Chamber and committees

Information on the number of intensive care beds per 100 other acute beds, and per 100 long stay beds by health board area for the years ending 31 March 1998 and 1999 is given in the table. Comparable figures for March 1997 are not available due to recording classification changes.NHS In Scotland¹: Intensive Care Unit Beds Per 100 Other Acute² and 100 Long Stay³ Beds By Health Board Area: Years Ending 31 March 1998 And 1999

Health Board	Per 100 Other Acute2 Beds		Per 100 Long Stay Beds3
	1998	1999	1998	1999
Argyll and Clyde	0.6	0.6	1.0	1.1
Ayrshire and Arran	1.3	1.6	3.6	4.4
Borders	1.2	1.3	3.2	3.5
Dumfries and Galloway	1.4	1.6	3.1	3.7
Fife	1.5	1.5	3.0	3.1
Forth Valley	1.1	1.2	1.6	2.0
Grampian	0.7	0.8	2.0	2.7
Greater Glasgow	1.2	1.2	3.3	3.8
Highland	0.8	0.8	4.1	4.2
Lanarkshire	1.0	1.0	2.3	2.5
Lothian	1.4	1.5	4.4	4.9
Orkney	-	-	-	-
Shetland	-	-	-	-
Tayside	0.8	0.9	2.7	2.9
Western Isles	-	-	-	-
Scotland	1.0	1.1	2.7	3.1

Source: ISD Scotland.

Notes:

1. Includes NHS beds in joint-user and contractual hospitals.

2. Comprises all specialties excluding the following: obstetrics, neonatal, psychiatric, learning disabilities, geriatric long stay, younger physically disabled and geriatric assessment.

3. Comprises geriatric long stay and younger physically disabled.

The information requested is not held centrally. Most projects addressing offending behaviour are funded by local authorities or voluntary organisations to reflect local need and circumstances.

However, the Executive announced on 9 June an additional £3 million in the current year for local authorities to develop mainstream projects to deal with offending behaviour among young people as effective alternatives to custody. The Executive intends to increase this provision in future years as part of its action plan on youth crime.

Virtually all environment capital grants and loans provision accrues to the water authorities in the form of external finance limits (EFLs). Scottish Natural Heritage and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency receive £4.8 million in capital grants each year. Total environment expenditure includes provision also for current expenditure for SNH and SEPA and provision for Research and Sustainable Action. The provision for water authorities as a proportion of total environment expenditure is given in monetary and percentage terms in the following table:

Water Authority		1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02
	£ million
West of Scotland	Provision	95.4	81.0	82.0
	% of Env Total	34%	30%	28%
East of Scotland	Provision	80.5	66.0	66.0
	% of Env Total	29%	24%	23%
North of Scotland	Provision	46.0	55.0	70.0
	% of Env Total	16%	20%	24%
Funds for inward investment			7.0	5.4
Total Water Authorities	Provision	221.9*	209.0*	223.4
	% of Env Total	79%	77%	77%
Total Environment Budget		281.3	270.1	292.0

* At water authorities' request, £15 million was brought forward in 1999-2000 from provision for 2000-01 to accommodate fluctuations in their capital expenditure programmes.

Greater Glasgow Health Board has maintained a steady rise in total and per capita revenue expenditure over the last five years.

Greater Glasgow Health Board	1995-96	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000
	000's	000's	000's	000's	000's
Base Population	896.3	907.0	902.4	902.3	902.3
Revenue Expenditure	£802,648	£823,760	£849,122	£875,474	£920,978
Revenue Per Capita Expenditure	£896	£908	£941	£970	£1,021

The figures for 1999-2000 have been provided by Greater Glasgow Health Board, they are unaudited figures and are therefore potentially subject to change.

The table below shows the figures for expenditure guidelines for 1999-2000 and 2000-01. Expenditure guidelines replaced capping limits in 1999-2000 and provide councils with a more transparent and a less restrictive indication of the level of council spending considered to be prudent. Expenditure guidelines are not directly comparable with capping limits, because a greater amount of what councils spend is taken into account within guidelines than was the case under capping limits.

EXPENDITURE GUIDELINES
Local Authority	1999-2000 £000	2000-01 £000
West Dunbartonshire
Cash	143,865	147,941
Real Terms	143,865	144,685
% Increase in Real Terms		0.57
East Dunbartonshire
Cash	126,915	130,182
Real Terms	126,915	127,317
% Increase in Real Terms		0.32

Notes:

1. Real term increases are based on GDP deflators at March 2000.

2. West Dunbartonshire guideline figure for 2000-01 includes allowance for the additional deprivation allocation.

I will consider carefully the issue raised and write directly to the member, placing copies of my reply in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

The emphasis which the Scottish Executive already places on ensuring courts have access to a wide range of alternatives to custody is clearly demonstrated in the increase in funding from £35.4 million in 1998-99 to the £44 million planned for 2001-02. The considerable extra investment which this represents is being directed at interventions which ensure that the courts have a wide range of options available. A number of new initiatives such as the Restriction of Liberty Order and the Drug Treatment and Testing Order are being piloted at present. These new community sentences plus the substantial additional resources being provided underline our commitment to provide and fund alternatives to custody.

In order to become a consultant in any specialty, a doctor must gain a place in the Specialist Registrar (SpR) grade and therefore gain their Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST). This period of training lasts at least five years.

The numbers of SpR posts are determined annually. Health boards are asked to forecast their consultant needs for the following five years, reflecting the health needs of the populations they serve and their plans for developing services. This information, as well as information from the Scottish Advisory Committee on the Medical Workforce (SACMW) and other interested parties is the basis of the decisions on SpR posts. The decisions for this year are contained in Management Executive Letter (MEL) (2000) 24 which was issued to the NHS on 28 April 2000.

The annual exercise provides the opportunity to establish new SpR posts in particular specialities. It should also be remembered that during their training period doctors are working within the NHS and are providing a valuable service, although they are not yet consultants. This year's exercise provided for increases in some of the shortage specialties.

The forum will, as a priority, review all aspects of the Record of Needs process, including the guidance set out in the SEN Manual of Good Practice.

The Scottish Legal Aid Board requires solicitors to indicate on an application for civil legal aid whether there are any other interested parties in the case. The board then associates any applications from such parties and ensures that they are considered together. In the case of interdicts, there may be good reason why separate actions are necessary and this is matter of professional judgement by the solicitor acting for the parties.