Chamber and committees

Local authorities are best placed to assess the needs of their communities and develop policy on the provisions and management of allotments. As current legislation does not appear to cause difficulties for local authorities in this respect, there are no plans for amendment.

During the past six months, one letter has been received asking about the rights of allotment holders and the provision of national guidance on allotments. No representations have been received about the feasibility of amending existing legislation.

The Executive has held discussions with ministers from the Department for Work and Pensions about welfare reform and the Employability Framework for Scotland. We have also discussed the framework with the CBI and the Trade Union Working Party on Lifelong Learning. The framework has been informed by a series of workstreams involving over 150 individuals from a range of organisations, including the voluntary sector, trade unions and employers. The discussions have concerned all groups disadvantaged in the labour market, and have not been confined to those aged over 50.

The Scottish Executive encourages everyone to continue learning throughout their lives irrespective of age or personal circumstances. As older people will form an increasingly large and important part of our workforce over the coming decades, we are currently developing a programme, in conjunction with the Sector Skills Councils, that aims to improve the skills and learning capacity of older workers.

The input to the development of the Employability Framework for Scotland has included research led by Glasgow Caledonian University, as well as the views of the Scottish Funding Councils for Further and Higher Education, further education colleges and training organisations. The issues that have been discussed included, but were not confined to, the barriers to employment faced by people aged 50 and over. Further details of the framework development are available at www.scotland.gov.uk/employabilityframework.

The Scottish Executive is also developing a strategy for Scotland’s ageing population. This wide ranging work will involve consultation with academics, representatives of older people, and others, to be completed by the end of 2006.

The UK Government has lead responsibility for welfare to work programmes. Support for people aged over 50 is available under New Deal 50 Plus, and the Pathways to Work programme for incapacity benefit claimants, which is being piloted in Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Argyll and Bute.

The Executive works with the UK Government to help more people into work. We will launch, in early 2006, an Employability Framework for Scotland to reduce the numbers of people out of work, including those aged over 50. We fund Training for Work, an adult vocational skills programme for unemployed people which gives priority to people aged over 50. The Executive also works with Age Positive, the UK campaign to promote the business benefits of an age diverse workforce to employers. We will consult on, and complete by the end of 2006, a strategy for Scotland’s ageing population.

I have asked Dr Paul Stollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. His response is as follows:

The SBSA is presently carrying out a review of standards on the access and use of buildings, including dwellings, and the review focuses on the need to provide dwellings that can accommodate the needs of all occupants, older people amongst them. The aim is to ensure that new dwellings better meet the varying needs of both occupants and visitors and are of a form that will enable future adaptation to suit the changing needs of occupants over the years.

The Building Standards Advisory Committee working party carrying out the review includes members from the architectural profession, the Disability Rights Commission, local authority building standards, private house builders and the Building Research Establishment.

Discussions on the issues of accessibility and use of buildings are in progress with a range of other key stakeholders, including: The Joseph Rowntree Foundation; Scottish Disability Equality Forum; Royal National Institute for the Blind; Royal National Institute for the Deaf; Homes for Scotland, and Ownership Options. It is anticipated that other interested parties will become involved prior to public consultation on proposed changes in March 2006.

Under the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005, doctors, nurses, midwives and ambulance workers are protected in any area of a hospital whenever they are on duty. These workers and anyone assisting them are also protected when they are responding to emergency situations, including in community health care settings. There are no plans to further extend the provisions of the act.

There is no direct equivalent in Scotland of the English post of Director of Infection Prevention and Control. NHS boards were directed to appoint a dedicated infection control manager earlier this year. Funding from the £15 million Clean Hospitals budget has been made available to boards support this measure. Chief Executives have been asked to report on progress by the end of December 2005. Every NHS board currently has a nominated senior manager who has responsibility for infection prevention and control.

The current pattern of cleaning services provision is shown in the table.

Trust	Service Pattern In House (I/H) or Contracted Out (C/O)	Changes Since 1997
NHS Argyll and Clyde	I/H	Royal Alexandra Hospital in house from 1/4/2003.
NHS Ayrshire and Arran	I/H (except for East Ayrshire Hospital which is contracted out)
NHS Dumfries and Galloway	I/H
NHS Lothian	I/H (Apart from Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh which is contracted out)	Lothian University Hospitals C/O 97, I/H 2000 (RIE Lauriston Place I/H 2000). Royal Edinburgh Hospital I/H since 2000.
NHS Borders	I/H
NHS Fife	I/H	Fife Acute Hospitals C/O 97, I/H 2002
NHS Forth Valley	I/H
NHS Tayside	I/H	Tayside University Hospitals C/O 97, I/H 2002. Tayside Primary Care C/O 1995, I/H 1999.
NHS Grampian	I/H	Contracted out services at Woodend Hospital and at Grampian Primary Care taken in house from 6/11/2005
NHS Highland	I/H (except New Craigs Hospital)
NHS Western Isles	I/H
NHS Orkney	I/H
NHS Shetland	C/O
NHS Lanarkshire	I/H (except for Wishaw and Hairmyres General Hospitals who are contracted out)	Monklands I/H since Oct 2002
Trust	SERVICE PATTERN In House (I/H) or Contracted Out (C/O)	CHANGES SINCE 1997
North Glasgow Division	I/H (except for Glasgow Royal Infirmary & Canniesburn Hospital)	Stobhill Hospital I/H since May 2002
South Glasgow Division	I/H	Victoria Infirmary IH since Nov 2002
Yorkhill Division	I/H
Greater Glasgow Primary Care	I/H	Gartnavel Royal I/H since Oct 2001