joined the employer option: of the 2,410 who had left the employer option, 870 had moved into unsubsidised employment either as a result of being retained by their employers or by moving to a job with another employer. This includes people who left the New Deal from the Employment Option, and people who moved from it into Follow-through and then subsequently left the New Deal.

Details of periods spent on options and the numbers who are retained by the employer who took them on under the employer option are not available.

Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish Organisations as indicated in the answer to the question S1W- 5969 also answered today.

By the end of January 2000, 46,800 had joined the programme in Scotland. Expenditure incurred to that date was approximately £47 million, excluding the cost of allowances where separate information on Scotland is not available. This figure understates the total cost accrued due to time lags in billing and reimbursement.

Employment Policy is reserved to the UK Government which therefore takes the lead on the funding and delivery of the New Deal throughout Great Britain, although in close consultation with its partners, including the Scottish Executive. Many partner organisations at local level also provide New Deal services under contract or provide funds and other resources including training funds to enhance the quality of New Deal in their areas. The public and voluntary sector organisations that contribute to the New Deal in this way fall within the remit of the Scottish Executive.The number of young people in Scotland who had secured sustained jobs through the programme to the end of January 2000 was 15,600 and the number of companies that had signed New Deal employer agreements was 10,600. This represents 7% of businesses registered for VAT and/or PAYE in Scotland.

Information about the number of companies that have taken on New Deal recruits is not available.