Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-12543 on 27 February 2013. 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-12543 on 27 February 2013. 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 service provision is expected to commence on 2 April 2013.

The funding provided reimburses staff costs for expert clinical advice to support the improvement of chronic pain services in Scotland. Expert clinical advice includes representation on professional groups (such as Royal College of Anaesthetists and British Pain Association, development of the SIGN Guideline and learning sessions for clinicians). Reimbursement ensures there is no disruption to the provision of chronic pain services as a result of working on the national chronic pain service model.

As noted in my response of 29 January 2013, the Scottish Chronic Pain Steering Group was convened by the Scottish Government to inform and develop policy and oversee the work programme to support NHS boards in developing chronic pain services. The group comprises a range of clinicians from across NHSScotland with appropriate patient and voluntary sector representation. The Scottish Government is represented on the membership. The group is supported by Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

The National Chronic Pain Steering Group was formed as an expert advisory group to inform policy development. It is not a public body and therefore not required to be regulated by the Public Appointments Commissioner for Scotland.

As advised in my response of 29 January 2013, the National Chronic Pain Steering Group is a multidisciplinary expert group convened by the Scottish Government. Membership for the group was invited from healthcare professionals and relevant stakeholders with an interest in informing policy to improve services for people living with chronic pain in Scotland.

The Scottish Government has been consistent in our opposition to the way in which welfare reforms are being implemented by the Westminster Government and is discussing with key stakeholders how to help tenants cope with them.

We are very sympathetic to the difficulties that some tenants will find themselves in as a result of these reforms but in the interests of tenants themselves, we cannot advocate placing tenants in situations where they cannot afford to pay off debts to their landlords. We are also concerned that if tenants do not pay their rent in full, landlords will lose a significant proportion of the income they rely on to provide services to all of their tenants.

The Scottish Government has already strengthened the protection for tenants in Scotland against eviction for rent arrears. From 1 August 2012 we brought pre-action requirements for rent arrears into force to ensure that eviction is a last resort.

The Societal Cost of Alcohol Misuse in Scotland for 2007, which was published in January 2010, can be found on the Scottish Government’s website via the following link:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/12/29122804/0. This is the most recent publication on estimating the annual cost of alcohol misuse in Scotland and uses a cost of illness approach.

The study includes estimates of the relevant direct, indirect and intangible costs associated with alcohol misuse, and covers the following categories: health care, social care, crime, productive capacity of the Scottish economy, wider social costs.

The total societal cost of alcohol misuse in Scotland for 2007 is estimated to be in the range of £2,476.6 million to £4,635.4 million annually with a midpoint estimate of £3,555.7 million.

The Minister for Housing and Welfare last met UK Government Ministers in London on 16 December 2012. Discussions centred around the direct payment of Housing Benefit to tenants and whether the discretion afforded to the Northern Ireland assembly – to continue to pay housing benefit to landlords – could be extended to Scotland.