Questions and answers

Question reference: S2W-05103

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 20 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to S2W-4605 by Mr Tom McCabe on 15 December 2003, whether it will list the specific organisations that have received grants for 2002-03 under section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 for the provision of services to disabled persons, stating the level of grant awarded.

A number of organisationsprovide services across the entire community care client group. Someorganisations which receive section 10 grants do not provide services fordisabled persons alone. This makes it impossible to provide a full breakdown ofsection 10 funding for the provision of services to disabled persons.

The table details all grantsmade under section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 in 2002-03 from the Health Departmentbudget. Other departments also make grants under section 10 which may relate todisabled persons.

Section 10 Social Work (Scotland)Act 1968 Health Department Grants 2002-03

Organisation	Type of Grant	Policy Priority Area	Offer 2002-03 (£)
Age Concern Scotland, National	Community Care - Core	Older People	59,660
Alzheimers Scotland - Action on Dementia	Community Care	Mental Welfare	95,481
Alzheimers Scotland, - National	Community Care - Carers Strategy	Carers	27,500
Arthritis Care Scotland, National	Community Care - Core	Physical Disability	13,000
Arthritis Care, National	Community Care	Physical Disability	13,000
Assist-project, National	Community Care	Community Care	65,000
British Deaf Association, national	Community Care	Sensory Impairment	32,000
British Deaf Association, National	Community Care - Core	Sensory Impairment	32,000
Call Centre, National	Community Care	Learning Disability	15,300
Carers Scotland, National	Community Care	Carers	74,263
Cares of West Lothian, Edinburgh	Community Care	Carers	21,000
Carr Gomm Scotland, National	Community Care	Community Care	10,300
Contact the Elderly In Scotland, National	Community Care	Older People	3,183
Contact the Elderly Scotland, National	Community Care - Core	Older People	3,183
Crew 2000, National	Community Care	Drugs & Alcohol	26,920
Crossroads Scotland, National	Community Care	Carers	38,201
Crossroads Scotland, national	Community Care - Carers Strategy	Carers	18,000
Deafblind Scotland, National	Community Care	Sensory Impairment	17,740
Deafblind Scotland, National	Community Care - Project	Sensory Impairment	61,600
Dementia Services Development Centre, national	Community Care	Mental Welfare	137,917
Edinburgh Association for Mental Health	Community Care	Mental Welfare	23,000
Edinburgh Association for Mental Health	Community Care- Capital	Mental Welfare	6,000
Edinvar Community Care Ltd, Edinburgh	Community Care	Community Care	29,124
Enable Services Limited, National	Community Care	Learning Disability	27,324
Epilepsy Action Scotland, National	Community Care	Mental Welfare	21,218
Headway, National	Community Care	Mental Welfare	66,000
Inclusion Scotland	Community Care	Physical Disability	35,000
Manic Depression Fellowship (Scotland), National	Community Care	Mental Welfare	26,523
ME Association, National	Community Care	Physical Disability	23,578
ME Association, National	Community Care - Core	Physical Disability	23,578
Minority Ethnic Carers of Older People, Edinburgh	Community Care - Carers Strategy	Carers	6,000
Moira Anderson Foundation, national	Community Care	Mental Welfare	40,000
National Autistic Society, national	Community Care - Project	Mental Welfare	25,000
NSF Scotland, National	Community Care	Mental Welfare	76,700
Pain Association Scotland, National	Community Care	Community Care	25,750
Parkinson's Disease Society, National	Community Care	Older People	2,500
Parkinson's Disease Society, National	Community Care - Core	Physical Disability	3,183
Partners In Advocacy, national	Community Care	Learning Disability	15,450
Penumbra, National	Community Care	Mental Welfare	55,000
Penumbra, respite, National	Community Care	Mental Welfare	10,609
People First (Scotland), national	Community Care	Learning Disability	53,045
Positive Steps Partnership, national	Community Care	AIDS	18,035
Princess Royal Trust (Young Carers), National	Community Care	Carers	17,500
Rehab Scotland, National	Community Care	Mental Welfare	28,271
Relatives Association, National	Community Care	Carers	25,000
Richmond Fellowship, National	Community Care	Mental Welfare	29,972
SASLI, National	Community Care - Core	Sensory Impairment	23,712
Scottish Association for Mental health, national	Community Care	Mental Welfare	81,689
Scottish Association for Sign Language Interpreters	Community Care	Sensory Impairment	23,712
Scottish Consumer Council (SAIF), National	Community Care	Sensory Impairment	73,748
Scottish Council on Deafness, National	Community Care	Sensory Impairment	8,487
Scottish Disability Equality Forum	Community Care	Physical Disability	35,000
Scottish Huntington's Association	Community Care	Mental Welfare	26,522
Sense Scotland, national	Community Care - Carers Strategy	Carers	10,000
Shared Care Scotland, National	Community Care - Project	Carers	18,000
Shared Care Scotland, National	Community Care	Carers	73,905
Spinal Injuries Scotland, National	Community Care - Core	Physical Disability	25,000
Stresswatch Scotland, national	Community Care	Mental Welfare	11,219
Update, National	Community Care - Core	Physical Disability	234,584
Values Into Action, National	Community Care	Learning Disability	10,609
Waverly Trust, National	Community Care	HIV/AIDS	7,635

