- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it determined the amount of funding for wheelchairs and wheelchair users announced on 16 March 2007 and whether it considers that £1 million is sufficient.
Answer
The further 1 million interim fundingannounced on 16 March 2007 is to allow the service in the short term to build onthe improvements already made in reducing waiting times as a result of the additional1.9 million interim funding in 2005-06. It is expected that the Spending Review,which will take place later this year, will consider what increased resources mightbe made available to address the recommendations from the independent review ofwheelchair and seating services in relation to the longer term needs of those services.
The Executives response to the reviewemphasises the need for boards also to address the recommendations at local level.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 19 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 23 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional provision it is making for the care of elderly people in the Highland Council or NHS Highland areas, in light of predictions about the increasing proportion of the population aged over 75.
Answer
In addition tothe money provided through the core settlement for care of the elderly, the ScottishExecutive is making additional provision through the local authority revenue settlementof 16.3 million in 2006-07 and 42 million in 2007-08 for the increased number ofolder people in Scotland. Highland Council’s share of this money is 671,000 in 2006-07and 1,730,000 for 2007-08. The distribution formulafor allocating the core settlement has been developed over several years in conjunctionwith COSLA and the distribution takes account of a number of demographic factors,including the proportion of elderly population.
In addition to this the Finance Ministerannounced in December 2006 an additional 201 million of which Highland Council willreceive 10.493 million. This was not provided for a particular purpose but in generalrecognition of a range of pressures on local authority services.
NHS Highland has been allocated atotal of 487.796 million in 2006-07, an increase of 31.012 million on the currentyear, and 513.03 in 2007-08. This money is distributed to the board on the basisof the Arbuthnott formula which is calculated each year and weighted to take intoaccount various factors specific to the population of each board area, includingthe age of its population. Any changes in the age profile of NHS Highland’s populationwill be reflected in the Arbuthnott formula and therefore impact on the level offunding the board receives.
It is however the responsibility of local authorities and NHSboards to provide appropriate service provision to meet the needs and prioritiesof their area.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 22 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to NHS Highland in respect of the application to close Glencoe Hospital prior to dissolution of the Parliament
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-32291 on 22March 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 22 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what alternative provision has been made for elderly people in south Lochaber by NHS Highland in respect of its application to close Glencoe Hospital; how many nursing care beds NHS Highland assesses will be sufficient to meet the needs of the south Lochaber area following closure of the hospital and whether it will make public the information on which this assessment was made, including any analysis of the demographic trend in numbers of elderly people until 2024, and whether the Executive considers that such analysis will meet the needs of those who are expected to provide nursing care in the future.
Answer
NHS Highland and The Highland Council have submitted a jointproposal for the future delivery of care for elderly people in the Lochaberarea to Scottish ministers.
The details of these proposals,including the number of nursing care beds needed for the future andconsideration of population changes, are operational matters for NHS Highlandand The Highland Council. In considering these proposals, ministers will needto be satisfied that they are consistent with the principles set out in Deliveringfor Health and Executive policy for planning services for older people, andthat they have been developed with the full involvement of planning partnersand are based on robust evidence and best practice. Ministers will also need tobe satisfied that the board has undertaken public consultation in line withScottish Executive guidance.
The Scottish Health Council has yet to submit a report onNHS Highlands engagement and consultation process. Once all of the informationis available then ministers will consider the matter very carefully, includingall representations received, before coming to a final decision.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 22 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it will make of the suitability of residential homes to provide nursing care in considering NHS Highland's application to close Glencoe Hospital and whether such assessment will consider the number of nursing beds that will be require to be provided and when the necessary work to adapt residential homes is likely to be completed.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-32291 on 22March 2007. All answers to written hospitals are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Des McNulty on 16 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any guidance about building on a flood plain (a) within and (b) outwith a national park and whether it considers that residential dwelling houses should be built in areas considered to be at risk of flood once in every 200 years.
Answer
Guidance about building on aflood plain is contained in Scottish Planning Policy (SPP)7 and Planning Advice Note (PAN) 69.The guidance does not distinguish between development within and outwith anational park.
