Chamber and committees

The terms of the concordat andthe local government finance settlement will allow local authorities to broadlyretain teacher numbers at current levels.

The Scottish Government is committedto constantly improving care provision, and the Framework for Maternity Servicesin Scotland and Expert Group on Acute Maternity Services (EGAMS)set out clear ways for this to be achieved. Principle 3 of the Framework statesthere should be specific services for women with complications in early pregnancy.

In addition, NHS Quality ImprovementScotland (QIS) provided standards relating to Maternity Services in 2005, standard2b states essential criteria that it is expected will be met in relation to earlypregnancy complications. QIS have inspected every board against the maternity standardsand published the results.

NHS boards are responsible fordetermining maternity services in their area in the context of their own servicestrategies, provided these strategies are consistent with national policy and guidance.

The Scottish Government is committedto constantly improving care provision, and the Framework for Maternity Servicesin Scotland and Expert Group on Acute Maternity Services (EGAMS)set out clear ways for this to be achieved. Principle 3 of the framework states:there should be specific services for women with complications in early pregnancy.

In addition, NHS Quality ImprovementScotland produced standards relating to Maternity Services in 2005. Standard 2bsets out essential criteria that it is expected will be met wherever this serviceis provided. Part of the criteria state that women who experience early pregnancycomplications should be cared for in a dedicated area distinct from the generalgynaecology or antenatal ward.

NHS boards are responsible fordetermining maternity services in their area in the context of their own servicestrategies, provided these strategies are consistent with national policy and guidance.

We expect NHS boards to considerthe needs of this client group and plan/manage their care accordingly. Additionally,we expect NHS boards to have pathways of care in place which integrate physiologicaland physical care.

In answering the manyparliamentary questions about upgrading the A9 in this parliamentary session wehave made it clear that we are committed to investing progressively in the A9 ona continuing and long-term basis. During 2008-09 work is scheduled to start on thefollowing schemes: Crubenmore (dualling); Bankfoot (junction improvements), andLoch Moy (WS2+1 overtaking lane). We plan to continue delivering further improvementsduring subsequent years of the current programme to 2012 with future investmentfor the next investment period, from 2012 to 2022, emerging from the Strategic TransportProjects Review which is due to report to ministers this summer (2008). Thegovernment is committed to plan for dualling the A9.

The amount of “fixed capitalformation” by the Scottish Executive is published annually in notes 5 and 6 of theConsolidated Accounts. Expenditure on other fixed capital formation in Scotlandis undertaken by a wide range of bodies including local authorities who will publishthis information in their own annual accounts. This information is not collatedby the Scottish Government and comparative data with England, Walesand Northern Ireland is not readily available.

However, it may be of interestthat HM Government published The National Asset Register in January2007 which provides details of Total Fixed Asset Acquisitions and Disposals forthe five year period 2000-05 by government department and includes Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales as separate entities.

Table 1 shows the annual GDPgrowth rates for Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole from 1970 onwards. Nocomparable figures exist for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Table 1: Gross Domestic Productat Constant Basic Prices for Scotland and the UK (1970-2006)

	GDP Growth Rate (%)
	Scotland	UK
1970	1.8	3.0
1971	1.1	1.7
1972	3.6	4.7
1973	7.1	4.5
1974	0.0	-0.4
1975	-1.5	0.0
1976	1.8	3.4
1977	1.7	1.6
1978	2.4	2.7
1979	1.0	1.6
1980	-1.9	-4.0
1981	-1.4	1.1
1982	1.5	2.0
1983	1.4	4.3
1984	3.8	1.5
1985	2.8	3.8
1986	0.4	4.7
1987	2.0	4.5
1988	4.0	4.3
1989	2.7	1.2
1990	2.2	-0.1
1991	0.1	-0.3
1992	1.4	1.0
1993	2.5	3.0
1994	3.4	4.5
1995	1.8	1.6
1996	2.9	3.0
1997	2.8	3.4
1998	1.9	3.4
1999	1.9	3.5
2000	2.7	3.2
2001	2.3	1.6
2002	0.8	2.2
2003	2.0	3.6
2004	2.6	2.6
2005	1.7	1.9
2006	2.6	3.1

Source: Scottish Government;Office for National Statistics.

No specific budgethas been allocated to NHS boards for occupational therapy services. All NHSboards receive an annual allocation of funds. It is for each board to decide howbest to utilise these funds to meet the health care needs of its resident population,including occupational therapy services, taking account of national and local priorities.

NHS boards are responsiblefor designing the models of service they require and ensuring the staffing resourceto deliver that and meet the needs of their population.

Occupationaltherapy recruitment is a matter for individual health boards.

Board workforce plans,published in April 2007, have predicted that the overall number of qualified occupationaltherapists is projected to increase by almost 3.6% over the next three years from1,536.3 in 2006 to 1,592.3 in 2009.

Each NHS board holdsemployment details for its own staff. Information is collected by ISD Scotland andis published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statisticsat:

www.isdscotland.org/workforce.

Information on staffemployed in NHSScotland is published on the Scottish Health Statistics website underWorkforce Statistics at www.isdscotland.org/workforce.

Section F gives detailsof therapeutic, health care science, technical, pharmacy and ambulance staff. Inparticular, tables F1 and F2 show the whole-time equivalent and head count of occupationaltherapists employed in NHSScotland by year and by NHS board and region. Whole-timeequivalent adjusts head count to take account of part-time working. Latest availabledata is at 30 September 2006.

All NHS boards receivean annual allocation of funds. Each board’s allocation will be increased in eachyear of the spending review period. It is for each NHS board to decide how bestto utilise these funds to meet the health care needs of its resident populationtaking account of national and local priorities, including occupational therapyservices. No specific additional funding is being provided for occupational therapyservices. It will be for boards to decide whether any of the additional fundingbeing made available to them is used for this purpose.

Board workforce planspublished in April 2007 have predicted that the overall number of qualified occupationaltherapists is projected to increase by almost 3.6% over the next three years from1,536.3 in 2006 to 1,592.3 in 2009.