Question reference: S2W-05371

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Andy Kerr on 20 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce a mandatory rates relief scheme for community amateur sports clubs, similar to that introduced in England and Wales.

Question reference: S2W-04896

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4264 by Mr Tom McCabe on 5 December 2003, what level of funding under the Carers Strategy has been utilised for respite care provision by each local authority since April 2000.

The Executive’s monitoringof local authority expenditure under the Carers Strategy sought to establishthrough Community Care Plans, and annual updates, how much was being spent onrespite and on other services to support carers. Despite Executive guidance onthe data required, in the first two years of the strategy, authorities providedinformation in differing formats. This made meaningful comparisons difficult. Toimprove matters, information on local authorities’ expenditure on respite, andother services to support carers, is now being collected through centralisedfinancial returns. Figures for 2002-03 will be available shortly. These returnswill indicate expenditure on respite and on other services to support carers. Theywill not identify how much of the spending on respite comes from CarersStrategy resources, as these are only part of the total resources from whichauthorities may finance such expenditure.

Question reference: S2W-04880

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive which illnesses will be included in its definition of chronic health conditions for its proposed review of prescription charges.

The question of which illnesses can be defined as chronic health conditions is among the issues that the reviewwill address. The detailed remit of the review is still under consideration andthe consultation process has yet to be determined. However, it is our firmintention to consult widely with patient interest groups, NHS professionals andother stakeholders. This will ensure that the interests and concerns of as manypeople as possible can be taken into account. We expect the review to commence within the next few months.

Question reference: S2W-05226

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 January 2004
Current Status: Answered by Colin Boyd on 13 January 2004

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-34924 by Colin Boyd QC on 18 March 2000, what progress is being made with the cataloguing of relevant material by the National Archives of Scotland (NAS) regarding the shooting at Dunblane School and whether a decision has been made by the Lord Advocate on whether any further papers are to be made publicly available.

Officials from the NationalArchives of Scotland began the cataloguing process in March 2003 and are hopingto have it completed by February 2004 in accordance with NAS businessobjectives. This target is now formally included in the NAS corporate plan for2003-04.

The cataloguing processinvolves reading each document fully and providing a summary of its content.The productions from the inquiry consist of 106 sections of documentation,consisting of 36 lever arch files and additional miscellaneous documentsrunning to many tens of thousands of pages. It is estimated that the materialunder the extended closure occupies five metres in length of storage space atNAS. When cataloguing is complete consideration requires to be given toreleasing material that does not identify children and does not contravene dataprotection legislation by disclosing personal data in relation to livingindividuals.

