Chamber and committees

There are no plans to consider using Dunbar Hospital in Thurso as a hub for telemedicine.

The difficult decisions colleges, including those serving the Highlands and Islands, are now being obliged to take to balance their own budgets for next year derive directly from Westminster''s cut of £1.3 billion in the Scottish block grant. We have asked colleges to proceed in a way which minimises impact on the learner and which avoids, wherever possible, compulsory redundancies.

Ministers were delighted to see the University of the Highlands and Islands gain university status and look forward, despite the challenges of next year''s budget reductions, to seeing the institution flourish.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3O-12065 on 25 November 2010. The answer to the oral parliamentary question is available on the Parliaments website, the official report can be viewed at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-10/sor1125-02.htm#Col30895.

Scotland''s Offshore Wind Route Map and the Marine Energy Road Map identify the key actions that the Scottish Government and other key renewable industry stakeholders are currently taking forward so that Scotland can reap the maximum benefit from offshore renewable energy.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-37234 on 11 November 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Pentland Housing Association has been allocated a budget of £770,000 to spend on affordable housing this financial year. The association decided to allocate £10,000 of this budget to fund adaptations to its housing stock. Demand for adaptations has exceeded the association''s initial forecasts and an additional £10,000 of housing investment funding has been awarded to Pentland Housing Association specifically for adaptations.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-37234 on 11 November 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The importance of play in childhood development is supported by a robust body of research and we believe that playgroups have an important role to play. This is reflected in the Early Years Framework, which was developed by the Scottish Government, COSLA and a wide range of key stakeholders. We have ongoing dialogue with COSLA, with local authorities and their community planning partners on implementation of the framework.

It is up to local authorities to work with their partners in the private and voluntary sectors to provide play-based services to meet the needs of local communities. There is no direct or ring-fenced funding of playgroups by the Scottish Government and we have no plans to undertake an audit of local funding. The Care Commission inspects playgroups which provide services for over two hours a day and for six days or more each year under the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act (2001).

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-37097 on 3 November 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

We have allocated some £7.5 million to the Community and Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES) this financial year which will support around 300 projects. Increased funding pressures, alongside the introduction of the feed in tariff and (forthcoming) renewable heat incentive at a UK level, suggest that future support for community renewables may need to be revised. In this context, we have already published an initial business case for a pre-planning loan fund to be used by community groups and landowners to finance renewable energy projects. This report is published at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/10/01105500/0.

Ministers will be considering support for community renewables, including the loan fund proposal, under the spending review process.

In the meantime, Community Energy Scotland, our contractor for CARES, will continue to support projects already in the system, as well as offer free and independent advice to communities interested in developing their own local renewables projects.