Chamber and committees

This is a matter for local authorities. The particular information requested is not held centrally. However, there are around 80 local area co-ordinator (LAC) posts in 26 local authority areas in Scotland. Most of these LACs support adults with disabilities and their families, which can include older carers. Some of the LACs have broadened out their role to support older people and other client groups. The carers strategy, Caring Together, published in July this year, contains a range of actions that take account of the needs of older carers.

My officials are in regular contact with colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Jobcentre Plus about the arrangements for the reassessment of customers in receipt of incapacity benefits. Discussions are continuing around the ongoing developments including the trial of the process which will commence in Aberdeen and Burnley on 11 October. Officials are also monitoring developments in relation to DWP''s review of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) which it will use to support the reassessment of incapacity benefit. Copies of a DWP briefing pack on reassessing customers in receipt of incapacity benefits are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 51313).

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36232 on 24 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Unfortunately, the UK Border Agency does not provide statistical information on a month-by-month basis. However, it has published reports for the first two quarters of 2010 which are available on the UKBA website at:

http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-publications.html.

According to these reports a total of 25 children entered Dungavel detention centre before the end to the overnight detention of children in May 2010. However, they do not specify if the children were those of asylum seeking families.

Quarter (Period of Report)	Number of Children Entered Dungavel
1 (January 2010 to March 2010)	20
2 (April 201 to June 2010)	5
Total	25

 

These figures are not subject to independent checks and therefore may not be wholly accurate. Some detainees may be recorded more than once, for example the person may have been detained on more than one separate occasion in the time period shown, such as a person who has left detention, but has subsequently been re-detained.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36232 on 24 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36232 on 24 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

This information is not collected by the UK Border Agency.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36232 on 24 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-36232 on 24 September 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Since October 2009, £14,437 of the funding provided to the Scottish Islamic Foundation by the Scottish Government has been spent on officers'' salaries.