Chamber and committees

Although the Executive has notencouraged or funded the testing of demountable and temporary flood barriers, informationon a range of proprietary barriers is provided on the Scottish Environment ProtectionAgency’s Floodline website at www.sepa.org.uk/flooding/protection/index.htm.

Importantly, demountable andtemporary flood barriers can only work successfully in areas where there is sufficientwarning time to enable such defences to be put in place. In the first instance itis for Dumfries and Galloway Council to discuss with its consulting engineers ifthis is an appropriate solution for the Whitesands area of Dumfries.

The Scottish Executive worksclosely with its counterparts in the UK Government to ensure the free flow of informationbetween the two administrations. Demountable defences have been used to good effecton the River Severn and I would expect the Environment Agency will be happy to sharetheir experiences with Scottish local authorities.

Grants are available to localauthorities at 80% of eligible costs for confirmed flood prevention schemes. Inthe first instance it is for a local authority to bring forward flood preventionschemes. Dumfries and Galloway Council has not approached the Executiveto confirm a flood prevention scheme for the Whitesands in Dumfries and neitherhas it applied for funding for any such scheme.

The Scottish Executive has givenno consideration to establishing a reciprocal public transport concession schemewith the government of Northern Ireland.

Freight Facilities Grant fundingwas awarded to this project in December 2005. The overall project is coming to theend of the detailed planning and design phase and construction is expected to commenceon site in the spring of 2007.

The number of patients who havereceived multiple or inaccurate copies of letters this year is not centrally held.

The responsibility for contactingpatients has not transferred from NHS boards and it is their decision whether toissue the letter or not. The letter is issued by Atos Origin, on behalf of NHSboards, to all patients entitled to receive free flu vaccination because they willbe aged 65 years and over before the end of March 2007. The data used to identifythese patients is held on the Community Health Index database operated by the PractitionerServices Division.

Each year the content of theletter and the distribution arrangements are agreed with the Scottish Flu and PneumococcalWorking Group whose members include representation from Health Protection Scotland,Scottish Executive, pharmacy colleagues, Practitioner Services Division, generalpractice, media colleagues and NHS Board Immunisation Co-ordinators.

The Scottish Museums Councilpublished Applicant Guidance for the Significance Scheme on 26 October 2006, whenthe scheme was launched. The application process is in two stages, the first forrecognition under the scheme, and then (for museums successful in gaining recognition)for funding. Included in the guidance is a timetable for the first three roundsof applications for recognition during 2007. First round applications for recognitionmust be submitted by 2 February 2007, and a decision on these is expected in June 2007. Thereafter,successful applicants may apply to the National Significance Fund for funding; responsesto these applications will be prompt.

To assist the Museum of Lead Mining,the Executive has written to the Chair of Trustees offering financial support in2007-08 to help in preparing the museum’s application. This includes immediate fundingof up to £5,000 to pay for advertising for a new manager.

There are currently two statutoryschemes covering the reimbursement of travelling expenses incurred by patients travellingto hospital for treatment. A non-means tested Highlands and Islands Scheme forpatients resident or working in the former Highlands and Islands DevelopmentBoard area and a means tested scheme covering the rest of the country. In addition,NHS boards also have discretion to reimburse such expenses to patients who may notbe eligible under the statutory schemes. Guidance to NHS boards from the Executivesets out details of those patients who are eligible for reimbursement of travellingexpenses under the statutory schemes and also states that boards are expected toexercise their discretion sympathetically and to reimburse reasonable costs, particularlywhere patients are referred to hospitals outwith their own board area.

The Executive is committed toproviding support for collections of national significance in the care of localauthorities and other organisations. That is why we gave one-off funding of £40,000to Wanlockhead in 2002-03 to clear its accumulated deficits and prevent closure.Under the new Significance Scheme which I launched on 26 October, we will providefunding of £500,000 per year over the next two years to support non-national museums.I hope that Wanlockhead Museum will apply for recognition under our new scheme,and officials have written to the Museum Trustees asking what development assistancethe museum requires to support such an application.