Seòmar agus comataidhean

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) provides support and assistance to crofters and farmers in the Uists to manage the impact of greylag geese on their land and livelihoods. The Uist Greylag Goose Management Scheme is managed by the Uist Local Goose Management Group which includes local stakeholder representatives.

The scheme has been approved for the next three year period with a budget of £63,189 per annum. This budget includes funding to contract lethal scarers to protect key machair crops from the geese and to respond to any scaring requests or complaints. In addition, this funding also provides free scaring devices for crofters and farmers, available from the local SNH Area Office and support from SNH and Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate staff.

As part of the Scottish Fisheries Council, a commercial strategy group for the Scottish scallop sector was convened on 8 May 2008. This group will consider issues such as regulation, stock levels and the impact of scallop fishing practices on the marine environment as well as enhancing the reputation and competitiveness of Scottish scallops in a global market which will be reflected in the resultant strategy. In order to assist the group, Seafood Scotland have been commissioned to undertake a SWOT analysis of the Scottish scallop sector.

The work of the group is being taken forward through thematic sub-groups working on specific issues. This includes a marketing and promotion sub group which will aim to develop the marketing and promotion of Scottish scallops within the UK and overseas.

The fuel poverty programmes we inherited from the previous administration do not allow measures to tackle such homes effectively. The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing re-established the Scottish Fuel Poverty Forum on 22 May 2008 to advise on the future shape of these programmes and has specifically asked them to consider the needs of fuel poor households in rural areas. The forum is expected to report in September 2008.

As part of the stock transfer arrangements Hebridean Housing Partnership received £175,000 in 2006-07, £325,000 in 2007-08 and will receive £275,000 in 2008-09 to ensure that their stock meets the Scottish housing quality standard. This funding allocation takes into account the types of dwelling in the Western Isles.

Funding is allocated to councils for investment in private sector housing through the Private Sector Housing Grant. The level of annual baseline funding has increased since its inception in 2003-04 and currently stands at £67.3 million. Additional funding above baseline has also been made available with an additional £40 million being awarded over the last two years alone. Allocations to Western Isles Council have averaged over 5% of national expenditure, the fifth highest allocation of any council.

Statistics on the number of antisocial behaviour orders granted in each local authority area between April 1999 and March 2006 can be found in the report Use of Antisocial Behaviour Orders in Scotland, laid before Parliament on 20 September 2007. Copies are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 43671).

Statistics on the number of antisocial behaviour orders granted in each local authority area between April 2006 and March 2008 can be found on our website at www.antisocialbehaviourscotland.com.

The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 Act provides for B²rd na G idhlig to issue notices to Scottish public authorities requiring them to develop Gaelic Language Plans setting out how they will enable the use of Gaelic in connection with the exercise of their functions. Statutory notices to prepare Gaelic plans were issued to six Scottish public authorities in October 2006. The authorities were the Highland Council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Argyll and Bute, the Scottish Parliament, the Scottish Government and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The Scottish Government understands that four of these plans have been submitted to B²rd na G idhlig for approval under the terms of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005. The b²rd expects to approve two of these plans very soon and will approve a further two Gaelic plans following further discussions with the authorities concerned. The remaining two Gaelic plans are expected to be submitted to the b²rd for approval later this year. B²rd na G idhlig will be issuing six statutory notices to a further six Scottish public authorities later this year inviting them to develop statutory Gaelic language plans.

The Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) had the following results for the combined years 2003-04 to 2005-06:

Scottish House Condition Survey 2003-04 to 2005-06: Person Aged 60 or Over in Household by Presence of Oil-Fired Central Heating

Local Authority	Person aged 60 or Over in Household				Total Households
	No		Yes
	Oil-Fired Central Heating	Not Oil-Fired Central Heating	Oil-Fired Central Heating	Not Oil-Fired Central Heating
Aberdeen	-	60,000	1,000	40,000	100,000
Aberdeenshire	13,000	52,000	8,000	26,000	99,000
Angus	3,000	26,000	2,000	20,000	50,000
Argyll and Bute	3,000	21,000	3,000	15,000	42,000
Clackmannanshire	-	13,000	-	8,000	22,000
Dumfries and Galloway	5,000	31,000	6,000	26,000	68,000
Dundee	-	42,000	-	23,000	65,000
East Ayrshire	-	32,000	1,000	20,000	53,000
East Dunbartonshire	-	26,000	-	17,000	43,000
East Lothian	1,000	23,000	1,000	16,000	40,000
East Renfrewshire	-	23,000	-	13,000	36,000
Edinburgh	-	148,000	-	62,000	210,000
Eilean Siar	3,000	4,000	3,000	3,000	13,000
Falkirk	-	40,000	1,000	26,000	67,000
Fife	3,000	85,000	-	69,000	157,000
Glasgow	-	171,000	1,000	103,000	275,000
Highland	17,000	43,000	8,000	31,000	99,000
Inverclyde	-	23,000	-	14,000	37,000
Midlothian	1,000	21,000	-	11,000	33,000
Moray	3,000	18,000	3,000	14,000	38,000
North Ayrshire	1,000	40,000	1,000	21,000	62,000
North Lanarkshire	-	95,000	-	45,000	140,000
Orkney	2,000	4,000	1,000	2,000	9,000
Perth and Kinross	4,000	33,000	2,000	24,000	63,000
Renfrewshire	-	48,000	1,000	28,000	78,000
Scottish Borders	3,000	27,000	4,000	17,000	51,000
Shetland	2,000	5,000	1,000	2,000	10,000
South Ayrshire	1,000	27,000	1,000	21,000	51,000
South Lanarkshire	3,000	82,000	4,000	45,000	133,000
Stirling	2,000	20,000	1,000	13,000	36,000
West Dunbartonshire	-	25,000	-	18,000	43,000
West Lothian	1,000	48,000	-	20,000	70,000
Scotland	71,000	1,356,000	54,000	813,000	2,293,000

