Chamber and committees

The Executive is committedto developing and expanding respite provision across Scotland. Todo that we have provided authorities with additional funding of £22 million overthe last three years over and above the resources already available to them.That extra funding is now at the level of £11 million per annum.

Authorities have theflexibility to decide how to use the total resources available to meet localneeds and priorities, including respite care. It was always our intention towork in partnership with individual authorities to deliver set outcomes for theextra resources for respite, and targets have been proposed by localauthorities in draft Local Outcome Agreements (LOAs). Similar agreements are beingpiloted across other areas of local government activity as a means of linkingnational priorities with local service delivery. This shift towards monitoring outcomesmeans that existing ring-fenced grants now account for a smaller share of thetotal funding available to local authorities. We need to see how LOAs work in practicebut ring-fencing remains an available option.

Advice on the use of resourcesprovided under the Carers Strategy was given to local authorities in a letterfrom the Scottish Executive dated 8 December 1999.The letter stressed that the new resources provided under the strategy were tobe used to create additional services for carers, including the provision ofshort break services. Most carers are assessed as part of a wider assessment of the cared for person, the costs of which are met from the general resourcesavailable to local authorities.

Improved information onrespite is an issue which both local authorities and the Executive are seekingto address. A sub-group of the Social Work Services Statistical Liaison Grouphas been set up to recommend an agreed terminology that embraces respite, andother services to support carers, and to look at standardised ways ofcollecting information on service provision in these areas for use by theExecutive, local authorities and the voluntary sector. The group, involvingrepresentatives from the Executive, local authorities and carers’organisations, has met twice and we expect it to make recommendations earlynext year.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-3856. All answers to written parlimentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa

This information is not collected centrally and could only be obtained from individual court records. The Executive is soon to conduct a general review of civil judicial statistics, part of which will be to consider the detailed arrangements for collecting, collating and publishing the statistical information in a new format.

Part 1 of the 2002 actprovides for a national statutory debt arrangement scheme. A secondaryconsultation on the draft regulations in implementation of the scheme wascompleted on 2 October 2003 and the Communities Committee took evidence frominterested bodies at that time. The committee were broadly supportive of thedraft regulations and consultation responses are being analysed.

Before the scheme can bebrought into force, the necessary infrastructure must be in place. Thisincludes IT systems and supporting arrangements to make sure that necessarymoney advice is available. Work on this is going ahead with all speed, but itis not possible at this stage to be precise about a commencement date. Myexpectation is that the debt arrangement scheme will be in force by autumn2004.

The operation of Dungavel HouseImmigration Removal Centre is a matter for the Home Office. The Home Office,through its contractor, engages with South Lanarkshire Council. The Executivealso regularly meets with the Home Office and discusses a range of issues atthese times.

MSPs’ staff cannotparticipate in the occupational pension schemes open to SPCB staff and MSPs.The SPCB has no plans to consider this matter. Payment towards pension provision for MSPs’ staff is, however, made underthe members allowance scheme.

The information on a projectby project basis is not held centrally, but details of the Scottish Executive’s capital expenditure for 2003-06 are given in Table 0.05 of the2004-05 Draft Budget. The website of the Executive’s Financial PartnershipsUnit www.scotland.gov.uk/pfi/list.aspprovides information about public private partnership projects in Scotland. Inaddition, specific information about capital expenditure in the health servicecan be found at:www.show.scot.nhs.uk/pfcu/.

The information requested isnot readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.