Seòmar agus comataidhean

No specific funding allocationis made to NHS boards for learning disability services. Each NHS board is givenan annual allocation of funds to meet the health care needs of its residentpopulation, including the cost of learning disability services, taking accountof national and local priorities. It is for NHS boards to decide and prioritiseon what services they provide for their residents. There are no plans toring-fence funds for expenditure on learning disabilities.

A table showing learningdisabilities services expenditure by NHS board has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39508).

The Executive is currentlyin the process of drafting a National Overview of the Partnership in Practice(PiP) agreements for 2004-07. The agreements indicate local authorities are generallymaking good progress and identify locally agreed priorities for action. TheNational Overview will highlight areas of good practice and draw attention tonational initiatives that assist local authorities in developing their Partnershipin Practice agreements for 2007-10.

In addition to writtenreporting, the Executive holds Partnership in Practice Network meetingsregularly. These meetings enable local authority and NHS board representativesto discuss positive local initiatives and also give the Executive regularopportunities to receive and give feedback on the PiP process.

The same as you? Implementation Group has produced a number of reports,which demonstrate areas where work has been taken forward to implement therecommendations of The same as you?. These reports look at hospitalclosure and service reprovision, employment, advocacy, children’s services, andday services.

The majority ofrecommendations were not for the Executive to implement, however, the NationalOverview of the Partnership in Practice agreements will outline areas ofprogress at a national and local level.

The Executive monitors therange of services provided by local authorities for people with learning disabilitiesin a number of ways. Monitoring of services for people with learningdisabilities is delivered through the inspection of services by the Social WorkInspection Agency (SWIA). A pilot multi-agency inspection of learningdisability services led by the SWIA and involving service users, carers, theCare Commission, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland, Her Majesty’s Inspectorateof Education and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, is currently underwayin Ayrshire. An evaluation of this multi-agency inspection will be carried outprior to further inspections.

The Scottish Executivecollects annual statistics on implementation of The same as you? and the2005 statistical release is due for publication at the end of May. The NationalOverview of the Partnership in Practice agreements will also includeinformation on the way the Change Fund is being spent by each local authority.

The work of The same asyou? National Implementation Group, Users and Carers Group, and Partnershipin Practice Network helps to highlight the range and quality of services thatare available in each local authority area, and to consider areas where furtherdevelopment is needed.

The Executive is not awareof any reduction in learning disability services provided by local authorities.Patterns of local authority expenditure for learning disability services areoutlined in the answer to question S2W-25133 on 8 May 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can befound at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Local authorities receive£16 million Change Fund per annum, to help implement the recommendations in Thesame as you? review of services for people with learning disabilities.Additionally they are to receive an extra £4.2 million in 2006-07 and £5 million2007-08 to take account of the increasing population and of post-hospitalclosure demands. The additional change funds are included with general localgovernment grant aided expenditure. A breakdown of Change Fund allocations by localauthority can be found in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39507).

With this exception, nospecific funding allocation is made to local authorities for learningdisability services. Funding comes from community care allocations and it isfor local authorities to allocate these resources as appropriate for their localarea.

A table showing net revenueexpenditure figures for learning disability services, by local authority area,has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39534).

We do not yet have this information.We have agreed with Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) that by the end of Februarythey should have notified projects that funding has been extended until June 2006.Early in June, CPPs will set out longer term plans on how they intend to use NewFutures Fund successor funding in their areas.

We are currently developing monitoringarrangements on the use of New Future Fund successor funding as part of the guidanceto Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs). The Enterprise, Transport and LifelongLearning Department with assistance from Communities Scotland, will be monitoringthe reports from CPPs.

The outcome of discussions withthe Department of Work and Pensions is the proposal in the Bankruptcy and DiligenceBill to stop creditors from arresting all the money in a bank account. A minimumbalance will be protected, currently fixed at £370. This reform will help all debtors,including those who rely on benefit income.

Information on funding allocated for spend on further education for young people with learning disabilities is not held centrally.

The core funding which further education colleges receive from the Scottish Funding Council goes towards meeting the needs of all students, however some students have additional support needs which may require additional funding. The Scottish Funding Council make two additional allocations which are bursary allocations and inclusiveness funding.

Bursary allocations are paid to colleges to enable them to implement the National Policy for further education bursaries. In 2005-06 this allocation was £52.2 million. Part of the policy enables colleges to pay an additional learning needs allowance, which may be offered to a disabled student towards study or travel-related expenses. This allowance is not means-tested as it is intended to help meet the additional costs that students have due to their disability.

Inclusiveness formula funding is paid to colleges to enable them to take forward the inclusiveness agenda as defined by the Beattie report in 1999. In 2005-06, this allocation was £1.6 million.