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Long-term adult offenders, including sex offenders, are subject to strict release conditions. Under current arrangements prisoners are allocated to their area of residence within seven days of admission to prison. This definition of residency is based on the prisoner''s address at arrest and their court of disposal. Once set, the respective local authority manages the offender''s case through imprisonment onto release. Any requests to change residency will be dealt with between the relevant local authorities.

The current practice of returning prisoners, including sex offenders, to a prison in their home area prior to release will continue. Therefore we would anticipate that only offenders defined as resident in Clackmannanshire would be released back into Clackmannanshire.

The sex offenders transferred into HMP Glenochil are housed on two levels of one houseblock, separate from non-sex offender prisoners. HMP Glenochil does not at this time receive prisoners directly from the courts therefore all convicted prisoners (including sex offenders) are transferred to Glenochil from other prisons.

There is no separate specialist unit at HMYOI Polmont for the assessment and management of sex offenders. All young people convicted of a sex offence are managed under an enhanced integrated case management arrangement. An allocated social worker will manage their case throughout the duration of their sentence in partnership with prison staff and community based social workers. This can include access to appropriate programmes. When necessary, HM YOI Polmont locate young people convicted of a sex offence in a separate area of the establishment, alongside other young people requiring to be separated for their own protection.

The Report of the Review Group on the Future Management of Sex Offenders within Scottish Prisons was published on 28 June 2002. Since the publication, legislation and policy has progressed.

However, the management of HMP Glenochil have put in place a training strategy which breaks down the key components of knowledge required to work effectively with sex offenders. This approach was adopted with maintaining public protection at the forefront.

Specifically the following training has been provided:

Three psychologists trained to deliver sex offender programmes covering the following (current STOP, CORE and Rolling).

Three psychologists trained to deliver sex offender programmes covering the following (current STOP, CORE and Rolling).

Two social workers are trained to deliver the community sex offender group work programme.

Prior to the sex offenders arriving, 49 staff attended specific training on Psychological manipulation and conditioning training.

Six (five social workers + one team manager) social work staff are trained in child protection (CP) levels one & two.

Six (five social workers + one team manager) social work staff are trained in vulnerable adult support and protection.

Two social work staff are trained in joint police & social work interviews (specific to sex offender work).

Two managers attended multi agency public protection arrangement (MAPPA) training delivered by fife police.

Eight staff have received a basic awareness to MAPPA training.

Further training will be provided to staff as required.

The European Council published a recommendation on rare diseases in 2009 that proposes a national plan for rare diseases. The Scottish Government fully supports this recommendation and is working with officials from across the UK to explore the extent to which the UK meets the requirements of the recommendation and to agree areas of possible collaboration and progress in the future.

In relation to the evaluation of medicines, Scotland has robust, equitable and transparent arrangements for the introduction of newly licensed clinically and cost-effective medicines to treat all conditions, including rare diseases. In appraising orphan medicines to treat rare diseases, the Scottish Medicines Consortium may, in addition to the standard assessment of clinical and cost-effectiveness, apply modifiers which consider other additional factors. Subject to meeting certain criteria, this can facilitate acceptance of a medicine notwithstanding the economic evidence provided. Full details of the Scottish Medicines Consortium policies can be found on the SMC website:

http://www.scottishmedicines.org.uk/smc/3863.21.24.html.

NHS boards also have arrangements that provide an opportunity at local level for clinically led consideration of medicines for individual patients in certain circumstances.

The number of courses of treatment varies from patient to patient, depending on their response to initial treatment and the general health of the individual patient. This is a clinical decision made at a multidisciplinary team meeting and should involve a full discussion with the patient and their family or carer.

Currently, patients with resectable osteosarcoma who are under the age of 40 are recruited to the Euramos clinical trial. This is an international study by four leading multi-institutional osteosarcoma groups based in the USA, Germany-Austria, Europe and Scandinavia. Patients follow the standard treatment regimens according to which arm of the study they are randomised to and, therefore, costs are variable.

The Report of the Review Group on the Future Management of Sex Offenders within Scottish Prisons was published on 28 June 2002. Since the publication, legislation and policy has progressed.

HMP Glenochil does not have a child-free visit area in addition to a general visits area.

However, arrangements are in place to ensure, as far as reasonably possible, that prisoners who present a risk to children, and who are not permitted visits with minors, are segregated at visits from those prisoners who may receive visits from children. This practice is consistent with other sites that hold sex offenders.

Furthermore, seating arrangements at visits are controlled and visits are strictly supervised by staff and are supported by CCTV facilities.