Chamber and committees

The member can obtain access to copies of the correspondence sent to the Financial Conduct Authority and HM Treasury and the response received from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) using BIB number 55686.

Following a members business debate in the Scottish Parliament on 13 June 2013 on this matter, Mr Swinney wrote to Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and HM Treasury to relay the concerns of businesses in Scotland affected by the mis-selling of interest rate swap agreements. The FCA responded on 9 August 2013 stating this was an issue for HM Treasury. HM Treasury has yet to respond.

The Scottish Government is also engaging with counterparts in the Welsh Government regarding the potential for a co-ordinated approach from the devolved administrations to help ensure fair redress for affected small and medium-sized businesses as quickly as possible.

It is the responsibility of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to raise awareness of its review and for the banks to approach those customers who fall within the remit the FCA review.

The Scottish Government will continue to urge those who believe they have been mis-sold a product to make a formal complaint directly to the banks or to the Financial Ombudsman Service.

It is for the appropriate regulators and the banks to ensure that all companies that may have been mis-sold financial products are given the assistance they need and any appropriate redress. The Scottish Government will continue to refer such companies to the appropriate organisations.

In the Scottish Banking Strategy ‘Sustainable Responsible Banking, published on 10 May 2013, the Scottish Government has emphasised the need for a banking sector in Scotland that is built on the principles of probity, prudence and trust. We strongly oppose the sale of any financial product which does not clearly meet the needs or the interests of customers.

The Scottish Government continues to work with all the banks to ensure the supply of affordable and appropriate finance and financial products for viable businesses, especially small and medium-sized businesses.

In September 2012, the Scottish Government allocated provisional funding to support the replacement or refurbishment of 30 schools under Phase III of its Schools for the Future Programme, this included support to North Ayrshire Council for its proposal to replace Ardrossan and Auchenharvie Academies, subject to it obtaining a positive outcome from the required statutory consultation process. Support under the programme is project specific and not an allocation of finance to councils.

Following North Ayrshire's recent decision not to proceed with this project, Scottish Futures Trust, as programme managers, and the Scottish Government are working with the council to agree a way forward and remain committed to providing appropriate support to lift pupils out of poor or bad condition schools, which are often the legacy of previous administrations.

The Scottish Government recognises the recently revised guidance called ‘The Prevention of Early-onset Neonatal Group B Streptococcal Disease’ issued by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists for obstetricians, midwives and neonatologists in June 2012. This recommends an approach to antibiotics administration based on maternal risk factors. Prevention of late-onset group B streptococcus (GBS) and treatment of established GBS disease is not considered beyond initial antibiotic therapy.

The Scottish Government does not collect the above data.

Early and late onset group B streptococcal infections are not notifiable under the terms of the Public Health (Scotland) Act 2008.

The “UK Standards for Microbiology Investigations: Processing Swabs for Group B Streptococcal Carriage” (SMI B58) endorses and supports the recommendations that only those pregnant women assessed as being at high risk should be tested. The document provides a recommended method for such testing. This does not however prevent tests being carried out where a doctor thinks it is necessary, with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists guidance setting out the criteria for making such judgements.

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has also carefully considered the potential benefits and harms of screening for GBS carriage during pregnancy and has agreed that there is no clear evidence to show that screening all pregnant women in the UK would be beneficial. There are concerns that, given the relatively low risk associated with most cases of GBS carriage, a positive screen may result in unnecessary and potentially harmful treatment. One of the potential harms of screening for GBS during pregnancy is that large numbers of women might be given antibiotics during labour, risking death or serious injury to a few women from an allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to the drugs; there is also a real risk that strains of bacteria become resistant to antibiotics.

The Minister for Public Health met with Margaret McDougall MSP on 12 September 2013 to discuss screening for group B streptococcus infection in pregnancy.