Chamber and committees

Sections 2, 3 and 6 of the Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010 come into force on 1 October 2011.

To support the efforts of the trade to raise awareness the Scottish Government has issued guidance, displayed information on its website and drawn media attention to the changes.

There are no current plans to bring Part 2 of the Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010 into force.

The Scottish Government has been clear that the Social Responsibility Levy will not be brought into effect until the economic circumstances are right.

The level of sickness for the Care Commission and the Care Inspectorate since August 2009 can be found respectively in Table 1 and Table 2:

Care Commission – Table 1

Care Inspectorate – Table 2

Notes:

*Percentage of the total working days available in the quarter that were taken as sick days that is the total sickness absence as a percentage of the total days due to be worked.

**These figures are not for the whole of Q2 since they do not include September 2011. Absence is reported one month in arrears and therefore these figures will not be available until October 2011.

Inspector staff at the former Social Care and Social Work Inspection Agency (SWIA) who were employed under the Scottish Government pay and grading framework were graded at band C. The level of sickness absence for C band staff working for SWIA up until 31 March 2011 is shown in Table 3. The figures include a small number of C band staff in non-inspection roles. Disaggregated figures for SWIA staff in this band are not available. In addition to C band staff directly employed by SWIA, a number of SWIA inspectors worked on a fee paid basis and due to their employment status their sickness absence was not recorded

Social Work Inspection Agency (SWIA) – Table 3

Note: *Percentage of the total working days available in the 12-month period that were taken as sick days, that is the total sickness absence as a percentage of the total days due to be worked.

The Care Inspectorate as previously the Care Commission reports absence statistics on a quarterly basis, whilst the Scottish Government reports sickness absence on a rolling 12-month basis in line with Cabinet Office guidelines. The different approach to the recording and reporting of staff sickness absence has been reflected in our response.

Section 5 of the Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010 comes into force on 1 October 2010.

The Scottish Government has drawn the attention of alcohol retailers to guidance on the changes required.

Yes. The Scottish Government has contributed funding of £69,000 to enable Scotland to participate in the one year, UK-wide audit of asthma deaths, which will begin in February 2012.

The aim of the project, the first of its kind to cover the whole of the UK, is to understand why people die from asthma so that lessons can be learnt and recommendations made to help prevent future deaths from asthma.

The following table details the number of students obtaining a first degree in engineering or technology at Scottish higher education institutions (HEIs). Information is not yet available for those who qualified in the academic year 2010-11.

Table 1: Students Obtaining a First Degree in Engineering or Technology at Scottish HEIs: 2006-07 to 2009-10

Source: Scottish Funding Council.

Note: The table includes students obtaining a qualification in a combination of subjects, at least one of which was an Engineering or Technology subject.

The latest UK data on trans fat intakes is from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) years 1&2 (combined) report (2008-09 to 2009-10), published earlier this year. I have supplied a link to the full document:

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_128166.

NDNS shows that mean trans fat intakes were 0.8% of food energy in adults aged 19 to 64 years, 0.9% of food energy in older adults aged 65 years and over, and 0.7-0.8% of food energy in children. Intakes at the upper 2.5th percentile were 1.4% of food energy for adults aged 19 to 64 years, 1.7% of food energy for adults aged 65 years and over and 1.2-1.3% of food energy for children. Mean intakes are now below 1% of food energy in all age/sex groups and intakes at the upper 2.5th percentile are below 2% of food energy (the DRV) in all age/sex groups.

Both the market leading companies have third party suppliers providing additional functionality. The accreditation arrangements for third party suppliers to EMIS (Egton Medical Information Systems) and INPS (In Practice Systems) are similar to those previously operated by GPASS (Global Practice Administration System for Scotland).

The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) appraises all newly licensed medicines and issues advice to NHS boards on their clinical and cost-effectiveness. The SMC operates independently from the Scottish Government.

NHS boards and Clinicians are expected to take full account of advice from the Scottish Medicines Consortium and Healthcare Improvement Scotland in the planning and provision of NHS services.

Guidance was issued to NHS boards on 17 May 2010 under cover of CEL 17 (2010 regarding the introduction and availability of newly licensed medicines in the NHS in Scotland. The guidance is available at: http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2010_17.pdf.

In aligning their policies to the framework, NHS boards are expected to achieve consistency of approach to the introduction of newly licensed medicines across NHSScotland.

Guidance was issued to NHS boards on 17 May 2010 under cover of CEL 17 (2010) regarding the introduction and availability of newly licensed medicines in the NHS in Scotland. The guidance is available at: http://www.sehd.scot.nhs.uk/mels/CEL2010_17.pdf.