Seòmar agus comataidhean

A revised version of the Government Expenditure & Revenue Scotland report was produced following publication on 9 March 2016, after minor errors were discovered. Changes were put through in the online text and accompanying spreadsheets and a new PDF was also produced and made available as soon as possible. In line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, notes were added to highlight the changes to users, making clear that none of the headline figures or results for Scotland in the report were affected by the changes.

An error was identified in the North Sea revenue figures and net fiscal balance estimates contained in table A.10 of the Government Expenditure & Revenue Scotland 2014-15. This was corrected as soon as it was brought to the attention of Scottish Government statisticians. The error affected the figures presented in table A10 only and did not affect any of the main results in the publication.

We have made available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 57809) our estimated cost, at a national level, of increasing wages to the living wage.

Partnership working between the Scottish Government, local government and our stakeholders is key to ensuring effective implementation of this policy.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30440 on 23 March 2016. 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30439 on 23 March 2016. 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.

We have made national estimates on the cost of increasing wages to the living wage level. This analysis has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 57809).

We encourage all employers to pay the living wage and for local partners to expand on this initiative to include other groups of workers where this is affordable, sustainable and meets local priorities.

As set out in the answer to question S4W-30715 on 22 March 2016, Chief Executive Letter 12 (2012) sets out the current planning arrangements between NHS boards and independent adult hospices http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2012_12.pdf.

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.

Palliative and end of life care will be the responsibility of the new Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) and so fair and proportionate resources should transfer to the IJBs. The Scottish Government will provide strategic commissioning guidance on palliative and end of life care to health and social care partnerships by summer 2016 and has also committed to review hospice funding by the end of 2016.

It is currently a matter for individual NHS boards to commission directly with the independent adult hospices within their geographical area. Chief Executive Letter (CEL) 12 (2012) makes it clear that NHS boards should fund 50% of agreed running costs of independent adult hospices. More detail about the current planning arrangements is set out in CEL 12 (2012), http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2012_12.pdf.

From 1 April 2016 commissioning responsibility will transfer to the new health and social care partnerships. The Scottish Government has also committed to review hospice funding by the end of 2016 to look at addressing the disparity between children and adult hospices as part of implementation of the strategic framework for action on palliative and end of life care.