Chamber and committees

In responding to emergency 999 calls the Scottish Ambulance Service aims to meet national response times targets for getting an ambulance to the scene of the call-out. These vary according to population density and are as follows:

High Density - 95% reached within 14 minutes, 50% within seven minutes

Medium Density - 95% reached within 18 minutes, 50% within eight minutesSparse Density - 95% reached within 21 minutes, 50% within eight minutesThe performance of the Scottish Ambulance Service in relation to these targets is reported in the service's annual report. A copy of the report for 1999-2000 was sent to each MSP.Once at the scene of a call-out, ambulance paramedic staff will use their judgement to decide what course of action is required, depending on the medical condition of the patient. In some cases, treatment at the scene will be appropriate, and in others the patient's needs will best be served by moving them to hospital as quickly as possible. There is therefore no set target time for delivering the patient to hospital.

The National Museums of Scotland and the National Galleries of Scotland are currently discussing matters relating to their joint occupation of the Findlay Building. However, as we have already made clear, funds to renovate the Findlay Building will not be provided before the National Galleries of Scotland have completed their two current priority projects, development of the Playfair Project and the Granton Collections Store.

We do not keep a record of privately owned art collections which are available for loan and have no plans to do so.

Since the activation of the Bellwin scheme in 1998, requests have been made to activate the scheme following the flooding in Edinburgh and Midlothian in April and November 2000, the subsidence due to the collapse of the limestone mines in the Ferniehill area of Edinburgh in December 2000, and the heavy snowfalls in Borders and South Lanarkshire in February 2001. Schemes have now been activated for all of these.

The Scottish Executive has been involved from the early stages of discussion about what format and direction post-FMD inquiries might take. The Executive has been fully consulted on the terms of reference for the Lessons Learned Review and the Royal Society Inquiry.

The Executive has no plans to set up a separate review of the circumstances surrounding the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Scotland given the series of inquiries already announced, including a fully independent study by the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

It will be for those taking forward each of the inquiries to determine who will be invited to provide evidence and information. One would expect a wide range of views to be sought but with variations in participation depending upon the remit of each inquiry.

The Terms of the Bellwin Scheme are detailed in Finance Circular 9/2000, a copy of which is held in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. no. 14385). Under the scheme, the amount payable to a council facing an emergency is 85% of the eligible costs, after a deduction of a threshold which is unique to each council. 90% of this amount payable is paid to a council following approval of a claim by the Scottish Executive. The remaining 10% is paid following receipt by the Executive of an audited claim. East Ayrshire Council claimed costs of £561,537, of which 85% above the relevant threshold of £237,438 was eligible for payment. The sum of £243,352 (90% of amount payable) has been paid to date. An additional deduction of around £6,000 was made to the amount claimed, as the council had claimed for insurance excesses of greater than the £100 for damage to school buildings which is allowable under the scheme.South Lanarkshire Council claimed costs of £873,901 of which 85% above the relevant threshold of £567,166 was eligible for payment. The sum of £234,652 (90% of amount payable) has been paid to date.

The threshold amounts deducted from East Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire Councils' eligible costs were £237,438 and £567,166 respectively. Finance Circular 9/2000 (Bib. no. 14385) details the scope and background of the Bellwin Scheme including the reasoning behind the thresholds.

We have received no representations from any local authority regarding difficulties in meeting these costs. In this context, the cost of residential special school fees has been mentioned as a significant commitment but not in the context of any particular difficulties in meeting the costs of placing children.