Chamber and committees

The Members' Allowances Scheme provides for members whose main residence falls within certain constituencies to be eligible for an allowance of up to £9,446 (based on actual expenditure incurred) to cover costs associated with the rent or purchase of a property in Edinburgh. In accordance with the provisions of the scheme, members not automatically covered may apply to the SPCB to be considered for this allowance.

The information supplied by the member concerned to the SPCB related to travel times, workload and attendance requirements as a Business Manager. Exact details of the application, like any other application made by an individual member to the SPCB concerning matters personal to that member, are confidential between the SPCB and the member.

There is no requirement for tourist attractions to erect tourist signs. Where signs are proposed they must meet the specification of the relevant legislation. The legislation and associated guidance relating to the size, style and positioning of all road signs, including road signs for tourist attractions, are reserved. The Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DLTR) is currently consulting on amendments to the relevant secondary legislation, which is Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 1994. A copy of the consultation paper is on DTLR's website.

The Executive will continue to have constructive discussions with the UK Government on all issues which may impact on UK responsibilities.

Spending priorities are kept under regular review. These are normally run within the cycle of UK spending reviews. To maximise the output from a fixed budget it is essential that priorities are regularly scrutinised to ensure that they both meet identified needs and are affordable. We consult outside bodies on the budget using the Annual Expenditure Report and the Budget Roadshows. Departments run consultations on a range of issues as required.

In line with the recommendations of the Care Development Group, the Executive will adopt a definition of personal care which endorses that recommended by the Royal Commission and includes psychological support and counselling as follows:

Personal Hygiene

Bathing, showering, hair washing, shaving, oral hygiene, nail care.

Continence Management

Toileting, catheter/stoma care, skin care, incontinence laundry, bed changing.

Food and Diet

Assistance with eating and assistance with special diets. Assistance to manage different types of meal services. Assistance with preparation of food.

Problems of immobility

Dealing with the consequences of not being able to move.

Counselling and support

Behaviour management, psychological support, reminding devices and safety devices.

Simple treatments

Assistance with medication (including eye drops), application of creams and lotions, simple dressings, oxygen therapy.

Personal assistance

Assistance with dressings, surgical appliances, prostheses, mechanical and manual aids. Assistance to get up and to go to bed. Transfers including use of a hoist.

The Draft Budget Document published on 20 September sets out how the Executive plans to fund increases in the costs of the Parliament up to 2003-04. The increase will be met from the Reserve.

Where proposals represent value for money and proceed to transfer, the arrangements for dealing with any residual housing debt, are as follows:

• the receipt from the transfer should be used to repay breakage costs associated with early debt repayment
• where the receipt is greater than the breakage costs the balance should be used for repayment of debt principal
• where the receipt is less than breakage costs the Executive will make additional resources available to cover the shortfall

HM Treasury will make a one-off payment to cover the outstanding Public Works Loan Board debt principal.

I announced on 21 March the formation of a Standing Committee, under the chairmanship of Sir John Arbuthnott, to keep both the formula for the allocation of resources to NHSScotland and the information used to support the formula under review.

To date the committee has met twice but has not yet reached any conclusions on the matters it is considering and therefore has neither reported to me nor made any recommendations to me. However, I understand, that one of the issues discussed at the committee's meeting earlier this month was how the work of the committee could be made public and it was agreed that the Scottish Health on the Web (SHOW) website would be the most suitable vehicle for this purpose. The committee will therefore be publishing a newsletter, outlining its work, on SHOW, in due course.

Expenditure on administering the Scottish Executive is subject to the same rigorous scrutiny and control as other areas of the budget. Details of the target to contain spending on the administration by the Scottish Executive relative to the total Scottish budget are presented annually to Parliament in the supporting budget documents which accompany the Budget Bill. The latest figures for 2001-02 and the plans for future years show that total spending on administration as a proportion of the total budget is about 1%, the same as in 1997-98.

The total local government settlement allocations for the current financial year have been allocated in full as part of the overall three-year settlements for 2001-02 to 2003-04. The Minister for Environment and Rural Development announced on 10 May additional financial support of up to £2 million to assist Dumfries and Galloway Council in responding to foot-and-mouth disease. Additional financial support for any new burdens that arise during the settlement period is being discussed on a collective basis with local authorities through CoSLA.