Chamber and committees

The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 came into force in April 2005. Part three of the act; Fire Safety and The Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 only came into force in October 2006 and guidance for this sector was issued in October 2007. Fire and rescue authorities who are the enforcing authorities are currently in the process of implementing this new regime across Scotland. A commitment to undertake an evaluation of the impact of this new risk-based fire safety regime for non-domestic premises has been given and this work will be initiated once the new arrangements have had time to bed in.

The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 came into force in April 2005. Supporting regulations for part 3 of the act, The Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006, came into force in October 2006 and guidance has been developed and issued progressively culminating with the publication of Practical Fire safety Guidance for Healthcare Premises in January 2008. As this is new legislation which is currently bedding in, no review of the Act has been undertaken and we have no plans to commission one at this time. However, under section 40 of the act, Scottish ministers are required to prepare a Fire and Rescue Framework for Scotland and keep the document under review. In my answer to S3W-7926 on 18 December 2007, I confirmed that we are working with the fire and rescue authorities and the unions to review the existing framework. This work is progressing well and will in due course set out agreed priorities and objectives for fire and rescue authorities in a manner consistent with the government''s new partnership with local government.

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/wa.search.

The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 enabled a new safety regime to be introduced for all premises in Scotland, with the exception of private dwellings, based upon risk assessment and fire prevention and mitigation measures. The regime was also designed to be better understood and administered by businesses and relevant enforcement agencies. The new fire safety regime was implemented by the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 which came into force in October 2006. As in normal practice, the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 were informed by a regulatory impact assessment which assessed the cost and benefits of different implementation options on the various sectors affected, including the small businesses such as bead and breakfast establishments. Regulatory impact assessment 2003/56 is available at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/917/0041374.pdf.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3O-3984 on 4 September 2008, which is available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-08/sor0904-02.htm#Col10526.

The detailed information requested is currently being collated and I will write to the member as soon as the information is available and a copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 46544).

The Care Commission does not regulate sheltered housing as such. It has however regulated services provided to people living in sheltered housing complexes since 1 April 2003. The National Care Standards for Housing Support Services set out what service users can expect from their service provider.

The Scottish Executive has, since April 2002, routinely published information on Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) recoveries, payments and accepted offers. Details of the 24 accepted offers published in the latest RSA quarterly report can be found in the report section of the innovation and investment grants website at www.scottishbusinessgrants.gov.uk.

The Scottish Government recognises the valuable contribution made by Scotland''s mountain rescue teams to the safety and wellbeing of the public. The voluntary service provided by team members ensures that many thousands of people can participate in outdoor activities safe in the knowledge that expert assistance is at hand should the need arise.

The Scottish Government is committed to providing substantial levels of support to our mountain rescue service and funds totalling £300,000 will be provided to the mountain rescue committee of Scotland during 2008-09. We have no immediate plans to review the present funding arrangements.

The number of installations undertaken by main postcode area in the private sector, as notified by the managing agents, Scottish Gas and Eaga Partnership, is shown in the following table:

Area	2006-07	2007-08
AB	581	983
DD	537	893
DG	335	460
EH	1,136	1,693
FK	418	675
G	3,194	3,967
HS	224	103
IV	306	406
KA	802	1,248
KW	66	110
KY	529	884
ML	883	1,326
PA	771	1,046
PH	214	343
TD	184	219
ZE	58	22
Total	10,238	14,377

Notes:

1. The managing agent contract transferred from Eaga Partnership to Scottish Gas during 2006-07, so the figure for 2006-07 includes installations undertaken by both.

2. The figure for 2007-08 includes 172 installations undertaken in the private sector by local authorities, in addition to those undertaken by Scottish Gas.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-12300 on 6 May 2008. 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/wa.search. comm