Chamber and committees

Social work supervision is a broad term meaning supervision by a social worker. Its precise definition will depend on the statutory basis of the supervision which may be in respect of an adult or a child. There is a wide range of relevant orders and many of them may have additional specific conditions. The effectiveness of supervision is assessed according to the requirements of the order. The Social Work Services Inspectorate evaluates the effectiveness of services overall.

The Scottish Executive aims to provide information to the public through a broad range of media and is monitoring closely the development of the Post Office led Government General Practitioner (now known as Your Guide) project which is at pilot stage. Officials have visited the pilot to see the project first hand. No decision has yet been taken, but a further meeting with the Post Office and DTI will take place later this year to discuss the potential for rolling out this project in Scotland. There are already 700 Public Internet Access Points in Scotland. The New Year will see the launch of the Executive's Public Internet Access Point Initiative which aims to create over 1,000 new access points in areas of Scotland where internet provision is currently poor.The Executive is also supporting, through the Modernising Government Fund, a separate trial of public information points using kiosks with touch screen technology. This trial is based on simple to read information and contact details supplied by StartHere and Dumfries and Galloway Council and kiosks will be housed in a number of urban and rural locations across the council's area.

The Executive received a funding consequential of £3.5 million as a result of money being allocated in England for the support of pilots of Government General Practitioners and Internet Learning and Access Points. All funding consequentials contribute to a block allocation to the Executive which was part of the Strategic Spending Review. The outcome of this process was that specific funding was not allocated for support of the Post Office network in Scotland, which is a reserved matter.The Executive is keeping in touch with the pilots in England and is keen to learn the lessons from these pilots and their likely impact in Scotland.

Highlands and Islands Enterprise continue to incorporate relevant independent research into their overall economic development strategy, where appropriate. This includes studies such as those by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.

The Food Standards Agency advises that, since July 1999, there have been no recorded imports of meat or meat products arriving from third countries requiring inspection at Border Inspection Posts (BIPs) in Scotland.Imports into Scotland from other member states, and through BIPs elsewhere in the UK, must comply with the general food safety requirements applicable to all food in Scotland and are not subject to further import inspections.

A significant number of Udal proprietors have recorded their titles in the register of Sasines. In such cases, the document used to effect a transfer of title is normally a Disposition, in a style similar to that used in mainland Scotland for the transmission of title to feudal property. It is not known how many properties in Orkney and Shetland are held on unwritten titles.Anyone acquiring Udal land after the commencement date of the Land Register in Orkney and Shetland on 1 April 2003 will be able to obtain a real right only by registration in the Land Register. Existing proprietors' rights will not be affected. The Keeper has discretion under section 4(1) of the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 as to what evidence is acceptable in a particular case. He has not yet set a policy on what evidence he will require for the registration of Udal land. However, he has begun research on the implications of Udal law, and will take into account any available information as to current practice in the transmission of Udal land.

We estimate that 23,000 local authority tenants, 6,000 housing association tenants and 40,000 pensioners who are private sector tenants or owner occupiers lack central heating. From April 2004 the programme will be extended to 20,000 local authority tenants to convert partial systems to whole house systems.Over 5,200 local authority tenants, 1,500 housing association tenants and 3,500 households in the private sector will benefit this year. Information on the programme will be collected and a full report will be published each year.

The Executive is taking a range of measures to tackle alcohol misuse in Scotland. Work is currently going on to develop a nationally recognisable proof of age card in conjunction with Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and Young Scot. Funding is also being provided for Health Eduction Board for Scotland, Alcohol Focus Scotland and Drinkwise which raise awareness of alcohol misuse and undertake preventative activities with young people and community groups. Health education in schools is being improved in a number of ways and the Executive is also continuing to support the work of Alcohol Misuse Co-ordinating Committees which co-ordinate local prevention and treatment activities.The Scottish Advisory Committee on Alcohol Misuse (SACAM) was set up in 1999 to advise on the development of a national strategy. SACAM, which I chair, has taken a central role in advising on the development of the Executive's national Plan for Action on Alcohol Problems which we expect to publish by the end of the year.

There are very few local authority homes catering for physically disabled people. Table 4.7 in Scottish Community Care Statistics 2000 shows that there were three such homes open at the 1999 census and four at the 2000 census. The average weekly charge figures are therefore based on a very small number of homes and any changes e.g. homes opening or closing may have a significant effect on the average in this table.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide a service for individuals in their area who, following release from prison or other form of detention, are required to be under supervision. In addition, local authorities provide an after-care service to anyone who asks for it within 12 months of their release. The level of this social work supervision is set out in the National Objectives and Standards for Social Work Services in the Criminal Justice System. Further guidance was also issued in November 1998 for those subject to extended sentence. Supervision depends on the nature of the offender and the nature of the offence. It includes advice, guidance and assistance on release from custody, as well as specific requirements for instance to undertake courses to address offending behaviour or live in a specific type of accommodation all designed to reduce the risk of re-offending and reintegrate the offender into the community. An offender released on licence may be subject to recall to custody if specific conditions are not kept.