Chamber and committees

The Health Education Board for Scotland (HEBS) is involved in or supporting activities aimed at improving health education for older people and is currently developing a campaign tailor-made to the health education needs of older people. Research commissioned by HEBS on perceptions of health and healthy ageing in later life will be used in the development of this new programme. NHS Board Health Promotion Departments are also involved at local level in promoting healthy lifestyles for older people. Those aged 65 and over were also one of the main target groups of the Executive's winter flu immunisation campaign which involved a major national publicity and media campaign.

The New Futures Fund managed by Scottish Enterprise supported 1,692 people in 2001 who had identified their drug misuse as a barrier to training and employment. In addition, there is a wide range of programmes and initiatives, such as Employment Services New Deal programme and Training For Work programmes operated by Local Enterprise Companies. These will contribute to meeting our Programme for Government target of assisting 1,000 reforming drug misusers per annum to prepare for training and employment.

Those that are not the most suitable for the patient or client's assessed needs.

The Executive has allocated £4 million in 2001-02, in new resources, to tackle drug misuse by, and affecting, children and young people. One of the primary areas is the provision of services for children and young people in families of drug misusing parents. Examples of proposals we have agreed include the expansion of community-based family support services to parents with addiction problems in Glasgow, and support services for babies, children and families with drug using families in Falkirk.

Sixty-nine thousand, seven hundred and eighty-one toothbrushes have been provided free to children since January 2001. The distribution programme is on-going.

Two hundred and twenty-six such staff have indicated an initial preference to transfer to the Commission. Staff transferring to the Scottish Social Services Council were previously employed by the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work. No local authority staff will be transferring to the Scottish Social Services Council.

The Chief Executive posts for both the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and the Scottish Social Services Council were advertised in The Guardian, The Herald, The Scotsman, the Dundee Courier and the Aberdeen Press and Journal.Other posts and the processes for filling them are matters for the two bodies themselves.

The Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care will mainly employ staff transferring from local authority and NHS board registration and inspection units. These staff will transfer on existing salary levels. The Scottish Social Services Council is employing staff who were previously employed by the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work. These staff have also transferred on existing salary levels. The chief executives of the council and the commission have salaries of over £25,000. The salaries of other new staff are for the bodies themselves.

This is a matter for the two bodies. However, it is expected that approximately 500 people will be employed by the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and approximately 36 by the Scottish Social Services Council. In addition, approximately 15 staff are likely to be employed to carry out work for both bodies.

Of the health budget of £5.5 billion in 2000-01 about £144 million was carried forward into the new financial year, all of which will be spent on better health and health services. The Scottish Executive Accounts will provide a detailed breakdown of the underspend. Audit Scotland are currently auditing the accounts and they will be laid before Parliament by January 2002.