Where the calculatedprobability of flooding is greater than once in every 200 years, the SPP setsout appropriate planning responses for two different types of area. Firstly, inareas already built up the SPP indicates that residential development may besuitable on brownfield land provided that flood prevention measures alreadyexist, are under construction or are planned. Secondly, for undeveloped andsparsely developed areas, it says that they are not suitable for additionaldevelopment.
The SPP points out that thecalculated probability of a flood occurring has to be treated as a best estimateand not a precise forecast. Other factors including the depth of the water onthe land and the effects of a flood on access have to be taken intoconsideration on a case-by-case basis.
As a matter of law thedevelopment plan and other material considerations will have to be taken intoaccount in reaching a decision.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 15 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how long on average it takes the Care Commission to provide appropriate accreditation for those who apply to become childminders; whether there is a backlog of around three months and a total time duration of four months to provide such accreditation; if so, whether the Executive considers such timescales acceptable and, if it does not, what steps it will take to reduce them.
Answer
Information about the registration of care services by theCare Commission is not collected in this way.
The Care Commissions corporate plan,including key performance indicators (KPIs), is approved by Scottish ministers.The plan for 2006-09 includes a KPI measuring the percentage of registrationscompleted within target times, based on the time between receipt of a validapplication and the date of registration.
In 2006-07 the target forcompleting childminders registration is 80% within three months. The definitionof this target allows for registrations which take more than three months toprocess from receipt of the valid application where the cause of delay wasoutwith the Care Commissions control. Delays can be caused, for example, byawaiting Disclosure Scotland information or references about medicalsuitability, or a request by the applicant for the application to be put onhold. It is reasonable to take these into account when measuring the CareCommissions performance.
On that basis, in Scotlandbetween 1 April 2006 and 31 January 2007, 84% of childminders were registeredwithin three months of receipt of a valid application.
My officials regularly meet theCare Commission to discuss performance against targets in the corporate planand remedial action where targets are not achieved.
Further information aboutregistration of care services can be obtained from the Chief Executive of theCare Commission:
Jacquie Roberts
Care Commission
Compass House
11 Riverside Drive
Dundee DD1 4NY
Telephone: 01382 207109 (Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive).
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 February 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 12 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-20486 by Lewis Macdonald on 26 September 2006, what progress is being made in establishing a course in clinical dental technology at a dental training institution; when such a course might begin, and what video conferencing provision will be made to enable those who live far from the institution to participate in the course.
Answer
NHS Education for Scotland(NES) have been asked to develop, with the further and higher education sector,a suitable clinical dental technology training course for denturists. NES have beenraising awareness of the potential for such a course and inviting registrationsof interest in order to gauge likely demand. One potential training providerhas been identified and discussions are continuing on how and when this trainingmight be delivered. I cannot pre-empt the outcome of those discussions but itis possible that a course might be available during 2007. NES and any courseprovider will consider how best to ensure such a course is accessible toapplicants from throughout Scotland.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 27 February 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 7 March 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the “Safe-Inverness” project when its funding runs out in August 2007 and, if so, by what means, whether this will include financial support for the project and whether any similar project, or project with similar aims, in any other city receives Executive support.
Answer
Safe City Centresinitiatives in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Stirling, Perth andInverness were funded by the Executive from April 2003 to March 2006. Safe-Invernessand some other schemes had funding extended until 2007. An evaluation of SaferCity Centres is being carried out and we will await its findings beforeconsidering the future of this initiative.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 23 February 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it estimates will be available under the new Scottish Rural Development Programme; whether there will be as much funding provided for crofting communities under the programme as there was under the Crofting Community Development Scheme (CCDS); whether it will provide estimates of the amount which will be available for those parts of Scotland which were eligible to make applications under the CCDS, and whether it will submit any application for structural funding in this connection.
Answer
Scotland has been allocated approximately £240 million from theEU over the 2007-13 period. In addition, there will be money from the Scottish Executive– which will provide the majority of the funding – and subject to agreement withthe EU, receipts from voluntary modulation. I am unable to confirm these amountsat this stage because they will both depend on the outcome of on-going negotiationsin Brussels on the voluntary modulation regulation.
As with the SRDP, the structuralfunds programme for 2007-13 is still to be finalised with the Commission. However,dedicated funds will be available for the Highlands and Islands, under the European Regional Development Fund and the European Structural Fund, to support a rangeof economic, social and community development projects. These funds will be availablefor all relevant projects to bid into.
