Plenary, 15 Jan 2009

Meeting date: Thursday, January 15, 2009

Official Report 751KB pdf

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Question Time

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SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

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Health and Wellbeing

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Housing Associations

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to support housing associations. (S3O-5494)

We are working with housing associations to increase the supply of affordable homes, despite the current economic climate. They receive over 95 per cent of our affordable housing investment programme and we continue to provide housing association grant at higher levels than in other parts of the United Kingdom.

We are accelerating £120 million in funding to associations to help them deliver those homes. That brings the total for 2008-09 to £533 million and for 2009-10 to £644 million, which will be the highest ever level of support provided to housing associations.

In addition, we support action by housing associations to tackle poverty, worklessness and community decline through the wider role fund for registered social landlords. That fund will provide £36 million for community regeneration activity for the three financial years from 2008 to 2011.

In a statement released on 17 December, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations said that the Scottish Government's cut in the level of HAG per house means that

"schemes will require around an extra £10,000 private loan per unit at a time when the availability and costs of this borrowing is more restricted".

Does the minister agree that the cut in the level of HAG per house could result in fewer houses being built? Will he consider returning to the previous HAG funding arrangement—it was more generous, but also more acceptable and better understood by funders—and ensure that housing associations are able to continue to build the new houses that I believe that we all want?

I agree with Mary Mulligan that we all want to see many good, high-quality homes being built throughout the country for affordable rent and for low-cost home ownership.

I clarify for the member that almost 5,700 public sector houses were started in 2007-08—the first year of this Government—which is more than in any year since the early 1990s. Nearly 5,000 houses for social rent were started—again, the highest figure since the early 1990s.

The demand from housing associations to access the affordable housing investment accelerated programme means that the programme has been oversubscribed. Housing associations throughout the country are able to build new properties with the housing association grant.

It is clear that, at a time of unprecedented difficulties and of pressure on public expenditure, we must ensure that there is more effective use of that expenditure and of all resources across all the different sectors of housing. It is essential that public resources are deployed as effectively as possible to maximise supply. We are looking to RSLs to work with us on that. Of course, we always keep those matters under review. We have constant conversations with the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations. We will ensure that the HAG rates are appropriate to maximise the number of houses that we can build.

The minister might be aware of the on-going problems that many of my constituents in Cumbernauld who are owner-occupiers in multistorey flats are having in respect of their dealings with the Cumbernauld Housing Partnership, which acts as their factor. What support is available to housing associations in respect of their role as factors for many owner-occupiers throughout Scotland?

The Scottish Housing Regulator already monitors and regulates services to owners where a housing association is providing factoring services. If there is an issue with the particular homes that the member mentioned, the best option would be for him to write to the regulator in the first instance to see whether it can look at the issue that he raises.

Does the minister accept that housing associations in Scotland are finding it difficult to deliver the affordable housing units that we all want, due to confusion about how housing association grant is applied?

I have been contacted by a housing association in Argyll. The association has been given Scottish Government grant approval for a scheme at £88,000 per unit, which will be awarded only if it gets the balance from the local authority. However, a neighbouring association is being assessed at £107,000 per unit. Can the minister explain the discrepancy?

As I said, I do not think that there is confusion among housing associations about the HAG regime in Scotland, which is clear. I point out again that the number of houses that were started in the Government's first year is the highest since the early 1990s.

Every application is assessed individually and the amount of HAG to be given is assessed individually. Of course, rates vary from case to case, due to local circumstances. That is entirely reasonable and predictable and has always been the case. I cannot explain the difference between grant levels for the two projects that the member mentioned, because I do not know to which projects he was referring. However, it has always been the case that HAG rates can vary from project to project, which is quite right.

I welcome the significant acceleration of housing expenditure for 2009-10. However, not a penny of that additional money will go to Edinburgh. How can the minister justify that? Given that we are moving towards our historic 2012 homelessness target, does the minister accept that the City of Edinburgh Council faces by far the biggest challenge, because Edinburgh has by far the biggest shortage of affordable rented housing? Surely Edinburgh desperately needs money in 2009-10, as well as in subsequent years.

