Chamber and committees

Due to the extensive area coveredby the Scheduled Ancient Monument it has not proved possible to design a new road linewhich bypasses Dunragit. Instead a scheme is being designed to improve the trunkroad to the east of the village. This will provide dedicated east and westboundovertaking opportunities and the replacement of the Challoch Railway Bridge. The existingroad through the settlement will be retained and improved to make it safer for pedestrianmovements.

The Scottish Executive does not,in general, subsidise harbour operations or fund associated capital investment.Public money spent on ports infrastructure or operational costs could distort competitionbetween ports. The policy is set out in Modern Ports: A UK Policy, publishedin November 2000, a copy of which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre(Bib. number 9874).

The Executive has two grant schemesthat support harbour works, namely, for the provision of harbour facilities supportinglifeline ferry services in the Highlands and Islands, and for emergency repairs to fishery harbours. Fundingsupport may also be available from local enterprise companies, the European Unionand the National Lottery Fund.

More generally, the funding of the upkeep and maintenance of small working harbours would fall to be met from harbourauthorities’ income, including dues levied on vessels using a harbour.

Good quality information is anintegral part of good quality health care, as well as an essential feature of thepatient-focused services that NHSScotland is striving to provide.

A Draft Guide to the Productionand Provision of Information about Health and Healthcare Interventions was consultedupon earlier in the year and has been welcomed as a useful guide for the healthservice. The document will be revised to reflect the comments received and reissuedas guidelines as part of the development of a Patient Information Strategy.

We expect NHS boards to advisepatients of waiting times standards and their expected waiting time, as set outin Managing Waiting Times – A Good Practice Guide, which is available at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/health/mwtg-00.asp.

In 2004‑05, grant aidedexpenditure of £2.655 million is allocated to nine local authorities to supportharbours and airports. As agreed with COSLA, the allocation of this support is basedon historical trends in the local authorities’ budgeted expenditure for these services.It is for each of these local authorities to then decide how best to allocate theseresources based on local needs and priorities, such as dredging small harbours.

A number of those recommendationshave already been implemented, as reported in paper J1/S2/04/8/7 which the presentcommittee discussed at its meeting on 25 February (available at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/justice1/papers/j1p04-08.pdf).In addition, Scottish ministers recently appointed new lay members to the ScottishSolicitors’ Discipline Tribunal and Faculty of Advocates Disciplinary Tribunal followingan open selection process involving advertisement of the vacancies in the press.

Other measures recommended bythe committee, for example, strengthening the statutory powers of the Scottish LegalServices Ombudsman, would require legislation. On 5 March 2004, I wrote to the convenorof the Justice 1 Committee confirming that the Executive would draw on the recommendationsof the former Justice 1 Committee in developing an agenda of reform to improve complaintshandling by the legal profession in Scotland.

Although the Scottish Executive provides grant-in-aid for the Scottish Museums Council, it does not providecore funding for the local authority and independent museums throughout Scotland. Thelocal authorities have a statutory duty to make adequate cultural provision, andare at liberty to provide funding to support the operation of independent museumssuch as Kilmartin House.

Guidance on patients’ entitlementto financial help in meeting reasonable travelling and related costs incurred inattending hospitals and clinics for NHS treatment issued to NHS boards on 21 August1996 in MEL (1996) 70. The Management Executive Letter also outlines the arrangementsfor accessing NHS ambulance service transport and for transfers between treatmentcentres. And it clarifies the transport support entitlement of patients’ visitorsand of some specific patient groups.

I am advised that a number ofNHS boards have produced supplementary guidance covering local appointment and relatedtransport booking arrangements and the availability of voluntary transport services.

This information is not heldcentrally.

Although the regulation of the electricity sector is a reserved matter, we are keeping in touch with Ofgemabout the action that they are taking to facilitate competition for customerswith three-rate tariffs.

Currently, the average cost per call to NHS 24 is some £34. By the end of the year, when NHS 24 will beavailable across Scotland, it is estimated that this will be £22.

NHS 24 is providing a highquality nurse-led 24-hour service which is currently available to over 50% of the people of Scotland. It has invested substantially in the staff,infrastructure and technology necessary to maintain an optimum service.

Over the last six months,NHS 24 have randomly surveyed users of the service and found between 92% and96% to be satisfied or very satisfied with the service they received.