Chamber and committees

As the member knows, as part of its programme of service change set out in Right for Fife, NHS Fife has been planning since 2002 to move to a new model of accident and emergency and acute medical service based in Victoria Hospital and supported by a minor injuries service at Queen Margaret Hospital. That move is due to take place in early 2012. I expect NHS Fife to make the transition to the new service model in a way that best meets patients'' clinical needs and ensures their safety.

The Scottish Government continues to fund the Youth Music Initiative, administered through Creative Scotland, which widens access to free music tuition in schools. Fife Council will receive £518,660 in 2010-11 as part of this initiative, the same level of annual funding it has received since 2005-06.

We have launched an Education and Culture Action Plan which will help to enhance the place of the arts, culture and creativity within Curriculum for Excellence. As part of this, we are working with the Heads of Instrumental Teaching Scotland on a showcase event in November 2010 to demonstrate the importance of the instrumental music service for supporting the delivery of music education.

The Scottish Government continues to fund the Youth Music Initiative (YMI), administered through Creative Scotland, which widens access to free music tuition in schools. Fife Council will receive £518,660 in 2010-11 as part of this initiative, the same level of annual funding it has received since 2005-06.

YMI also has funding streams available to wider organisations. Several organisations in Fife have received these funds, including a grant of approximately £5,000 for Kingdom Brass towards the cost of young people receiving weekly percussion tuition.

The Scottish Government continues to fund the Youth Music Initiative, administered through Creative Scotland, which widens access to free music tuition in schools. Fife Council will receive £518,660 in 2010-11 as part of this initiative, the same level of annual funding it has received since 2005-06.

We have launched an Education and Culture Action Plan which will help to enhance the place of the arts, culture and creativity within Curriculum for Excellence (CfE). CfE enables learners from three to 18 to develop the knowledge and skills needed for future learning, offering a breadth and depth of learning in the expressive arts, including active involvement in creative activities and performances.

Funding for individual further and higher education institutions is a matter for the Scottish Funding Council, rather than Scottish Ministers.

The Scottish Government supports the cultural sector through working with Creative Scotland and Scotland''s National Performing Companies. In addition, the Scottish Government provides funding for local cultural services through the local government finance settlement.

Through the Youth Music Initiative, administered by Creative Scotland, we have provided Fife Council with £518,660 in 2010-11 to widen access to free music tuition in schools, the same level of annual funding it has received through the initiative since 2005-06.

The information requested is not specifically held. However, expenditure on medical locums by NHS Fife is available and is shown in the following table:

2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09	2009-10
£2.475 million	£2.632 million	£2.548 million	£3.352 million	£3.300 million

Source: NHS Fife.

The allocation of junior doctor training places is a matter for NHS Education for Scotland (NES) who are responsible for the Scottish Medical Training annual recruitment and selection process. On this basis, NES are working in partnership with NHS Fife to ensure the appropriate allocation of junior doctors in their board.

NHS Fife is responsible for working with the Scottish Ambulance Service to ensure that appropriate ambulance cover is in place. The NHS board has worked closely with the ambulance service on arrangements during the temporary overnight reductions in accident and emergency services at Victoria Hospital on the occasions when it has been necessary for the board to implement its contingency plan. NHS Fife has made funding available for additional resources at the appropriate times to allow for extra distances travelled. These arrangements, which will continue in the future if the need arises, have ensured that there has been no adverse impact on ambulance services or response times in Fife.

There is a close working relationship between the paediatricians and neurologists in NHS Fife and transitions arrangements are supported by an Epilepsy Specialist Nurse (ESN) and an epilepsy fieldworker. NHS Fife has no plans to introduce a transition clinic for people with epilepsy in the immediate future.

The Scottish Paediatric Network (SPEN) has however, developed a transition care process for young people with epilepsy. SPEN is currently considering how the transition process can be taken forward within NHS boards.

There will be some young people with epilepsy where although the condition is not their primary diagnosis, their other health care needs will mean that they will be cared for by the National Managed Clinical Network (NMCN) for children with exceptional healthcare needs. The NMCN is looking specifically at the transition arrangements for young people with complex needs, to ensure adequate and appropriate provision is made.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-35396 on 16 August 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.