The third tranche of the accelerated funding for this year has not yet been announced, so members should not prejudge where it will go.

When will it be announced?

Very shortly.

Projects throughout the country, including in Edinburgh, have been submitted for accelerated funding. I am sure that Malcolm Chisholm will consider the situation with great interest when the third tranche of funding has been finalised.

The level of funding for Glasgow and Edinburgh will remain the same between 2008-09 and 2010-11, as a result of the agreement with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities that underpinned the 2007 local government settlement. We presume that COSLA wanted the affordable housing investment programme allocations to both cities to be fixed for three years because of the size of the delegated funds that it wanted to be protected.

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NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (Meetings)

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing will next meet the chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. (S3O-5459)

I have no immediate plans to meet the chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. However, I will meet the board chair on 26 January.

Will the cabinet secretary use the meeting to raise with officials the concerns of my constituents in Glasgow about health visiting? Can she confirm whether she has received assurances that general practice-attached health visitors will remain attached to general practice, where they offer a universal and informed local service?

The short answer is yes, but I will give the member the courtesy of a longer reply. As he is aware, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde recently agreed with Glasgow local medical committee a way forward on the health visiting review. At its meeting on 27 October, the committee formally agreed principles to guide local planning and implementation groups on implementation of the review of health visiting. I understand that the board has written to all health visitors to inform them of the agreement. In addition to its work with general practitioners, the board has been working with trade unions and professional organisations, to discuss their concerns.

As part of the agreed principles, it has been agreed that every GP practice will have an attached health visitor in the primary health care team. Every patient and GP practice will know who their health visitor is and how to contact them. That is an important step forward, which has been welcomed by people who have an interest in the matter. Like other members, I will keep a close watch on progress on development and implementation.

When the cabinet secretary meets the chair of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, will she inquire about the possibility of removing the car parking charges at Glasgow royal infirmary and the likely cost to the board of buying out that element of the private finance initiative contract into which the previous Government entered?

PFI hospitals and car parks and all the attendant issues and problems that they create for patients are a legacy of the previous Administration. I am glad to say that this Government has moved away from PFI. The new Southern general hospital, which we will discuss in a later question, is being built entirely using public capital.

On the specific issue of the car parking arrangements at the Glasgow royal infirmary, as Ian McKee will be aware, I have instructed NHS boards that have such PFI contracts in place to enter into discussions with their PFI providers to explore what opportunities might exist for limiting or reducing charges for parking and, as part of that process, to investigate whether such contracts could be ended or have their terms varied. I understand that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is proceeding with such discussions and will report to me in due course on the progress that it has made in them.

When the cabinet secretary next meets the chairman or the chief executive of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, will she discuss C difficile, in the light of the inquiry into the issue at the Vale of Leven hospital and of the most recent figures, published yesterday, which show that the number of cases across the NHS rose by 10 per cent in the year to September 2008. Even Health Protection Scotland's preferred rate, the number of cases relative to the number of occupied beds, shows no diminution in comparison with the rate in England, where there has been an annualised reduction of 20 per cent. Will the cabinet secretary look at Labour's comprehensive proposals to tackle the problem? Will she raise some of those issues with the chief executive or the chair of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde?

I will answer those points as briefly as I can. Many of the points in the 15-point plan that Labour produced this week are already being implemented by this Government, but I will always look at ideas that can help us to improve in the fight against infection, given that it is such a high priority. Why were none of those 15 measures introduced when Labour had the opportunity to do so, during its eight years in government?

As I am sure that Richard Simpson appreciates, C difficile is on the agenda in most of the conversations that I have with board chairs and chief executives. That is certainly the case in Glasgow. Following the situation at the Vale of Leven hospital last year, we agreed with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde a clear action plan for it to implement, and it is making good progress with that. Just before Christmas, the independent review team, which is led by Professor Cairns Smith, did a follow-up review on the Vale of Leven hospital, and it will submit its report to me shortly.

