Chamber and committees

The procedures for communitycouncil elections were addressed in the recommendations made to ministers as a resultof the review and it is expected that this will be considered by the Working Groupin the context of Model Community Council Schemes and Good Practice Guidance.

The Improving Regulation Unitis closely involved in the development of all policies affecting business withinthe Executive. The unit is in regular contact with business representative organisationsto hear about their regulatory concerns – which are then pursued in all parts ofgovernment. In addition, we have established an industry-led regulatory group chairedby a CBI Scotland representative and including all the major business organisationsin Scotland to help the unit drive the better regulation agenda forward.

The Improving Regulation Unit’sAnnual Report is available at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/support/15242/2ndannualreport.

This sets out the changes andimprovements to regulation in Scotland resulting from the unit’s work.

The Permanent Secretary has establisheda new Strategic Board whose responsibilities include oversight of actions to respondto recommendations in the Taking Stock report.

The report highlighted a needto build on evidence of effective leadership in parts of the organisation in orderto deliver strong corporate leadership at senior levels across the Executive asa whole. Work to improve leadership and management in the organisation includesall members of the senior civil service undertaking a 360 degree feedback processby this summer; building a renewed emphasis on leadership and behaviours into internaland external appointments processes for senior civil service posts, based on therequirements of the Professional Skills for Government framework, and continuingto roll out the Executive’s programmes on Public Value and on Adaptive Leadershipto staff in senior and middle management positions.

The landlord registration websiteis fully operational for landlords to apply for registration, and for members of the public to search for registered landlords and properties. Local authoritiesare currently processing applications. The public search function only shows registrationswhich have been approved.

The Infant Feeding Strategy willnow form an integral part of the Scottish Executive’s Food and Health DeliveryPlan which will be published in summer 2007.

The Scottish Executive hasfunded Breastfeeding DVDs for health professionals to use and disseminate andproduced promotional material. In addition it is planned to show a televisionadvertisement the focus will be on cultural attitudes to breastfeeding inpublic settings.

Results from the UK-wide InfantFeeding Survey will be launched during National Breastfeeding Awareness Week in2007 which includes information gathered in Scotland.

The Breastfeeding etc. (Scotland)Act 2005 – Advice for Employers leaflet was distributed nationally by the Scottish Executive to all places of employment highlighting theresponsibilities of employers to members of the public who are entitled to beon their premises.

NHS Health Scotland havefollowed up the initial work on promotion by producing a DVD as a training aidfor health professionals and are continuing to promote the benefits ofbreastfeeding to women and their families.

Whilst there are no formalmonitoring arrangements in place, there have been no cases raised under theterms of the act, suggesting that women are able to breastfeed freely asenvisaged by the act.

The Scottish Executive’sfirst priority has been to ensure that maternal and child nutrition wasintegrated with the forthcoming food and health delivery plan. The greaterclarity and impact which this will bring will enable us to fully scope out therole of the national infant feeding co-ordinator.

We expect to be in aposition to appoint someone by autumn 2007, following publication of the actionplan.

The Infant Feeding SteeringGroup was established last year.

The workprogramme consists of the following strands:

1. Consultationdocument and analysis

2. Consultationwith parents

3. Scope andfocus of the food and diet action plan

4. Fit withother policies/policy proofing

5. Advisorystructures/appointments

6. Consultationon improving children’s health.

Last year the Executiveintroduced the Breastfeeding etc. (Scotland) Act 2005, making it an offence toprevent or stop an adult feeding milk to a child under the age of two in apublic space.

The legislation providesthat if an infant is legally entitled to be in a public space, then thesupervising adult has the right to feed the infant milk. Given that thelegislation is rights based and that we have had no reports of mothers beingprevented from feeding freely in appropriate public places, no additionallicensing arrangements have been required.

There are a number of localpartnership initiatives in place, such as NHS Lanarkshire’s BreastfeedingInitiative, and its Breastfeeding Friendly Award Campaign, which recognises shopsand businesses that welcome and support breastfeeding on their premises.