Chamber and committees

Independent Advocacy - A guide for Commissioners, states that advocacy schemes, commissioned by health and social services, should be independent of the statutory and voluntary service sectors.Whilst service providing agencies clearly undertake a valuable role in providing direct representation (or advocacy) for individuals who rely on their support, there are times in an individual's life when they need, or want, someone to advocate for them who has no connection with them as a provider of services.

The Scottish Executive has no such plans. Under the terms of its Compact with the voluntary sector, the Executive is committed to recognising and supporting the sector's independence, including its right to comment on and challenge Government policy.

The Executive is currently considering the Plan for Action on alcohol misuse in the light of the views expressed during consultation earlier this year. As part of work towards the plan, we are developing a framework for alcohol misuse services which will assist in local planning and commissioning.

Decisions on the timing of publications are taken on a case-by-case basis but Sunday publications would be extremely rare.

The Advisory Group on Hepatitis, which provides the UK Health Departments with expert advice on the prevention and control of viral hepatitis, is to review the recent incident in Fife, and current guidelines. The Executive will take any appropriate action in the light of the group's advice.

The Scottish Executive has received information about the Staywarm product, but has not had any discussions with the company in relation to the product or pensioners' heating payments.

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA) has signalled Scottish local authorities' agreement to enhance existing discretionary concessionary travel schemes to provide free local bus travel within existing scheme boundaries for journeys outwith the morning peak for the elderly and disabled people in October 2002. The Scottish Executive has made additional resources available to fund this enhancement.I have established an Implementation Working Group, comprising representatives from the Executive, CoSLA, Strathclyde Passenger Transport Executive, the Association of Transport Co-ordinating Officers and the bus industry, to advise on the detailed administrative implementation issues.

Local authorities have discretionary powers to establish concessionary travel schemes for their areas, or jointly with other local authorities. I understand that Fife Council, Clackmannanshire Council and Dumfries and Galloway Council have established travel schemes which include an element of free local bus travel for elderly and people with disabilities.From October 2002 all pensioners and disabled people will benefit from free local bus travel within existing scheme boundaries for journeys outwith the morning peak.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:All prisoners have the right to send and receive mail and to use telephones. That right is subject to the provisions of Part 7 of the Prisoners and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules 1994 (as amended) which allow a wide range of restrictions to be imposed, primarily in the interests of good order and security and preventing criminal activity. The circumstances in which ordinary letters can be read by prison officers are set out in rule 51. Most of these restrictions apply equally to untried and convicted prisoners. Special provisions apply for legal and court correspondence. Prisoners' telephone calls can be logged, monitored and recorded under rule 54(2).

I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-16289.