I hope that members appreciate that I would never seek to underestimate the challenge that we face with infection in our hospitals. I will do everything in my power to drive those infection rates down. I am not sure whether we will ever be able to declare that we have won that battle, but it will remain a priority.

For the sake of staff in the national health service, it is incumbent on all of us to acknowledge progress when it is made. As well as showing that we now have the lowest rates of MRSA in Scotland since records began—that is a fantastic achievement by NHS staff—the figures that Health Protection Scotland published yesterday show some early signs of progress on C difficile. There has been a 17 per cent reduction in the number of cases since last quarter and a 2 per cent reduction on the figures for the same quarter last year. Some of that might be seasonal, so I would not claim that those figures amount to a trend, but they represent early signs of progress. I am determined to see that continue.

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Poverty and Income Inequality

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to tackle poverty and income inequality. (S3O-5485)

The Scottish Government is taking a wide range of measures to tackle poverty and income inequality in Scotland. Those measures are set out in three major social policy frameworks that were launched last year: "Achieving Our Potential: A Framework to tackle poverty and income inequality in Scotland"; "Equally Well: Report of the Ministerial Task Force on Health Inequalities"; and the early years framework.

Over the next two years, we will invest up to £7.5 million in a range of measures to support implementation of "Achieving Our Potential". The fairer Scotland fund is providing £435 million over three years to assist community planning partners to work together to achieve sustainable economic growth by focusing on the regeneration of our most disadvantaged neighbourhoods, tackling individual poverty and overcoming barriers to work.

We have taken steps to remove taxes on ill health by progressively abolishing prescription charges and hospital car parking fees. We will legislate to abolish council tax and to introduce a local income tax, which it is estimated would give back between £300 and £480 a year to low and middle-income households, and would lift 85,000 people, including 15,000 children, out of relative poverty.

We have allocated an additional £10 million for the central heating programme this year, to allow us to help more fuel-poor households. To date, the delivery through the programme of a benefits health check has also secured £1.8 million in extra benefits for Scotland's pensioners.

We are committed to extending free school meals to all pupils whose parents or carers are in receipt of working tax credits from August 2009, and to all primary 1 to primary 3 pupils from August 2010.

We are into speech territory, minister.

Sorry, Presiding Officer—the question was on what we are doing about income inequality and poverty, and I am answering it.

I ask you to bring your answer to a close as soon as possible, please.

Yes.

My final point is that we are setting out immediate actions in the Government economic recovery programme to help those who have been hit by the current economic downturn.

Those are just some of the measures that the Government is taking to tackle poverty and income inequality.

I thank the minister for that comprehensive answer. However, why does the Scottish Government's document "Achieving Our Potential: A Framework to tackle poverty and income inequality in Scotland" not contain year-on-year targets for achieving the aims that he has set out?

"Achieving Our Potential" is, of course, a consultation document. We are working closely with all the groups throughout Scotland to ensure that we achieve the United Kingdom targets on child poverty to which—as the member is well aware—we have signed up. We are happy to have registered our support for those targets, and we will do all that we can to assist the UK Government in achieving them.

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Care Home Staff (Fife)

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with NHS Fife, Fife Council and nursing trade unions on training carers in homes for people with complex needs to replace fully qualified nursing staff. (S3O-5473)

The deployment and training of social care and health professionals—based on assessed needs and local priorities—is the responsibility of local authorities and health boards. We would expect all social care and health staff who support people with profound and complex needs to be fully trained in meeting their needs.

Will the minister explain how the change from resident nurses, who can administer prescribed medication, to carers at night and to district nurses and community learning disability nurses in the day time, will improve care? My clear view, which is supported by the Royal College of Nursing and other trade unions as well as patient organisations, is that any changes to services must provide the same or a better level of service to patients.

My Lumphinnans constituent tells me that her brother, who is an in-patient at Kilrymond house and has very special and complex needs, will now be at increased risk as a consequence of the changes that NHS Fife has proposed. How can the Scottish Government argue that such changes maintain or improve services to those patients with very special needs?

