Chamber and committees

Legislation on the provision and operation of crematoria in Scotland is set out in the 1902 and 1952 Crematorium Acts and the Cremation (Scotland) Regulations 1935. Under these acts, local authorities have responsibilities for authorising any new crematoria.

The Water Industry Hardship Fund was established to assist organisations that are not eligible to be exempted from water and sewerage charges under the Water and Sewerage Charges (Exemption) (Scotland) Regulations 2002, but which can demonstrate that they are suffering hardship as a result of having relief on their water and sewerage charges withdrawn. The fund is administered on behalf of the Scottish Executive by the Scottish Community Foundation.I cannot comment on whether individual cases, such as South Lanarkshire Volunteering Enterprise, will qualify for assistance under the hardship fund. This is a matter for Scottish Community Foundation who administer the fund on behalf of the Scottish Executive.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-34133 today. 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/webapp/search_wa. We do not hold information on the percentage of registered charities that might qualify for assistance from the Water Industry Hardship Fund.

The aim of the Scottish Executive's support for credit unions is to remove barriers to credit union growth and ensure credit unions have access to support and development services. To date, the Executive's funding is providing support through compliance training, health checks and business planning. Funding has also been provided for capacity building that will help credit unions to extend their membership and the services they offer. We are currently monitoring the outcomes of the Executive's investment. To inform the next phase of the Executive's work, we have funded the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations to carry out research on credit union IT capacity. This has been made available to the Scottish Credit Union Partnership. Executive funded research will begin shortly looking at volunteer training needs with a summary of research findings to be published in the Scottish Executive Social Research Series at www.scotland.gov.uk/socialresearch in June 2003.A Community Banking initiative currently exists in Wester Hailes. This was originally supported with a Pathfinder grant from the Scottish Executive. Communities Scotland is currently undertaking an evaluation of this model which will look at the potential of replicating it in other areas. Communities Scotland is currently supporting Capital City Partnership's Edinburgh-wide financial inclusion strategy which aims to co-ordinate financial inclusion work across Edinburgh's Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIP). Part of this support funds the production of a baseline study which will establish the nature and scale of financial exclusion in Edinburgh SIPs and help develop local solutions In the North and East of Scotland, Communities Scotland is supporting a consortium of housing associations who are currently undertaking a feasibility study to inform the development of a joint financial inclusion project. This will include looking to identify the demand for a community banking facility.

These are reserved matters, although the Scottish Executive is closely involved in the government response. It is not government policy to disclose details of security measures taken in response to existing or new threats.

An interim Judicial Factor has been appointed to manage the affairs of Facilitate (Scotland). If a decision were made to close the charity, then any closure would have to be made in an orderly fashion. The Scottish Charities Office has already made the Factor aware of the need to consider the requirements of Facilitate's existing clients and telephone helpline service. In the meantime, the Executive has contacted Greater Glasgow NHS Board, Samaritans and Childline Scotland, and these organisations are currently considering what support they are able to offer Facilitate's clients.

The main programmes to tackle fuel poverty in Scotland, the central heating programme and the Warm Deal, have been widely publicised. All local authorities and housing associations know of them and are taking part, if eligible. Eaga manage the programmes for the private sector and they have been active in promoting them among homeowners, landlords and tenants. We will continue to promote the programmes, as will Eaga. There will be further promotion of ways to tackle fuel poverty when the Executive publishes its statement on how it intends to meet the duty placed on it by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that persons do not live in fuel poverty. We are currently consulting on the terms of the statement and there will be an announcement in the summer.

The current estimate of the number of fuel poor households across Scotland was made from data collected for the 1996 Scottish House Condition Survey. That estimate will be revised using data from the 2002 House Condition Survey and will be revised again following future surveys. We are currently considering, with local authorities, whether estimates might be made of the number of fuel poor households in each local authority area.

Fuel poverty is most prevalent among those on low incomes, particularly the elderly and those dependent on state benefit. The Executive is targeting fuel poverty among those groups through the central heating programme and the Warm Deal; stock transfer from local authorities to new community landlords, and capital allocations to local authorities. These programmes complement policies from Westminster to help low income households through the tax and benefit system, and to exert a downward pressure on fuel prices through competition and regulation.We have also issued a consultation paper on how the Executive might best meet the duty placed on it by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 to ensure, as far as is reasonably practicable, that persons do not live in fuel poverty. The responses to the paper will help us consider how measures might best be targeted in the longer term.

We are continually looking at ways to protect vulnerable children and young people.The current review of child protection is due to report in the summer and is expected to make recommendations to assist in reducing abuse and neglect, as well as improving services for abused children. Legislation will be introduced in the autumn, to establish an Index of Adults Unsuitable to Work with Children.