Chamber and committees

My department has paid the majorityof Common Agricultural Policy 2003 scheme claims and relatively few are still beingprocessed. The target date for the 2003 cattle schemes is 96% by 30 June 2004. A fullregional breakdown of these outstanding cases as at 29 June 2004 is given below. Thefigures exclude all invalid and ineligible claims. Beef Special Premium Scheme andSlaughter Premium Scheme involve more than one claim per producer.

2003 CAP Scheme Claims

Area Office	AAPS	BSPS	EPS	LFASS	SAPS	SPS	SCPS
Ayr	0	194	135	3	10	142	20
Benbecula	0	4	6	0	21	7	5
Dumfries	0	8	57	0	8	78	9
Elgin	0	17	11	0	1	19	5
Gala	1	99	30	0	8	75	13
Hamilton	0	36	39	0	8	42	8
Inverness	0	53	39	4	13	21	13
Grampian	1	223	77	1	14	109	16
Kirkwall	0	23	21	0	4	15	7
Lairg	0	5	9	0	2	4	3
Lerwick	0	6	5	0	17	20	7
Oban	0	12	23	0	9	15	20
Perth	2	139	64	0	11	118	30
Portree	0	3	10	0	6	6	8
Stornoway	0	4	10	0	27	5	22
Thurso	0	16	19	0	8	23	9
Total being processed	4	932	555	8	167	699	195
Total Paid	8,385	39,013	8,601	13,145	11,119	26,984	7,554

Notes:

AAPS – Arable Area Payments Scheme.

BSPS– Beef Special Premium Scheme.

EPS - Extensification PaymentScheme.

LFASS – Less-Favoured Areas SupportScheme.

SAPS – Sheep Annual Premium Scheme.

SPS– Slaughter Premium Scheme.

SCPS – Suckler Cow Premium Scheme.

The new framework for regionalplanning of health services will set out procedures for paying for services providedby other boards and for an arbitration process in the event that boards fail toagree the financial or other arrangements for the cross boundary provision of services.

The independent health care sector in Scotland is very small in comparison with England. However, the National Waiting Times Unit will continue to work with independent providers to facilitate the use of their capacity by NHS boards on behalf of NHS patients in support of our waiting times guarantees and targets.

I met with Aberdeen City Council at their request on 18 February 2004 to discuss funding gaps that the council had identified, particularly in relation to community care.

Following the meeting, the council have since written to Executive outlining their concerns in relation to children’s services. The Deputy Minister for Education and Young People responded agreeing to meet with representatives from both Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Councils as part of his summer tour.

The Scottish Executive last met with Aberdeenshire Council on 5 May 2004 and discussed issues relating to demand for secure and residential places for young people.

The current basis of funding was determined by the National Review Group established by the Scottish Executive, and with a membership drawn alsofrom COSLA and the care sector, to find a long-term solution to the issue of carehome fees. The group’s recommendations, which run until 31 March 2005, were accepted, and have been met in full.

It is for local commissioners of care - local authorities and NHS boards - to determine what level of provision is required to meet local needs and to seek to secure an appropriate range of services.

Under the National Assistance Act 1948, the standard rate for accommodation in homes not managed by the local authority is the gross cost to the local authority of providing or purchasing the accommodation under a contract with the independent sector home.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-8660 on 23 June 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

All 32 local authorities in Scotland operate care homes. In addition, they place clients in care homes operated by independent sector providers.

At September 2003, local authorities in Scotland provided 272 care homes. This amounts to 17 per cent of the 1,576 care homes; and 16 per cent of the 43,125 care home places. However, local authorities account for around 38% of short-stay and respite care admissions to care homes. The table below shows the breakdown of care home numbers and places, by local authority area, for local authority run care homes.

Local Authority Area	No. of Care Homes	No. of Places
Aberdeen City	15	324
Aberdeenshire	19	367
Angus	6	154
Argyll and Bute	9	144
Clackmannanshire	2	52
Dumfries and Galloway	2	13
Dundee City	10	216
East Ayrshire	6	116
East Dunbartonshire	1	11
East Lothian	4	136
East Renfrewshire	1	34
Edinburgh, City of	29	730
Eilean Siar	14	178
Falkirk	7	178
Fife	12	371
Glasgow, City of	21	872
Highland	24	350
Inverclyde	3	66
Midlothian	3	131
Moray	1	4
North Ayrshire	8	142
North Lanarkshire	13	408
Orkney Islands	4	85
Perth and Kinross	4	145
Renfrewshire	8	244
Scottish Borders	7	213
Shetland Islands	4	62
South Ayrshire	6	112
South Lanarkshire	12	345
Stirling	4	79
West Dunbartonshire	8	227
West Lothian	5	159
Scotland	272	6,668

Source: SEHD SCHC Census.

I will only reach a decision on this important matter when I have fully considered all of the information available to me and all of the representations made to me.