Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-37293 on 15 November 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

A decision on the future work of the Technical Advisory Group on Resource Allocation (TAGRA) on the NHSScotland Resource Allocation Committee (NRAC) formula is due to be made at TAGRA''s next meeting on 30 November 2010. As the NRAC formula is designed to inform funding across all areas of Scotland, all aspects of TAGRA''s work have the potential to impact on rural areas. Decisions on the formula will continue to be made with regard to TAGRA''s core criteria, to ensure that funding of services in rural areas, and elsewhere in Scotland, continues to be fair and appropriate.

The Technical Advisory Group on Resource Allocation (TAGRA) will consider its work plan for 2011-12 at its next meeting on 30 November 2010, and this will include the recommendations of the report. It would be wrong to prejudge the outcome of this decision. However, I have asked TAGRA to prioritise the recommendation relating to GP out-of-hours services, to begin early in the coming financial year.

All NHS boards electronically transfer laboratory results from their various laboratory test systems to a single IT repository, to which authorised clinicians have online look-up access. From that repository there are various examples of onward transfer, for example to infection control databases.

Scottish Government funds the single IT repository for test results, known as SCI Store, plus the standards and electronic interface to allow further transfer of test results. Scottish Government has also recently announced a programme to establish comprehensive IT support for infection control, and this will include electronic transfer of test results where this is not already in place. Further examples being delivered by the eHealth Strategy are a new IT system for GPs and a Patient Management System for hospitals. These major procurements have the capacity to receive laboratory results electronically.

The proposed Sound of Barra Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is presently undergoing an Impact Assessment, to explore the possible socio-economic effects of designation, with the final report expected in August. I will then consider the next steps to be taken in the early autumn.

The Scottish Government has made a commitment to carry out a fullscale review of the Charities and Trustee (Scotland) Act 2005 within ten years of its commencement date of April 2006. I anticipate this will include a review of the role of the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.

This information is not held centrally. The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator is an independent body and the member should approach them directly.

The Scottish Government and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) continue to monitor the effectiveness of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005 and regulations under it.

We have recently taken forward, by means of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010, a number of OSCR''s recommendations for changes to the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005. The Charities Accounts (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2010, which were laid before Parliament on 27 July 2010, amend the accounting rules for charities, including increasing the threshold for preparation of fully accrued accounts from £100,000 to £250,000. These changes aim to simplify or reduce charity regulation.

OSCR intends to introduce a new integrated reported regime which aims to simplify reporting processes for charities.

This information is not held centrally. The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator is an independent body and the member should approach them directly.