Chamber and committees

Responsibility for the Independent Living Fund (ILF) transferred from the UK Government to the Scottish Government on 1 July 2015. Data for the number of people in receipt of ILF prior to this date is therefore not the responsibility of the Scottish Government.

At the point of transfer on 1 July 2015, there were 2,812 people in receipt of ILF support in Scotland. All those users who have continued to remain eligible for ILF have continued to receive support from ILF Scotland.

All solid organ transplant services in Scotland are nationally commissioned by NHS Scotland’s National Services Division (NSD). Following publication of A Donation and Transplant Plan for Scotland 2013-2020, NSD undertook a comprehensive review of the potential future of solid organ transplantation in Scotland which included a health and social care resource impact analysis for all types of solid organ transplantation (including living kidney donation). The report entitled Commissioning Transplantation to 2020 was published in 2015 and can be viewed at the following link: http://www.nsd.scot.nhs.uk/%5C%5C/publications/servicereviews.html.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30523 on 17 March 2016. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-30523 on 17 March 2016. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government HR official statistics publication of 16 March 2016 contains the most recent staffing position, showing that at 31 December 2015 there were 5,120 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees in Core Scottish Government directorates:

http://www.gov.scot/stats/bulletins/01203.

Our historic data shows that at 31 March 2007 there were 4,200 FTE employees in Core Scottish Government/Executive directorates.

The increase of 920 FTE is largely caused by the transfer of staff and functions into the Core Scottish Government in the following public bodies between 2007 and 2009:

Communities Scotland

Scottish Agricultural Science Agency

Scottish Building Standards Agency

Mental Health Tribunal

Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency and Fisheries Research Services

Staffing numbers are also published via the Office for National Statistics quarterly public sector employment series. The Office for National Statistics website provides the last five years of historical information. The most recent publication is available at the following link:

https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/publicsectoremploymentreferencetable.

Revenues from Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) remain firmly on track and overall devolved tax revenues are expected to exceed the Scottish Government's forecast for 2015-16.

Residential LBTT revenues in the year to date remain broadly in line with expectations, allowing for the effects of forestalling which were excluded from the original forecast for 2015-16 of £235 million.

In 2015, the Ministerial Advisory Group on Child Poverty met on 28 May 2015, and again with officials on 15 September 2015.

This year, the Ministerial Advisory Group on Child Poverty met, along with other stakeholders including the Independent Poverty Advisor, on 20 January 2016 to consider the future approach to tackling child poverty in Scotland in light of the changes being made by the UK Government to the Child Poverty Act 2010.

No cost saving has been calculated, the changes to the age range and frequency of screening were reviewed as an improvement in clinical effectiveness as opposed to a potential cost savings delivery.

The NSC reviewed the age range for cervical screening in 2012 considering all the available medical evidence regarding the risks and benefits of screening women under the age of 25 and recommended that cervical screening programmes should screen women routinely between the age of 25 and 64.

The NSC recently recommended the use of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) as a primary test in cervical screening programmes. Currently the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme uses cytology testing to look for abnormal cells that could be the first sign of cancer. HPV testing is used as a secondary measure in women needing further investigation. Evidence suggests that screening for HPV first will be a more effective way to let women know whether they are at risk of developing cervical cancer. The Scottish Government is currently working with NHS Scotland on the development of a business case which will provide all of the detail required to make a considered decision on implementing HPV testing in the Scottish Cervical Screening Programme.