I will make a couple of points about that. First, I understand that NHS Fife and Fife Council have based their decisions about the level and skills of staffing in Kilrymond on the assessed needs of the residents who are currently living there. I assure the member that the resource level that is available for the service that Kilrymond provides has remained the same. She will be well aware that the resettlement programme is aimed at ensuring that people with learning difficulties do not have a hospital as their home. As part of that programme, only those who were clinically assessed as being fit for discharge were moved to community settings, with care packages based on individual need.

It is not at all unusual for the level of nursing staff to be reduced as care staff become more skilled in providing appropriate care. The skills mix of staff in any care setting should be based on the needs of those who require care and support, and I understand that the proposed changes to nursing provision at Kilrymond are in line with that. I hope that that provides the reassurance that the member requires.

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Southern General Hospital

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the planned new build of the Southern general hospital. (S3O-5481)

Since the approval of the outline business case on 22 April last year, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has been preparing the project for procurement through the appointment of advisers, the development of detailed design requirements and the development of a robust procurement strategy. The project team and advisers are currently working to complete phase 1A of the project to be ready to go to market in early April 2009. The entire project is completely on track.

Can the cabinet secretary guarantee that the timescale of the project will not be threatened by the need to divert capital funds to fund a new Forth bridge, or by a skills shortage and resultant rise in construction costs, such as Michael Levack of the Scottish Building Federation reported to the Local Government and Communities Committee?

Yes, I can give that absolute, 100 per cent guarantee with no ifs and no buts. I hope that that is good enough for James Kelly.

The reality is that the Government is committed to the new-build Southern general and has made available the resources for the project. It will be built entirely within the public sector and it will be a first-class infrastructure project and hospital not just for the people of Glasgow, but for the people of other parts of the west of Scotland as well.

There is no threat to the Southern general. All the Labour scaremongering in the world will not change that basic fact.

With regard to the proposed new maternity and children's hospital on the Southern general campus, what is the situation with Ronald McDonald house, which is a fantastic and unique facility? Will it be replicated in full on the new site, and is there a timescale for that?

I appreciate the importance of Ronald McDonald house. My understanding is that NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde is making good progress on the matter with the separate board of Ronald McDonald house and the intention is to reprovide facilities on the site of the new south Glasgow hospital. As I understand it, a location for the site has now been agreed and a schedule of accommodation is being jointly developed. I am more than happy to ask NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to keep Sandra White informed of progress on that important development.

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Telehealth and Telemedicine

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in the use of telehealth and telemedicine. (S3O-5461)

I visited the Scottish Centre for Telehealth as part of my visit to NHS Grampian on Monday, and I was encouraged to see for myself the progress that is being made. The centre's role is to identify and evaluate telehealth solutions that can be applied nationally and to provide practical support to help NHS boards to develop and implement telehealth projects as part of their service redesign. I had the opportunity to hear about a range of interesting telehealth initiatives. Such initiatives provide a great opportunity to improve patient care, particularly in more remote parts of the country.

In the "Better Health, Better Care" action plan, the Government stated that a managed knowledge network would be launched in April 2008 and that a self-management framework would be in place in each community health partnership by the end of 2008. Will the health secretary give an update on those two initiatives in relation to telehealth? How is the new technology being used to support self-care by patients and how is it being used by GPs?

I am happy to send Mary Scanlon a full written response with the detail of progress on the two projects that she mentioned, which, as she rightly said, were set out in "Better Health, Better Care".

I agree with Mary Scanlon that telecare, telehealth or telemedicine—the terms are used interchangeably—are important because they have enormous potential to improve the way in which clinical services are provided. I saw examples of how stroke care, mental health services and out-of-hours minor injury services can be improved through the use of telehealth. As Mary Scanlon rightly said, it also has great potential to improve the education of health care staff and the efficiency of the administration of the health service. In this morning's debate on elected health boards, Mary Scanlon raised the issue of people who live in remote parts of Scotland and the difficulties that they face with travel; videoconferencing can be a big part of the solution.

