Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-19742 on 22 January 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The ending of ring fencing provided local authorities with an opportunity to better integrate care and support services which allow people to sustain independent living when they might otherwise not be able to do so.

Until 31 March 2008, the Scottish Government published annual statistical information from local authorities on housing support services delivered under the Supporting People programme. We have consulted with local authorities and other stakeholders on the continuing need for this statistical information and the practical issues of obtaining it.

We will shortly publish the responses to the consultation and a decision on future reporting.

The ring-fenced status of the Fairer Scotland Fund (FSF) will end at March 2010. For the period 2008-10 we intend to fully integrate performance reporting arrangements for the FSF into the wider single outcome agreement (SOA) approach. Progress towards outcomes related to tackling poverty and disadvantage will continue to be monitored through SOAs in the long-term.

The collection of performance data will remain the same as it has in previous years i.e. Violence Against Women projects funded by the Scottish Government will be asked to complete end of year progress reports for internal monitoring.

Furthermore, local authorities will be submitting an annual report to the Scottish Government showing achievements against their agreed contribution to national outcomes as detailed in the single outcome agreement in September 2009.

The Scottish Government is committed to tackling violence against women. Over £44 million has been allocated over 2008-11 to tackle violence against women, including domestic abuse. This is double the amount from the previous three years.  £10 million of the £44 million has been allocated to implementing the National Domestic Abuse Delivery Plan for Children and Young People. Almost £2 million has been committed to the ASSIST service, established to support victims, going through the domestic abuse court in Glasgow.

National homelessness statistics continue to be the core mechanism for recording and reporting performance in tackling and preventing homelessness. Performance against the indicator All unintentionally homeless households will be entitled to settled accommodation by 2012 in the National Performance Framework is reported via Scotland Performs. Local authorities are also required to report annually to the Accounts Commission on performance of their homelessness services against a range of indicators drawn mainly from information collected in the homelessness statistics system.

The reference group on self-directed support last met on Thursday 30 October 2008.

The launch of the Community Regeneration and Tackling Poverty learning network will be on Tuesday 27th January 2009. The network is new, but it builds on the work of earlier stakeholder fora supported by the Scottish Government. It now brings together in a more joined up way colleagues engaged in important linked areas such as community regeneration, financial inclusion, income inequality, employability and health inequalities.

It will focus on practical issues highlighted  by local partners, notably in the context of rolling out the Fairer Scotland Fund over the past year; and it will involve a series of workshops and other events designed to meet the learning needs identified by network members.

The first meeting of the reference group on independent living will be held on 6 February 2009.

A roundtable on self-directed support was convened in June 2008 to consider a strategy to increase the uptake of self-directed support, as a result of which an on-going reference group has been established. Members subsequently discussed a draft strategy at the October meeting which is being finalised and will be presented to members at their next meeting on 5 March 2009.

The next meeting of the reference group on self-directed support will take place on Thursday 5 March 2009.