The Crown Office andProcurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is liasing closely with NAS and officialsfrom both organisations met recently to review the material catalogued thusfar. COPFS officials will be providing me with recommendations about whatmaterial can be released in its entirety, what material can be released in anedited format to “anonymise” data and what is unsuitable for release. This isan extremely resource intensive exercise but when it is complete I will be ableto reach a decision on release.

Question reference: S2O-00959

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 December 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to reduce the number of fine defaulters.

The lawalready allows for offenders to be given time to pay, for payment byinstalments, for deductions from benefits and for civil diligence, as ways ofencouraging payment and enforcing payment of fines.

Inaddition, the Executive has made supervised attendance orders (SAOs) availableto courts across Scotland to deal with fine defaulters. Thesedisposals offer a credible alternative to custody for fine defaulters.

Two pilotsare under development to explore an extension to the use of SAOs. The firstwill prescribe pilot courts to order an SAO as the appropriate disposal incases of fine default, effectively removing from the court the option ofimposing a custodial sentence. The second will empower certain courts to imposeSAOs as a disposal of first instance (i.e. instead of a fine) where the courtconsiders that the offender is unlikely to be able to pay a fine.

The Reviewof Summary Justice has considered fines and their enforcement as part of itswider consideration of the operation of the summary criminal justice system.

We havealso asked the Sentencing Commission to examine the basis on which fines aredetermined.

Question reference: S2W-04606

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Mary Mulligan on 17 December 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is provided to voluntary organisations applying for grants under section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968.

Question reference: S2W-04605

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 15 December 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations received grants for 2002-03 under section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 for the provision of services to disabled persons, stating the level of grant awarded.

Question reference: S2W-04604

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 December 2003
Current Status: Answered by Mary Mulligan on 12 December 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are used for assessing grant applications under section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968.

There is no generic guidanceavailable to organisations seeking grants under section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland)Act 1968, as this is the legislative power used to provide funding from anumber of Scottish Executive programmes. Instead, individual departments provideguidance tailored to the specific scheme or schemes they manage.

Similarly, the criteria usedto assess individual grant applications varies across the Scottish Executiveand will depend on the conditions of grant set in respect of the many grantprogrammes from the Scottish Executive.

Question reference: S2W-04264

Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 November 2003
Current Status: Answered by Tom McCabe on 5 December 2003

To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding has been provided to each local authority in each of the last three years to meet the needs of carers, excluding the provision of respite care.

Under the Carers Strategy £10million a year has been provided to local authorities from April 2000 todevelop local services that support carers. The following table sets out theresources available to each local authority. Councils should be determining, inpartnership with carers, service users and other key planning partners, howbest to use their share of these resources to meet the needs of local carers. Theseresources will be used in a variety of ways, including the provision of respitecare.

Strategy for Carers in Scotland:Resources to Local Authorities

Local Authority	Resources available each year from April 2000 (£000)
Aberdeen City	411
Aberdeenshire	378
Angus	233
Argyll and Bute	204
Clackmannanshire	97
Dumfries and Galloway	301
Dundee City	326
East Ayrshire	244
East Dunbartonshire	166
East Lothian	177
East Renfrewshire	146
Edinburgh, City of	887
Eilean Siar	70
Falkirk	270
Fife	699
Glasgow City	1,355
Highland	387
Inverclyde	181
Midlothian	134
Moray	155
North Ayrshire	283
North Lanarkshire	611
Orkney Islands	38
Perth and Kinross	274
Renfrewshire	322
Scottish Borders	237
Shetland Islands	40
South Ayrshire	244
South Lanarkshire	546
Stirling	161
West Dunbartonshire	183
West Lothian	242
Scotland	10,000

Source: Grant AidedExpenditure 2000‑01, Carers Service and Respite Care GAE.

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