Chamber and committees

This is a reserved matter. Section 43 of the Telecommunications Act 1984, as amended, provides the penalties for malicious calls to the emergency services. They are a maximum fine of £5,000 or six months imprisonment, or both. Any changes to the legislation is a matter for the UK Government.

BDD is a very rare condition and, as such, it is not possible to extract information about it from data routinely collected by Information and Statistics Division. However, a recent survey carried out by the Chief Medical Officer, of NHS Trusts in Scotland, has confirmed that no amputations of healthy limbs have been carried out in Scotland, other than the two cases identified recently at Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary.

This is a matter for the Home Office.

Work is ongoing, involving all Scottish Councils either directly or indirectly, to set up a consortium to contract with the Home Office to provide for asylum seekers in Scotland under the terms of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. This work is not complete, but the expectation is that asylum seekers will be housed in major councils within the Central Belt.

The details of such contracts are between the authorities and the contractors concerned. However, since 1985, the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations have required that the design of most new or altered or extended buildings, including schools, take proper account of the needs of disabled people. The regulations apply irrespective of how the works are funded.

The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including asylum seekers.

There have been various discussions on these matters, which are continuing on a regular basis.

Existing provisions in section 51 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 already give authorities considerable discretion in relation to the provision of school transport and payment of travelling expenses, and we have no plans to amend these specifically to provide for the arrangement suggested.

Discharge planning is a matter primarily for Health Boards, NHS Trusts and Local Authorities to ensure that people who no longer require acute treatment and care can be discharged into more appropriate settings. The NHS and Local Authorities work jointly to ensure that all continuing care needs are addressed before discharge. This joint working approach is the most effective means of achieving safe and appropriate discharges. Delays can arise for a variety of reasons and most NHS Trusts will experience delayed discharges. A key aim of the planning process is also to provide care and treatment to people in their own homes, where appropriate, to avoid admission to hospital.

The Executive is committed to increasing the representation of ethnic minorities and disabled people on Scottish Public bodies. Work is currently underway to target advertising of specific appointments and develop initiatives to raise awareness amongst ethnic minority and disabled groups. This will involve the Public Appointments Unit working with the newly established Equality Unit.We are also currently reviewing systems for appointment, including ethnic minority and disabled peoples' representation, and I shall be making a statement soon.