Chamber and committees

Tactica Solutions Ltd. and Astron recently merged to form Astron Document Services Limited. The text on Scottish Executive publications on which work started after 12 February 2001 will reflect the change of name.

The recent merger of Tactica Solutions and Astron does not change the contractual arrangements for the provision of the service to the Scottish Executive for design, print and publication requirements.

No specific guidance has been issued on provision for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. General guidance on Special Educational Needs (SEN) is contained in the Scottish Executive Manual of Good Practice for all staff and professionals involved with children and young people with special educational needs. Further advice on good practice can be found in the Scottish Executive publications, 'Taking a Closer Look at Promoting Social Competence', 'Sharing Good Practice' and Circular 4/96: Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs-Assessment and Recording.Circular 4/96 provides advice to education authorities on the assessment and recording arrangements in Scotland for children and young people with learning needs across the full range of special educational needs. The National SEN Advisory Forum is conducting a review of these statutory arrangements and Circular 4/96 will be updated in light of any proposed changes.The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) is currently developing a clinical guideline on Attention Deficit and Hyperkinetic Disorders in Children and Young People, which is due to be published later this year. The guideline will be disseminated to a range of interests including NHS Trusts and Health Boards.

Documents are handed over to Tactica Solutions in a number of formats including electronic text, hand written notes, charts, maps, pictures and printed material. It is not possible to publish such material without it passing through a number of processes. Even documents that are entirely available in electronic format require further processing. Professional publications advice is provided to all Departments by the Executive's Media and Communications Group who are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that Executive publications are fit for purpose and provide value for money. The services provided via Tactica Solutions to deliver finished publications include:

typesetting

insertion of Scottish Executive logo and branding

allocation of ISBN numbers

ensuring documents comply with office rules on accessibility by disabled and ethnic audiences

translation where (necessary)

conversion for the internet

bar coding for sale and library purposes

chart and graph production

illustration

design

photography

proof readingcartography.

In response to the recommendations of the review of services for people with learning disabilities, local authorities were notified in December 2000 that additional funds of £36million over 3 years would be awarded as part of the Grant Aided Expenditure allocation from April 2001.The resources for 2001-02 were distributed through the Grant Aided Expenditure for services for people with disabilities. The GAE "Green Book", setting out the elements for each authority, is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib number 12261).The distribution formula for 2002-03 and 2003-04 is based on projections of population changes in key client groups.Guidance on the change funds issued on 26 March advising local authorities that the additional resources have been included as part of the Revenue Support Grant along with the existing provision for services for people with learning disabilities. It stated that local authorities, with their partners, should use new and existing resources to achieve both short-term and longer-term improvements in services; that making better use of existing resources is a key part of delivering the review's objectives; and that authorities are expected to apply Best Value principles to ensure maximum benefits for agencies and the best outcomes for all those who require services.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-14328.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-14328.

The Scottish Executive's general policy on care, support services and accommodation for mentally disordered offenders remains as set out in NHS Management Executive Letter (1999) 5, published by the Scottish Office in January 1999. Since then, we have provided complementary guidance for service providers, including the criminal justice agencies. A Care Pathway Document, NHS Health Department Letter (2001) 9, was produced on 12 February this year, together with progress reports on the implementation of the general policy. These two NHS letters are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib numbers 12317 and 12345 respectively).We are also currently considering the recommendations for the treatment and management of mentally disordered offenders made in the reports of the Millan and MacLean Committees.

The information requested is not held centrally. However, the typical cost of a Sheriff Court hearing based on judicial and staff costs, but excluding accommodation and other overheads is approximately £50 per 30 minutes. This also excludes any costs to the parties, their agents or expert witnesses.

It is not possible to provide an estimate at this stage of the average cost of a mental health tribunal hearing, as proposed by the Millan Report. The Scottish Executive is currently considering the recommendations of the Millan Committee, including those which focus on the establishment of a new mental health tribunal system. We intend to publish our policy proposals, as informed by the Committee and after consultation with relevant interests, in summer 2001.