Chamber and committees

It is for individual NHS boards to plan and healthcare services to ensure that the needs of their local population are met.

It is understood however, that NHS Lothian has started work on a revised pathway for ME-CFS based on the Scottish Good Practice Statement on ME-CFS for GPs. The pathway will seek to ensure that people living with the ME-CFS are recognised early by their GP and receive the appropriate clinical investigation, treatment and support.

This work will be taken forward over the next few months in discussion with the board’s partners, including patient and carer representatives.

With Scottish Government funding a Restorative Justice Joint Action Project, which included Sacro and Victim Support Scotland, researched and developed a possible model for the use of restorative practices in the adult criminal justice system. A report was submitted in December 2009.

Separately, a restorative justice programme for survivors of in-care historical abuse has been piloted, the final report on the project is expected soon.

The need for further research in this area will be kept under review, and will be commissioned as appropriate.

The Scottish Government, through Preventing Offending by Young People: A Framework for Action and the Young People Who Offend project is encouraging the appropriate use of restorative justice as an intervention for young people who offend.

With funding from the Scottish Government, a restorative justice programme for survivors of in-care historical abuse has been piloted. A decision on whether or not to extend that pilot will be taken in light of the final report on the project, which is expected soon.

The Scottish Government will continue to keep evidence of the effectiveness of restorative justice under review, and encourage its use where there are proven benefits.

The Scottish Government does not provide grants direct to voluntary organisations solely for the provision of restorative justice schemes.

Funding is provided indirectly through two routes. First, the Scottish Government funds mediation and reparation schemes as part of diversion from prosecution programmes in five local authority areas (Aberdeen City, City of Edinburgh, Midlothian, North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire) as part of the ring-fenced funding arrangements for delivery of criminal justice social work. In addition, in 2011-12 the Scottish Government also provided funding to three Community Justice Authorities (Lanarkshire, Lothian and Borders and Northern) to commission mediation and reparation programmes.

As an employer, the Scottish Government recognises its salary sacrifice childcare voucher scheme as a valuable benefit and it is available to all of its eligible employees, including those in the Agencies of its main bargaining units. We undertake a range of measures to promote the benefits of the scheme in conjunction with our current voucher provider, Edenred. This includes an annual programme of awareness-raising sessions (the most recent of which was held in October 2010) and regular articles on our intranet. We supplement these with PC screensavers and posters in our buildings. In addition, our letters for those about to go on maternity leave and our maternity leave pack both contain references to the scheme, as well as how to apply. Detailed information on the scheme, and the application process, is also contained on our HR intranet pages. Both our previous childcare voucher contract and our current voluntary benefits framework agreement are also available to NDPBs. However, awareness activity for each individual NDPB will be a matter for them.

Information on childcare vouchers for employers is available on HMRC’s website. There have been no specific steps to raise awareness of childcare vouchers among voluntary and private sector employers in Scotland since the January-June 2009 project to do so. However, information is available to voluntary and private sector employees on the Scottish Childcare Information Service website and the Scottish Government website, as well as HMRC’s website.

Following the January-June 2009 Scottish Government campaign and report to promote increased use of childcare vouchers in Scotland, no further assessment has been undertaken on the provision of childcare vouchers. The Scottish Government report can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/publications/2009/08/promotingvouchers.

Scottish Government officials work closely with officials in the UK Government’s Child Poverty Unit. Regular Child Poverty ’Four Nations’ meetings take place approximately three times per year. These meetings involve government officials leading on child poverty policy and analysis, from the Child Poverty Unit, the Welsh and Northern Irish Assemblies, and the Scottish Government.

Since 2009, these meetings have covered a wide range of issues, including the UK Child Poverty Act 2010, the development of child poverty strategies, and ongoing exchange of evidence and good practice.

Outside of these meetings, Scottish Government officials and Child Poverty Unit officials are in frequent contact with one another.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-01240 on 18 July 2011. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Unpaid placements with the Scottish Government are currently all recorded as “Work Experience” on our HR system but this may cover a range of disparate circumstances. As they are not employees of the Scottish Government only very limited information is held and therefore it is not possible to break this down further.

The majority of placements of under one week are carried out by pupils in their later years of secondary school.

Other opportunities may be sought by university and college students or new graduates looking to gain relevant experience and these will generally be for a month or more; these will include those cases where the university or college has requested an unpaid placement as part of a formal course of study. Many longer term student placements are paid; these are detailed in the answer to question S4W-00259.

Longer research placements as part of a PhD programme are also included in this category if unpaid (by the Scottish Government). This work is largely academic and although unpaid by the Scottish Government, the student may be in receipt of a stipend from their University.

Participants in certain international civil service programmes may also be recorded under this category, such as the Romanian Young Professional Scheme funded by the EU for people entering the Romanian Civil Service. These placements are organised through Europe Division and generally last for around 4 months.

The total numbers recorded in the last three financial years are as follows:

The lengths of work experience placements in the last three financial years are summarised by Directorate-General and Agency or other body in the following tables:

Placements starting in financial year 2008-09

Placements starting in financial year 2009-10

Placements starting in financial year 2010-11