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Currently local authorities are required to follow a range of statutory procedures set out in the Education (Publication and Consultation Etc.) (Scotland) Regulations, 1981 as amended. If proposing to close a school, they must engage in a formal consultation process, lasting a minimum of 28 days.

This government is legislating through the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Bill to update and strengthen consultation practices, in order to improve their coherence, openness and transparency, to extend the consultation period and range of required consultees and to improve public confidence and trust in the whole consultation and decision making processes.

This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor1008-01.htm

Changes to a registered social landlord''s governance and structure are a matter for the organisation to decide themselves with appropriate consent from the Scottish Housing Regulator. Housing Investment Division does not decide such changes.

This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0917-01.htm

This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0917-01.htm

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-26934 on 14 September 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

There is no specific guidance as to how far people with multiple sclerosis (MS) or other long-term conditions that cause fatigue should have to travel to gain access to specialist services.

The Scottish Government is however committed to providing services for long-term conditions such as MS which are fully responsive to the totality of people''s needs and are delivered as locally and as speedily as possible, but with ready access to specialist services when needed. We made clear in Better Health, Better Care our support for a Managed Clinical Network (MCN) approach to these conditions, since MCNs balance the need for specialisation with local delivery of services wherever possible.

This approach is echoed in the development of the obligate networks concept in the 2007 report Delivering for Remote and Rural Healthcare. These networks are intended to link Rural General Hospitals with larger centres to support local delivery of care by reducing to a minimum onward referral and travel for patients in remote and rural areas. This work is being taken forward by the Remote and Rural Implementation Group of the North of Scotland Planning Group.

We expect this overall approach to be encouraged through implementation of the clinical standards for MS which NHS Quality Improvement Scotland expects to publish in final form next month. Regional neurology centres are expected to develop contacts with Community Health Partnerships to facilitate the management of people with MS in the community.

The Physical Disability Rehabilitation Unit at the Southern General is a 30 bed specialist Rehabilitation Unit. A further eight beds are provided at the Larkfield Unit, Inverclyde Royal Hospital. While it is not possible to make direct comparisons there are a further seven specialist units across Scotland. The location and capacity of these units is set out in the following table.

NHS Board	Location	Bed Numbers
Lothian	Astley Ainslie Hospital, Edinburgh	28
	Liberton Hospital, Edinburgh	26
	Royal Edinburgh Hospital	19
Orkney	Balfour Hospital, Kirkwall	20
Ayrshire and Arran	Central Hospital, Irvine	19
Grampian	Woodend Hospital	16
Forth Valley	Ward 11 Falkirk District Royal	8

 

In areas where there are no specialist units NHS boards provide rehabilitation services in a range of hospital and community settings to meet local needs.

The Chief Scientist Office (CSO), within the Scottish Government Health Directorates, has responsibility for encouraging and supporting research into health and health care needs in Scotland. CSO primarily responds to requests for funding research proposals initiated by the research community in Scotland and this role is well known throughout the healthcare and academic community. CSO would be pleased to consider further research proposals for innovative multiple sclerosis studies of a sufficiently high standard.

Direct Expenditure on Multiple Sclerosis Research since 1999 is as follows (£ Millions):

	CSO	Department of Health	Medical Research Council
1999-2000	0	0.5	not available
2000-01	0	0.5	1.5
2001-02	0	0.6	2.1
2002-03	0	0.1	1.8
2003-04	0	0.1	1.1
2004-05	0	0.1	1.4
2005-06	0	0.8	1.9
2006-07	0	0.01	3.1
2007-08	0.1	0.8	3.6

 

In addition to direct expenditure, CSO and DH also meet the additional indirect costs to the NHS of hosting research funded by bodies such as the MRC and research charities. Such indirect expenditure on multiple sclerosis is not held centrally.

Information regarding spend on multiple sclerosis research in other OECD countries is not available.

The detailed information requested is not held centrally.

Research studies suggest there are around 10,000 people in Scotland with multiple sclerosis (MS). The national MS register which the Information Services Division (ISD) of NHS National Services Scotland has been developing with the MS Society Scotland, with some government funding, will in time provide more accurate data on the incidence and prevalence of the condition.