Telehealth is an exciting area and Scotland is leading the way. In some respects, we are ahead of the game, but because of the potential to improve services, we must attach considerable importance to the area. I assure Mary Scanlon that the Government will continue to do so.

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GHA (Management) Ltd (Regulation)

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the operation of GHA (Management) Ltd should be regulated and, if so, how. (S3O-5477)

This Government believes that it is important that owners get a high-quality service from their factors. The Scottish Housing Regulator already monitors and regulates factoring services that are provided to owners by housing associations, including Glasgow Housing Association. In those circumstances, we do not consider it necessary at present to introduce further regulation of the operations of GHA (Management) Ltd or other registered social landlords' separate factoring subsidiaries.

In its inspection report on the GHA in 2007, the Scottish Housing Regulator stated that the delivery of services to owners required serious improvement. The GHA has now addressed a number of the issues that were identified and the service is beginning to show clear signs of improvement.

I thank the minister for that answer, although I am somewhat puzzled by it. A specific complaint that I made to the Scottish Housing Regulator was rejected for consideration because it focused on GHA's factoring arm. Given the fact that the Office of Fair Trading recently produced a survey on regulation of property managers throughout the United Kingdom, that recommendations from the OFT are imminent, and that Patricia Ferguson MSP has a propose bill on regulation of property managers, will the minister keep an open mind about the possibility of regulating not just GHA (Management) Ltd but all property managers and factors in Scotland?

I assure the member that I very much have an open mind on the wider issue in his supplementary question. His original question was limited to RSLs, and particularly to GHA (Management) Ltd. If he wants to write to me about the specific question that he raised and the problem that he had, I will be more than happy to look into the matter.

A voluntary accreditation scheme is being developed. We will give close consideration to the conclusions of the OFT report, which could include a recommendation to introduce registration for property managers. If doing so is appropriate, we will not hesitate to do so.

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Specialist Nurses (Motor Neurone Disease)

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in providing specialist nurses for motor neurone disease sufferers. (S3O-5542)

The planning of the workforce, including specialist nurses for motor neurone disease sufferers, is a matter for national health service boards, which are responsible for planning services in their area based on clinical need. In doing so, and as part of their plans to ensure that services meet the needs of people living with long-term conditions, they are required to consider the role of specialist nurses, and nurses with a broader remit to work in the community.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland has been consulting on draft generic and specific standards applicable for neurological health services, including motor neurone disease. The publication of the standards is likely to take place this summer, and NHS boards throughout Scotland will be expected to comply with the generic and specific standards drafted by NHS QIS.

I ask the minister to encourage health boards to work with the Scottish Motor Neurone Disease Association to support the 327 people in Scotland who have been diagnosed as having motor neurone disease—the highest recorded number yet—and to join me in sending best wishes to the association for the launch of its new identity at Stirling castle next week.

I join Christina McKelvie in paying tribute to the work of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. It does a tremendous job, and I am sure that the event to which she referred will go very well indeed.

It is important that the partnership involving the voluntary sector and the health service continues to grow. It is a strong partnership, which has delivered some innovative ways of working in the health service. As a Government, we will continue to encourage boards and to support them in working with the voluntary sector to deliver not just specialist nurses, but a range of other services that are important to the patients who receive them.

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Alcohol Misuse Services (Aberdeen)

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had in relation to the provision of alcohol misuse services in Aberdeen. (S3O-5465)

The Scottish Government has provided £2,014,386 to NHS Grampian for the provision of alcohol brief interventions and alcohol treatment and support services in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray. The Scottish Government does not determine which services should be delivered through those funds, which is a decision best made locally according to identified need. Officials will be visiting each NHS board over the coming months to discuss progress on delivering brief interventions and the allocation of resources among brief interventions and other services.

