Chamber and committees

No proposals for the revisionof the Sludge Directive (86/278/EEC) have yet been published. The Scottish Executivehas therefore not been in a position to make any assessment of the likely impactof a new Directive.

The European Commission’s WasteThematic Strategy, published on  21 December 2005, envisaged the publication ofa proposal for revision of council Directive 86/278/EEC on the protection of theenvironment, and in particular of the soil, when sewage sludge is used in agriculture,in 2007.

We have received no informationto indicate any change to this schedule.

The Scottish Executive has madeno response to Scottish Water regarding its proposed sewage sludge strategy.

Scottish Water has yet to publishconclusions arising from its recent consultation exercise. It is likely that discussionswith the Executive would take place at that point.

No proposals for the revisionof the Sludge Directive (86/278/EEC) have yet been published. The Scottish Executivehas accordingly made no representations on this subject.

I have asked Angiolina Foster,Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

To participate in thecentral heating programme households must have an existing connection to the mainselectricity supply or have a suitable alternative power supply that meets the technicalrequirements of the Programme. Where an existing mains power supply does not meetthe technical requirements of the Programme the scheme will provide for the reasonablecost of providing for an electrical upgrade to the mains supply.

For those disabled and elderlypeople who find they are unable to remain in their family home, sheltered housingis a popular choice that helps them to live as independently as possible.

However, it is generally acceptedthat traditional forms of sheltered housing are changing, influenced by developmentsin home support services, such as telecare, by the impact of working time legislationon warden services, and by other factors.

In response to these influencesmany service providers are choosing to redesign service delivery methods, includingproviding a range of service delivery options: full-time or part-time on-site wardens,on-call warden support, improved alarm and telecare systems, or a mix of these options.

Against that background the ScottishExecutive and Communities Scotland are looking at a range of issues relating tosheltered housing, as part of the review of older people’s housing referred to inmy answer to question S2W-27618 on 28 August 2006.This work will be completed by February 2007 and will inform future policy choicesfor housing for elderly and disabled people.

All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website the search facilityfor which can be at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The Scottish Executive does notcollect statistics on vaccine damage. The administration of the Vaccine Damage PaymentScheme is reserved and as such, is administered on a UK-basis by colleagues in theDepartment for Work and Pensions.

The Scottish Executive does notcollect statistics on vaccine damage. The administration of the Vaccine Damage PaymentScheme is reserved and as such, is administered on a UK-basis by colleagues in theDepartment for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Further information can be providedby contacting DWP - Vaccine Damage Payments Unit at:

Vaccine Damage Payments Unit

Department for Work and Pensions

Palatine House

Lancaster Road

Preston

PR1 1HB

Telephone number 01772 899944or 899756

Email [email protected]

Details of the Vaccine DamagePayment scheme are contained in DWP’s website at:

www.dwp.gov.uk/lifeevent/benefits/vaccine_damage_payments.asp.

It is the responsibility ofNHS boards to work together with their local authority and other partners toplan and provide responsive health and social care services that meet theassessed needs of their population, taking account of national and localpriorities. We have provided record resources to support this process.

Students at furthereducation colleges and higher education institutions have unhindered access toall health services, including mental health services, and support in theirlocality.

The Scottish Executive has notcommissioned research that explores the factors associated specifically with antisocialbehaviour (as opposed to broader delinquency). However, the Executive is currentlypart-funding the Edinburgh Study of YouthTransitions and Crime. This is a programme of research being carried out by theUniversity of Edinburgh that aims to address a range of fundamental questionsabout the causes of criminal and risky behaviours in young people. The core of theprogramme is a major longitudinal study of a single cohort of around 4,000 youngpeople who started secondary school in Edinburgh in the autumn of 1998.

While the study recognises thatexplanations for delinquency are extremely complex, it does highlight a number offactors which appear to be strongly associated with delinquency at age 15. Theseare: moral beliefs; victimisation; parenting, and risk taking. Other factors thatwere quite strongly associated with delinquency at this age were: peers and spare-timeactivities; impulsivity, and attachments to school. For further details see the2004 research digest entitled “Gender and Youth Offending” which is available onEdinburgh Study website at publications:

http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/cls/esytc/.