Note: Estimate is less than 500.

The 95% confidence limits are shown in the next table. The SHCS is a sample survey and therefore all figures are estimates rather than precise counts. If a different sample had been taken at the same time, a slightly different estimate would have resulted. If 100 sample surveys were conducted, 95 of them would provide an estimate within the range given by the confidence intervals.

Scottish House Condition Survey 2003-04 to 2005-06: Person Aged 60 or Over in Household by Presence of Oil-Fired Central Heating - 95% Confidence Intervals

Local Authority	Person aged 60 or over in household
	No		Yes
	Oil-Fired Central Heating +/-	Not Oil-Fired Central Heating +/-	Oil-Fired Central Heating +/-	Not Oil-Fired Central Heating +/-
Aberdeen	1,000	6,000	1,000	6,000
Aberdeenshire	4,000	6,000	3,000	5,000
Angus	1,000	3,000	1,000	3,000
Argyll and Bute	1,000	3,000	1,000	3,000
Clackmannanshire	-	1,000	-	1,000
Dumfries and Galloway	2,000	4,000	2,000	4,000
Dundee	-	4,000	-	4,000
East Ayrshire	1,000	3,000	1,000	3,000
East Dunbartonshire	-	3,000	-	3,000
East Lothian	1,000	2,000	1,000	2,000
East Renfrewshire	-	2,000	-	2,000
Edinburgh	-	8,000	-	8,000
Eilean Siar	1,000	1,000	1,000	1,000
Falkirk	1,000	4,000	1,000	4,000
Fife	2,000	8,000	1,000	8,000
Glasgow	-	10,000	1,000	10,000
Highland	5,000	6,000	3,000	6,000
Inverclyde	-	2,000	-	2,000
Midlothian	1,000	2,000	-	2,000
Moray	1,000	2,000	1,000	2,000
North Ayrshire	1,000	4,000	1,000	4,000
North Lanarkshire	-	6,000	1,000	6,000
Orkney	-	1,000	-	-
Perth and Kinross	2,000	4,000	2,000	4,000
Renfrewshire	-	4,000	1,000	4,000
Scottish Borders	1,000	3,000	2,000	3,000
Shetland	-	1,000	-	1,000
South Ayrshire	1,000	3,000	1,000	3,000
South Lanarkshire	2,000	8,000	3,000	8,000
Stirling	1,000	2,000	-	2,000
West Dunbartonshire	-	3,000	-	3,000
West Lothian	1,000	4,000	1,000	4,000
Scotland	9,000	23,000	8,000	22,000

 

The annual average cost of installing an oil fired heating system under the central heating programme, as notified by the managing agent, Scottish Gas, is shown in the following table:

Period	Average Cost (£)
2006-07	5,587
2007-08	5,816

Notes:

1. The figures provided include vat.

2. The figures are for properties with all appropriate insulation measures provided.

The responsibility for the overall provision of NHS dental services in the area rests with NHS Western Isles.

To increase dental access NHS Western Isles are currently undertaking a property review of all board accommodation to link with the clinical strategy which is also under development. This will produce a vision for services for the population of Western Isles in the short-term. In the meantime, to increase dental access the board are looking urgently at the setting up of a number of temporary surgeries in Stornoway.

In addition, a number of financial measures are in place to recruit and retain dentists in the NHS, including a remote areas allowance.

We are also working to continue to increase the dental workforce in Scotland.

The Scottish Government will encourage the roll out of DAB digital radio to the Western Isles, although the further extension of such services is in the first place a commercial matter for operators.

The government will be involved with the UK Government in the Digital Radio Working Group established by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. This group has been established to consider:

What conditions would need to be achieved before digital platforms could become the predominant means of delivering radio?

What are the current barriers to the growth of digital radio?

What are the possible remedies to those barriers?

The Scottish Government is contributing to the work of the group and will ensure that the interests of the Western Isles and other rural and island communities are considered. The group is due to report later in 2008.

I would also clarify that, in the Western Isles, digital radio will be available via digital television after the 2010 digital television switchover. It will not automatically be available on a DAB radio set at that date.

The priorities for distribution in Scotland by the Big Lottery Fund are set by Scottish ministers in policy directions made with the consent of the Secretary of State. The current directions, December 2006, identify promotion of community land ownership as one of the priorities to which Scottish devolved expenditure should be distributed.