I am sure that minister will be aware of the excellent work of Albyn house in Aberdeen in providing alcohol misuse services. Is she aware that despite a sharp increase in new referrals to Albyn house, there is still no certainty about a funding package to ensure that the facility does not have to close? Given national policy on designated places, will she tell us what she will do to encourage Aberdeen City Council, Grampian NHS Board and Grampian Police to come to an agreement as soon as possible to preserve that vital local service?

I remind Richard Baker that we have committed about £120 million for tackling alcohol misuse between 2008 and 2011, the majority of which has been allocated for provision of treatment and support services.

A number of partners are involved in decisions on funding in regard to the services that are offered by Albyn house. The process is not simple, and I am sure that all the agencies involved are fully aware of the need for a decision, and will make a decision as soon as possible in the normal manner.

What progress has been made as a result of the recent setting up of an online service offering advice on alcohol issues in the north-east? Can the minister give us an update?

Alcohol Focus Scotland is working with Alcohol Support Ltd in Aberdeen to provide the online counselling service to which Brian Adam refers. The scheme has been in operation for only a short time, so it is too early to assess the results. However, Alcohol Focus Scotland will conduct an evaluation at the end of the pilot, before considering whether the scheme can be developed and then rolled out to other areas. I will take a keen interest in that evaluation.

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National Health Service Dentists (Grampian)

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to increase access to NHS dentistry in Grampian in light of an increase to 30,936 in the number of people in Grampian waiting to be registered with an NHS dentist. (S3O-5516)

NHS Grampian is of course aware of the long-standing problems with access to NHS dental services in the area, and the board has been working with dental practitioners to try to increase provision.

In addition to the establishment of a new dental school for Scotland in Aberdeen on 6 October 2008, the Scottish Government has provisionally allocated to NHS Grampian £6.62 million under the primary and community care modernisation programme for 2009-10 and 2010-11. A priority for the funding is the development of new dental centres for independent general dental practitioners working in the NHS.

After almost two years in office, the Scottish National Party Government is presiding over an increasing dental crisis in Grampian. Instead of the piecemeal approach that has been described and taken by previous and current health ministers, will not the minister and the British Dental Association get round the table with the aim of changing terms and conditions in order to encourage private dentists to take on NHS patients? That is the only way to reduce the increasing waiting list dramatically and quickly for my constituents.

I remind Mike Rumbles of the bit that was missing from his question—the fact that his party was part of the previous Administration that negotiated the contract in 2005, and which we inherited. Mr Rumbles's efforts to pass the buck to the Labour health minister at the time, as he tried to do on the BBC this morning, will not have gone down well in parts of the chamber.

I will answer Mr Rumbles's question directly: yes, we are concerned about waiting lists and we want to get them down. However, we also have to consider other measures of performance in dentistry. Registration figures are one such measure. I am pleased to be able to tell Mr Rumbles that, in the year to June 2008, the number of registrations of children in Grampian increased by more than 5,000 and the number of registrations of adults increased by more 16,000. We now have more dentists working in Grampian, and we have a programme of new build for premises—30 new dental units have been built since 2005. That is good, and over the next 12 months another six new premises will be opening in Grampian.

By making dental premises a priority in the community care modernisation programme, this Government has certainly given dentistry a priority that it has not had before.

We have also delivered the dental school. Mr Rumbles talked an awful lot about a dental school during the eight years when he had influence, but he delivered very little indeed.

It is not a dental school; it is a—

Order, Mr Rumbles.

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Repossessions (Homeowner Support)

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an update on the measures that it is taking to help those facing repossession of their houses. (S3O-5503)

On 8 December 2008, I announced an extra £5 million for the mortgage to rent scheme this year. That increases our investment in the home owners support fund to £30 million over two years. We have also made £3 million available over the next two years to expand in-court advice and other legal advice services, and we have given Citizens Advice Scotland an extra £1 million to increase the amount of face-to-face advice services.

We will implement section 11 of the Homelessness etc (Scotland) Act 2003 in the spring, which will require lenders to inform the relevant local authority when they take court action for repossession.

We have supported with nearly £400,000 of funding a television and online advertising campaign with charity the Money Advice Trust to encourage people to tackle their debt problems as soon as possible by contacting the National Debtline telephone helpline.

