Chamber and committees

Age Concern Scotland

Apex Scotland

Association of Chief Police Officers

Association of Directors of Social Work

Association of Scottish Police Superintendents

British Association of Social Workers

Community and District Nursing Association

Enable

Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland

NHS Health Scotland

Office of the Public Guardian

Scottish Association for Mental Health

Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care

Scottish Consortium for Learning Disability

Scottish Law Commission

Vulnerable Adults Alliance Scotland.

The first steering group meeting will be held on 14 September, when members will be invited to consider the need for additional representation. Other existing groups, including The same as you? National Implementation Group and the Autism Spectrum Disorder Reference Group will also contribute to the development of policy in this area.

Hospital Closure, 2

Employment, 3

(Both groups completed theirwork in December 2003.)

Advocacy, 4

Children, 3

Day services, 2.

Members who represent voluntaryorganisations on the groups may also have personal experience of caring for a personwith learning disabilities. All group members who have a learning disability aresupported at meetings by support workers from the organisations they represent.

In addition to actual representationon the groups, many people who use services, carers, and parents contribute to thework of the groups through a variety of means, such as workshops, conferences orquestionnaires.

www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/gaestats.

Grant Aided Expenditure is funded by a combination of central government funding through Aggregate External Finance and funding raised by local authorities including council tax revenue. Local authorities are free to spend above or below the Grant Aided Expenditure level, according to their own priorities. The money that local authorities receive through Aggregate External Finance is, in the main, provided by way of a block grant and is not allocated to specific services. Grant Aided Expenditure is allocated to individual local authorities on the basis of a needs-based distribution formula agreed with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

Information on local authority spend on services for people with autistic spectrum disorders is not detailed separately from spend on services for people with learning disabilities. Spend on community care services for adults aged 18 to 64 with learning disabilities is detailed by local authority in the table.

Source: LFR 3 returns.

Notes:

1. Figures prior to 2002-03 exclude home care.

2. North Lanarkshire – high increase in 2003-04 due to change in the council’s treatment of Supporting People income and expenditure.

 Hold open board meetings where practical;

·        Hold annual open meetings;

·        Make publicly available summary reports and/or minutes of meetings;

·        Consult and take evidence from stakeholders;

·        Publish annual reports and accounts, and

·        Make effective use of the internet.

In addition, bodies are also subject to the requirements of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act, and a wide range of information is available as part of the Scottish Executive’s Publication Scheme.

Under the Regulation of Care(Scotland) Act 2001 and its associated regulations, those service providers whoare deemed to be registered with the Care Commission will continue to be deemedto be registered until an appeal is decided. Supporting People funding shouldnot therefore be withdrawn in those circumstances, ahead of a decision on theappeal.