Chamber and committees

The details of individual customers’ charges for water and sewerage services is a matter for the customer and Scottish Water in the first instance. Customers with concerns about their charges should draw these concerns to Scottish Water.

A leaflet entitled Do you know what’s happening to school lunches?, was produced by the Executive and distributed to all primary pupils in September 2004, and to pupils starting primary school in September 2005. The leaflet sets out the improvements to the quality of food and the dining environment which parents can expect as a result of Hungry for Success. It also includes guidance on free school meal eligibility to ensure that all eligible families are aware of the free school meal scheme and have the information they need to register. Copies of the leaflet are available on the Executive’s website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/School-Education/18922/19348

In addition, the Executive and the Health Promoting Schools Unit support the efforts of schools and local authorities to increase uptake of free and paid for school meals, through providing guidance and by promoting the sharing of good practice, through recent events such as the “Hungry for Success – The Next Steps” regional seminars.

In August 2002, the Executive commissioned qualitative research to gather the views of primary and secondary pupils on various aspects of school meals, to support the work of the Expert Panel on School Meals. The study was carried out by NFO Social Research. The research found that:

“In schools where anonymity of free school meals was ensured, there was little evidence to suggest that the reasons for not taking school meals differed between those who are entitled to free school meals and those who have to pay for their meal. Issues such as choice and quality of food and the dining environment were important to all pupils, irrespectively of free school meal entitlement. Indeed, such issues may be more salient for those who are entitled to free school meals, given their more limited scope for opting for alternative provision.”

Hungry for Success requires local authorities to take action to improve uptake, for example by improving the choice and quality of food, promoting healthy eating in the classroom and dining room, reducing the amount of time spent queuing and making the dining environment attractive. In addition, schools and local authorities must minimise any stigma associated with receipt of free school meals, by implementing systems to maximise anonymity.

The review of accidents for the period January 2002 to December 2004 show that three of the four sections on the A701 Dumfries to Beattock trunk road have accident statistics that are above the Scottish average. These are:

1. Edinburgh Road Roundabout, Dumfries to Catherinefield Junction, Locharbriggs

2. Catherinefield Junction, Locharbriggs to Chapelhill Junction, St Ann’s

3. Chapelhill Junction, St Ann’s to B7076 Junction, south of Beattock.

Local authorities already have the powers, expertise and knowledge within their environmental health responsibilities to deal with the nuisance caused by seagulls. In addition, the Scottish Executive already issues General Licences to all local authorities to enable them to take action against Great Black-backed gulls, Lesser Black-backed gulls and Herring gulls in specified circumstances and for other gull species, individual licences can be sought from the Scottish Executive.

The Scottish Executive is considering the findings and recommendations of a research project - Review of Urban Gulls and their Management in Scotland – completed for the Executive by BTO Scotland and the Centre for Conservation Science at the University of Stirling. My officials have met with Scotland’s local authorities to gauge the extent of the problems posed by nesting seagulls in urban areas, and have discussed both practical solutions they can use and whether additional legal powers are required to allow new measures to be introduced.

This research work is intended to provide a basis for new guidance to local authorities on best practice measures and I expect the findings to be published early in 2006.

The number of injury accidents on the A701 in each of the last five years (January 2000 to December 2004) is as follows:

Year	Fatal	Serious	Slight	Total
2000	0	4	4	8
2001	0	3	6	9
2002	0	2	11	13
2003	0	2	15	17
2004	2	5	12	19
Total	2	16	48	66

 

The figures quoted may differ slightly from those published elsewhere because they were extracted on a different date and the database may have changed between the two dates e.g. due to late returns or corrections to earlier returns.

The Scottish Executive has provided £17.5 million of financial support to local authorities and £6 million to NHS boards in 2004-06 to assist with the preparation for, and implementation of, the act. I have recently announced continued funding to local authorities of £12.5 million in both 2006-07 and 2007-08.

The Executive has also provided £95.1 million of funding in 2005-06 for inclusion, accessibility for disabled pupils, discipline/behaviour, post-school transitions and training of staff in relation to additional support needs. £323.9 million is also provided to education authorities for education generally but which will also have an impact to pupils with additional support needs.

The Executive has also prepared resources for local authorities and NHS boards to support the provisions of the act. These include the code of practice and training resource which provide guidance on duties under the act. Further guidance will be issued shortly to local authorities on dispute resolution, transitional safeguards for children and young people with a Record of Needs and new placing request procedures.

The Executive has worked closely with local authorities and their Management Information Systems providers to develop an electronic system to assist with the development of co-ordinated support plans.

The answer to question S2W-20375 on 14 November 2005, sets out the resources which have been made available to all local authorities, including Dumfries and Galloway Council. 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/webapp/wa.search.

The Scottish Executive has provided Dumfries and Galloway Council with £491,052 in the period 2004-06 for the preparation for, and implementation of, the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. I have also recently announced continued funding for the act, from which Dumfries and Galloway Council will receive £351,250 in both 2006-07 and 2007-08.

Scottish Office Circular SWSG 10/96 provides local authorities with guidance on how respite care should be developed and delivered. This includes guidance on charging. Further guidance that relates to charging for respite can be found in Circular SWSG 1/97 on Charging for Adult Non–Residential Sector Care; Circular CCD 2/2003 on the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002, and Circular 2/2005 on Charging for Residential Accommodation Guidance. These circulars are available on the internet at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library/swsg/contents.htm.

http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/sehd/ccd.asp.

The needs of frail older people will continue to be assessed by GPs, health visitors, OTs and social workers as required. However Delivering for Health (Bib. number 37847), the Scottish Executive’s response to the Kerr Report (Bib. number 36608), commits the Health Department to the development of a risk prediction tool by 2006 which will allow for the identification of those liable to hospitalisation. NHS boards will then be expected to provide comprehensive, integrated care for those with the most complex health care needs and greatest vulnerability to emergency hospital admission.