From April, we will increase the income limits for civil legal aid to ensure that more than a million more Scots become eligible, meaning that three quarters of Scots will be able to get free or subsidised help to protect their legal rights.

We have also set up a short-life working group to consider whether the current legal protection for home owners who are at risk of repossession needs to be strengthened and whether any further non-legislative measures are required.

I shall shortly make a further announcement in which I shall provide details of the revised mortgage to rent scheme and the new mortgage to shared equity scheme.

I thank the minister for that speedy run through. I will correct what the First Minister said at First Minister's question time. The fact is that 30,842 houses were built by housing associations and 342 by councils between June 1999 and June 2007. While the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing has been busy congratulating herself and putting out misleading press releases that deliberately isolate the figures for council housing, conveniently ignoring the number of housing association homes that were built under the previous Executive, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations has said of the SNP's housing proposals:

"we believe the Scottish Government has missed the opportunity to use more of the accelerated funding announced by Alistair Darling in his Pre-Budget Speech for social housing."

With less than a fifth of the much-publicised £100 million allocated—

Question, please, Mr Whitton.

I just wonder whether the minister is going to get a move on and spend some of the £100 million on building houses.

I will correct David Whitton. The fact is that local authorities in Scotland started 432 council houses in 2007-08, compared with a total of six that were completed in the last four years of the previous Administration. The member will also be interested to hear the following figures on housing association houses. Almost 5,700 public sector houses were started in 2007-08—more than in any year since the early 1990s. Of those, nearly 5,000 houses were for social rent, which is the highest figure since the early 1990s. We have accelerated £120 million of funding for affordable housing into this year and next, with 25 per cent of this year's accelerated funding of all capital going into housing. Next year will see £644 million of expenditure on affordable housing—the highest such figure that Parliament has ever seen.

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“Financial overview of the NHS in Scotland 2007/08”

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to respond to the challenges highlighted in the Audit Scotland report "Financial overview of the NHS in Scotland 2007/08". (S3O-5460)

The Scottish Government will continue to work with NHS bodies to reduce further their reliance on non-recurring resources and to ensure that they are able to manage their expenditure within the resources that are allocated to them. In addition, we will continue to monitor the progress of equal-pay claims and assess any related risks.

Another issue that is raised in the report is the progress that is being made towards meeting the requirements of the European working time directive by the looming August deadline. Having considered the health boards' action plans to ensure compliance, is the cabinet secretary in a position to guarantee that every health board in Scotland will comply fully with the requirements of the guidelines by August?

I thank Derek Brownlee for raising this important issue, which is high on my personal agenda. We are monitoring carefully and regularly the improving compliance of NHS boards. All NHS boards are working extremely hard—for example, through redesign of services—to meet the target date of August, and good progress is being made. I do not deny that there are some challenging areas around, for example, neurosurgery. Nevertheless, we are monitoring progress carefully and will continue to do so to ensure that boards are compliant by August.

Given that a significant financial pressure on the NHS is caused by the provision of new cancer drugs, can the cabinet secretary update us on progress on innovative arrangements with pharmaceutical companies to make the drugs available cheaper? Can she also tell us how many responses she has had to her consultation on the arrangements for NHS patients receiving private health care, which relates mainly to cancer drugs? On that final point, does she think that it was reasonable for the consultation period on such a controversial measure to last only from 12 December to 12 January?

If the cabinet secretary could answer those three questions in 20 seconds, I would be very grateful.

Okay.

On Malcolm Chisholm's first question, the Scottish Medicines Consortium has set up a working group to examine market access schemes. I understand that the group is to report to me by March, after which I will, of course, update Parliament.

On the other consultation that Malcolm Chisholm referred to, I cannot just now give him the number of responses that were received, but I will provide him with that information. The consultation's timescale was shorter than usual because it was directed principally at the health service. However, the issue is very important and, given the parliamentary debates that we have had on the matter, I am sure that people will want to have their say about it.

That concludes themed question time.