Chamber and committees

As a visual perception disorder affecting reading and writing, Meares-Irlen syndrome can act as a barrier to a pupil accessing learning. Under the Additional Support for Learning Act, it is the responsibility of local authorities to identify this barrier and provide the support necessary to overcome it.

Since the 1 September 2012, schools have also been under a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils under the Equality Act. This includes the provision of auxiliary aids and services.

The Voluntary Code of Practice between milk processors and dairy farmers was agreed in September this year. The Voluntary Code does not have a Statutory basis, therefore the Groceries Code Adjudicator which is reserved to the UK Government will not have a role in enforcing its provisions. The Voluntary Code of Practice will be reviewed after the first year to assess its effectiveness and compliance. An independent Chair/Arbitrator will be appointed if agreed by both parties.

The specific information requested is not held centrally. However, The Scottish Government produces estimates of Farm Business Income (FBI) which are derived from the Farm Accounts Survey (FAS); an annual survey of approximately 500 farm businesses in Scotland. The FAS does not specifically record a designation of “hill farms” within the land of the farm business.

However, if we assume that hill areas are generally designated as Less Favoured Areas (LFA) and these tend to be beef cattle and/or sheep rearing businesses; rows 1, 2 and 3 of Table 1 provides the average FBI for farm businesses that have LFA as their predominant activity type. The final column shows the 2010-11 FBI adjusted to account for the full time equivalent (FTE) of unpaid labour contributing to the farm business.

FBI is a management accounting measure of profit which is equivalent to financial Net Profit. FBI excludes small farm businesses and also pig, poultry and horticulture units. It represents the return to all unpaid labour and their capital invested in the farm business.

Table 1. Average FBI (£’s) of farm businesses in Scotland by farm type and year: 2008-09 to 2010-11

More information on FBI and the incomes of farm businesses in Scotland can be found in Section B of the Economic Report on Scottish Agriculture (ERSA), last published in June 2012 at the following internet address:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Agriculture-Fisheries/PubEconomicReport.

This year, for the first time, the Scottish Government has released Enterprise Gross Margin (EGM) data for Scottish farms (for 2010-11) – this shows the individual components of farm businesses including; upland and hill herd beef enterprises and hard hill sheep enterprises. However, EGM data only gives a rough indication of gross profit to the business, and is not a measure of farm income.

The EGM report was released on 30 October 2012 and can be accessed at the following internet address:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Agriculture-Fisheries/Publications/EnterpriseAnalysis.

Scotland's hill farming sector is of great importance to the rural sector and the Scottish Government has been working hard to ensure it remains sustainable for future generations. Payment rates under the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme were increased for fragile and very fragile areas in 2009 and 2010 (total 38% increase) and the scheme was further modified in 2011. Support for LFA is a priority through any transition period between the current and upcoming Scottish Rural Development Programmes, and we are seeking flexibility in the new ANC scheme under the new Programme to allow us to take account of regional requirements.

For any butcher handling (cutting, repacking, labelling, relabelling, or making) any organic meat or meat product they must be registered with one of the UK organic certification bodies. This requirement derives from the rigorous regulatory EU framework that covers all aspects of the organic food and drink supply chain (Council Regulation [EC] No's 834/2007 and 889/2008).

For non-organic meat all butcher shops are required to be approved by the local food authority to ensure compliance with the relevant statutory public health controls. Membership of a quality assurance or marketing scheme is entirely voluntary and any registration requirements will be stipulated by that organisation’s governing body.

The planning and permitting processes in Scotland are designed to ensure that emissions from biomass installations are minimised as far as is practically possible and that emissions remain within safe limits in relation to health. On-going compliance is also monitored by regulatory bodies such as SEPA.

No enforcement action has been required as no eggs from illegal systems have been identified.

Scottish Government inspectors are remaining vigilant and maintaining proportionate checks on the wholesale and import markets.

(a) A Health Care Needs Assessment (HCNA) on Rheumatoid Arthritis has recently been published. This was requested by the Scottish Government and undertaken by the Scottish Public Health Network (SPHN). The SPHN’s HCNA identified the role of orthopaedic surgery in relation to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as follows:

RA may lead to a requirement for orthopaedic surgery, in particular joint replacement surgery, synovectomy (removal of the inflamed joint lining), tendon repair and carpal tunnel release. The main aims of surgery are to relieve pain, restore function and correct deformity.

The report also highlights the need for good relationships between rheumatology and orthopaedics to ensure optimum management of those requiring surgery.

(b) The Scottish Government has not made an assessment of the effects of medicinal drugs on the life expectancy of people who have rheumatoid arthritis.

The specific information requested in relation to points (a) and (b) is not held centrally.

However, a Health Care Needs Assessment (HCNA) on Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) has recently been published. It was conducted by the Scottish Public Health Network at the request of Scottish Government and makes a number of recommendations that aim to assist NHS boards to plan and develop services for people living with RA. It also highlights the role of primary care and the importance of informed self management for people living with RA.

It is for NHS boards to plan and provide services to meet the needs of their resident populations, in accordance with national and local priorities and guidelines. NHS boards will need to consider how they will take the recommendations in the HCNA forward.

The Scottish Government has provided funding to Arthritis Care Scotland to help establish its website “Connect Scotland”. The site is has been written by and is for people living with arthritis. It aims to help them, and health professionals to access information, share experiences and build community networks.

Waiting time information is not available centrally for access to rheumatoid arthritis services, as data is collected at specialty level.

Published waiting times information for the specialty of rheumatology showed that in June 2012, 95.7% of patients were seen and treated within 18 weeks from their initial referral. This performance exceeds the Scottish Government’s delivery target of
90% of patients being seen and treated within 18 weeks.

The information requested is not available centrally. The timing of any second or subsequent outpatient appointment would be a matter for the consultant to determine based on the individual patient’s clinical need.