Chamber and committees

Meetings took place on 10 February 2009, 5 May 2009, 26 October 2009, 21 December 2009, 25 January 2010, 2 February 2010 and 22 February 2010. The primary purpose of these meetings was to enable ministers and officials to be updated on relevant aspects of possible college merger and redevelopment of college estate.

Any proposal by the Scottish Funding Council to offer financial support in excess of its delegated authority requires to be approved by ministers. In such cases ministers would give close consideration to the business case, including the educational, financial and other benefits.

On the related plans of the three colleges involved in New Campus Glasgow estates project also to explore merger, ministers have as yet received no request to approve such a step.

Employment issues are a matter for a college''s board of management, as the employer. It is my understanding that the colleges in central Glasgow which are discussing merger do not intend that any compulsory redundancies should occur as a direct result of merger.

Any proposal by the Scottish Funding Council to offer financial support in excess of its delegated authority requires to be approved by ministers. In such cases ministers would give close consideration to the business case, including the educational, financial and other benefits.

No direct discussions between the Scottish Government and Stow College have taken place, or are planned, regarding the colleges position in any merger or in the New Campus Glasgow estates project.

Ministers keep the governance arrangements of further education colleges under ongoing review. Officials plan to meet representatives of stakeholders, including the Scottish Funding Council, the STUC, NUS Scotland and the organisation Scotland''s Colleges, on 11 May 2010 to consider the scope for further improving college governance.

This will be a matter for Creative Scotland itself to decide once it comes into existence. We have ensured that the legislation allows Creative Scotland the maximum flexibility in developing its framework for financial and other support.

The Scottish Arts Council is continuing with business as usual until Creative Scotland is established, and the legislation makes it clear that Creative Scotland will honour all funding arrangements entered into by the Scottish Arts Council.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-33273 on 29 April 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.

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 (Commencement No. 8, Transitional Provisions and Savings) Order 2010 was made on 20 April 2010.

This will bring into effect the HMO provisions within Part 5 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 on 31 August 2011.

These provisions will bring in additional enforcement powers for local authorities. They will increase the maximum fine for a landlord found guilty of operating an unlicensed HMO from £5,000 to £20,000 and allow local authorities to use rent penalty notices to prevent unlicensed HMO landlords from collecting rent from their tenants.

For people with type 1 diabetes, insulin regimes are essential for good glucose control, to ensure that the risks of diabetes-related complications are minimised. People with type 1 diabetes are made fully aware of the importance of taking insulin when they are diagnosed with the condition. This is followed up through regular clinical reviews, either within general practice, or with hospital consultants where appropriate, at which individual glucose control and adherence to medication are monitored. The 2009 Scottish Diabetes Survey shows that over 87% of people with type 1 diabetes had their blood glucose control recorded in the previous 15 months, mainly as a result of the diabetes domain in the Quality Outcomes Framework of the new GMS contract.

The importance of controlling blood glucose levels, and the medications required to help people do so, are highlighted in the booklet for patients and carers issued to accompany the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline 116 on the management of diabetes, published in March 2010. It also features strongly in the management and monitoring sections of the mydiabetesmyway website. We recognise that effective self management of this type requires access to high quality information and emotional and psychological support, and that will be reflected in the revised Scottish Diabetes Action Plan which we expect to be published in the near future.