Chamber and committees

We are working closely with representativefarming organisations to ensure that regulation focuses on real problems and thatit is fair and proportionate and realistic.

In the last full financialyear, 2005-2006, in excess of £1.4 million was spent on the A87 trunk road. Thisis in addition to substantial sums spent on winter maintenance, grass cuttingand other maintenance, which are not allocated to specific routes.

There is evidence that biosecuritystandards within the livestock industry generally have declined in recent yearsand the draft order is intended to improve biosecurity at animal gatherings. Anyoccasion when animals are brought together from different sources brings a degreeof animal disease risk, hence the importance to biosecurity of clear periods beforeand after such events.

I cannot yet give precise detailsof how we will achieve the difficult balances between what is our ideal positionand what is practical, achievable and proportionate but we will include in revisedproposals the option for farmers who let out their land for agricultural shows tochoose either to observe a 27 day post show clear period, or to restock the landafter the event, with animals moved back on to the area used for the show beingsubject to a 13 day standstill.

I am also aware that there appearsto be a degree of misunderstanding about the role of the biosecurity officer atshows. This person will not be expected to have undertaken training nor indeed carryany legal responsibility but will, if contacted, be required to satisfy the relevantauthorities on a range of matters associated with running the show in compliancewith the licence conditions.

Officials will now clarify anumber of matters arising from the consultation and develop revised proposals andassociated guidance for further consultation in due course.

We have asked NHS Highland tosubmit a plan to show how it will reduce waits for orthodontics and achieve a maximumwaiting time of 26 weeks by 2007-08.

In the meantime, we have providedan additional £250,000 in capital and £60,000 in revenue funding to help Highlandreduce orthodontic waiting times during the current financial year, and I understandthat NHS Highland expect to increase treatment lists through expanding physicalcapacity and appointing a locum consultant from 15 February 2007.

Article 30(7) of EU Regulation1/2005 states that “Member States may continue to apply the current national provisionsconcerning transport of animals within their outermost regions”. The Highlands andIslands is not one of the seven “outermost regions” recognised by the EU. Therefore,there are no grounds on which a derogation could be sought. In addition the existingWelfare of Animals (Transport) Order 1997 makes no special provisions for the Highlands andIslands. The majority of the animal welfare requirements which farmers and croftersrequire to meet remain the same.

‎While there has been somedelay in the delivery of this year’s flu vaccine, NHS boards are expected to receivetheir full vaccine orders. In Scotland we will be receiving 1.3 million doses offlu vaccine this year, 200,000 ‎more doses than last year. Over 84% of theflu vaccine has now been delivered in Scotland and this will rise to over ‎‎99%by the end of December 2006. This will ensure that all priority groups includingthose aged 65 and over, ‎and people with a chronic medical condition willreceive their flu jabs.

Strenuous efforts have been madeby key stakeholders including flu vaccine manufacturers, community pharmacists andNHSScotland to coordinate the distribution of influenza vaccine to minimise theeffect of any delay in supply. Individual GP practices have been asked to liaiseclosely with community pharmacists to ensure that they have sufficient stock ofvaccine before scheduling patients for immunisation clinics. Information on thedelay in supplies, and the measures that could be taken to deal with that delay,has been made available to NHS Scotland from June.

In addition, guidance issuedby the Scottish Executive to the NHS in Scotland to spread orders among several manufacturers was implementedfrom last year to reduce any potential risk of influenza vaccine being unavailablefrom an individual manufacturer, and spread the risk should problems in the supplychain occur.

The Vaccine Supply MonitoringGroup, an expert group chaired by a Consultant in ‎Pharmaceutical Public Health,is continually monitoring the situation to establish the vaccine supply ‎positionin NHS boards.

the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is pleased to announce that it hasreceived notice from Bòrd na Gàidhlig that is required to draw up a Gaeliclanguage plan in accordance with section 3 of the Gaelic Language (Scotland)Act 2005 no later than 1 October 2007. A group of officials has been established to takeforward the development of the plan and to draw up proposals for a consultationprocess. This group will be having an initial meeting with Bòrd na Gàidhlig inDecember. The group’s recommendations will be considered by SPCB in due course

The SPCB has provided the following translation:

Tha Buidheann ChorporraPàrlamaid na h-Alba toilichte ainmeachadh gu bheil i air fios reachdail fhaighinnbho Bhòrd na Gàidhlig gum feum i plana Gàidhlig ullachadh a rèir earrainn 3 de dh’Achd na Gàidhlig(Alba) 2005 ro 1 Dàmhair 2007. Thathar air buidheann de luchd-obrach astèidheachadh gus am plana, agus molaidhean airson obair co-chomhairleachaidh air a phlana, a thoirt air adhart. Bidh a’ bhuidheann seo a’coinneachadh ri Bòrd na Gàidhlig airson a’ chiad turais san Dùbhlachd. Thèidmolaidhean na buidhne a chur don SPCB anceann seala.

The following table shows thecost of providing Gaelic road signs in the Highlands in each financial yearsince 2002-03:

Financial Year	Amounts
2002-03	£50,000
2003-04	£370,000
2004-05	£360,000
2005-06	£191,500
2006-07 to date	£188,000

 

Transport Scotland has the operationalresponsibility for this area, and can be contacted for more information if required.

There is no information held centrally relating to the take-up rate of the single person’s council tax discountscheme. Information is however available relating to the current number of dwellings,as recorded on the valuation list, where the amount of council tax payable by theseproperties is subject to a 25% discount. The information by local authority areais reported in the following table.

	Total Number of Dwellings Subject to a 25% Discount1
Scotland	918,199
Aberdeen City	44,916
Aberdeenshire	30,029
Angus	19,287
Argyll and Bute	15,368
Clackmannanshire	8,432
Dumfries and Galloway	24,295
Dundee City	31,272
East Ayrshire	21,198
East Dunbartonshire	13,957
East Lothian	14,312
East Renfrewshire	11,699
Edinburgh, City of	95,529
Eilean Siar	4,871
Falkirk	25,279
Fife	63,142
Glasgow City	137,212
Highland	35,971
Inverclyde	15,351
Midlothian	11,236
Moray	13,482
North Ayrshire	25,546
North Lanarkshire	52,684
Orkney Islands	3,177
Perth and Kinross	21,597
Renfrewshire	31,171
Scottish Borders	18,712
Shetland Islands	3,354
South Ayrshire	18,556
South Lanarkshire	50,751
Stirling	12,795
West Dunbartonshire	17,629
West Lothian	25,389

Source: Council Tax Base (CTAXBASE)2006 return.

Note: 1: This is the number ofdwellings shown in the valuation list where the amount of council tax payable issubject to a 25% discount of council tax under the Local Government Finance Act1992.

Note that the figures in theabove table represent the number of dwellings subject to this discount as shownby the valuation list – not the actual take-up of the scheme.

The publication of informationon council tax discounts is a matter for local authorities themselves. The Executivealso provides a range of information at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/counciltax.