Chamber and committees

The Diabetes Action Plan, published in August 2010, makes it clear that we expect NHS Boards to adhere to the guidance on insulin pump therapy set out in NICE Technology Appraisal TA15, and SIGN Guideline 116 on the management of diabetes.

This guidance indicates that glycaemic control is only one of a number criteria for determining patient’s suitability for insulin pump therapy.

Appendix 2 of the Diabetes Action Plan, published in August 2010, includes details of each NHS board’s planned investment over the next three to five years on pumps and the structured education associated with it, presenting a clear picture of proposed provision across the whole of Scotland. A summary table can be accessed at: www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/08/17095311.

NHS boards will find it helpful to assess their investment plans against clinical and resource impact report produced by SIGN to accompany Guideline 116.

This information is not centrally held.

Guidance on insulin pump therapy is set out within:

NICE Technology Appraisal TA151 which was endorsed by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (now Healthcare Improvement Scotland) in July 2008; and,

SIGN Guideline 116 on the management of diabetes, published in March 2010.

The guidance is clear that glycaemic control is only one of a number criteria for determining patient suitability for insulin pump therapy.

The Diabetes Action Plan, published in August 2010, makes it clear that we expect NHS boards to ensure that provision of insulin pump therapy reflects guidance as set out within NICE Technology Appraisal 151 and SIGN Guideline 116 on the management of diabetes.

This information is not centrally held.

We expect that people who require a replacement pump to receive it in good time to ensure that their optimal clinical care is maintained.

Information on the percentage of people with type 1 diabetes on insulin pump therapy, in each NHS board, between 2007 and 2009 was provided in the answer to question S3W-21510 on 10 March 2009.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx

Data on insulin pump provision in each NHS board is included in both the 2009 and 2010 Diabetes Surveys. These can be accessed at:

http://www.diabetesinscotland.org.uk/Publications.aspx?catId=3

This information is set out within the following table:

Data on insulin pump provision in each NHS board for 2011 is not yet centrally held but will be included in the Diabetes Survey 2011 when it is published next year.

The Scottish Government is in discussion with the UK Government on a range of improvements to the Scotland Bill.

The First Minister identified proposals for changes to the Scotland Bill in his statements to the Parliament on 18 May 2011 and 26 May 2011. Other proposals for change have been made by the Scottish Government and the Scotland Bill Committee in the last session, the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster and other groups and individuals in their evidence to the Parliamentary Committees. The UK Government recently proposed changes to the bill at its report and third reading stage in the House of Commons on 21 June 2011. The Scottish Government looks forward to discussions on further changes to the bill with the UK Government and scrutiny by the new Scotland Bill Committee and the Parliament before a further legislative consent motion, in line with the previous motion of the Parliament S3M-8114.

Homes built through the National Housing Trust initiative (NHT) will be available for rent below the levels of housing benefit limits which makes them accessible to households on lower incomes. The homes will form part of the overall programme of affordable housing supply receiving financial support from the Scottish Government.

We have indicated that we plan to build 5,000 new council houses during this Parliament, but have not set an overall target for council/housing association homes for social rent. We received a very positive response for the 2011-12 Innovation and Investment Fund by the deadline of 31 May. Work is now under way, involving our local authority partners, to pick the best bids against the criteria we set out. We will not know the final make-up of our approvals from this programme until all the bids have been assessed. We hope that final decisions will be made at the end of August 2011. Plans for future financial years have not yet been set.

Under the first phase of procurement of homes through the National Housing Trust initiative (NHT), the Scottish Futures Trust is seeking to finalise contracts for the construction of almost 700 affordable homes in 2011-12. In view of the substantial interest from local authorities, housing associations, and private house builders in extending and expanding the NHT approach through improved and new versions of the NHT model, the Scottish Government is considering the options for procuring more new homes through further NHT phases in 2011-12 and 2012-13, taking account of the views of stakeholders, and will communicate its plans shortly.