Chamber and committees

Currently there are 1,014 active Scottish beekeepers with 8,769 colonies registered on BeeBase. All beekeepers in Scotland are encouraged to sign-up to this database to enable effective communications throughout the country.

The Scottish Government is also aware of the difficulties facing beekeepers at this time and is consulting with their stakeholders on the way forward.

<>The most recent update of the University of Sheffield alcohol pricing model was published in January 2012 and can be accessed at: http://www.shef.ac.uk/polopoly_fs/1.156503!/file/scotlandjan.pdf. This estimated that a total ban on off-trade discounting would result in a decrease in overall consumption of 3%. A total ban is assumed to prohibit all forms of price-based promotion, including straight discounting from list price in addition to quantity discounts.

The ban implemented in the Alcohol etc. (Scotland) Act 2010 relates to a quantity discount ban only. Due to unavailability of data, it is not possible for the University of Sheffield to estimate the impact on consumption of the quantity discount ban alone.

The question does not state the source for the 1% figure quoted, however it is possible that this is taken from A Preliminary descriptive analysis of the impact of the quantity discount ban on off-trade alcohol sales in Scotland, published by NHS Health Scotland in June 2012: http://www.healthscotland.com/documents/5923.aspx. In this report 1% is the difference in the fall in sales between Scotland and England & Wales in the 33 weeks following the implementation of the ban. However, the report does not attribute the 1% to be the overall impact of the ban. The authors conclude that a longer time series of data and more detailed analyses are required to provide a robust evaluation of the quantity discount ban’s specific impact on alcohol sales in Scotland.

NHS Health Scotland is due to publish this detailed analysis in the coming months. It should be noted however, that as the Sheffield model estimates the impact of a total discount ban while Health Scotland look at the impact of the discount ban, direct comparisons between estimates remain invalid.

The Nutritional Requirements for Food and Drink in Schools (Scotland) Regulations 2008 set strict food and nutrient standards for the provision of school food that, as far as possible, mitigates against the presence of industrially produced trans fatty acids in school meals and food served throughout the school day.

The regulations specify strict criteria and limits in relation to the inclusion of processed foods, including products that are deep fried in the manufacturing process.

The regulations specify that only oils and fat spreads high in polyunsaturated and/or monounsaturated fats can be used in food preparation. Such oils and fats are low in trans fatty acids.

The Scottish Government continues to keep the use of industrial trans fatty acids in Scotland under review, using the latest evidence to inform policy decisions. The member may wish to refer to the answer to question S4W-13972 on 18 April 2013 for further information on this issue.

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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The Scottish Government continues to keep the use of industrial trans fatty acids in Scotland under review, using the latest evidence to inform policy.

The most recent National Diet and Nutrition Survey shows that consumption of total trans fatty acids is considerably below the maximum level of 2.0% of food energy recommended by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition for all age groups and is currently estimated to be, on average, 0.8%.

With low income consumers in mind, the Food Standards Agency in Scotland (FSAS) is currently investigating whether takeaway foods, purchased in the most deprived areas of Glasgow, contain high levels of trans fatty acids. The survey report is currently under peer review and will be published later this Spring.

All prisoners with sentences of five months or fewer retain any registration they hold with their community General Practice and are registered as temporary residents with the prison healthcare centre.

 

All prisoners with a sentence of six months or more are registered permanently with the prison health centre and de-registered from their community General Practice. This allows the prisoner’s clinical record to flow in and out of the community as well as the prison estate providing continuity of healthcare, access to any emergency care summary and reduces clinical risk to the prisoner by maintaining a complete, accurate and up to date record of the prisoner’s health. Upon release prisoners are required to re-register with their community General Practice.

 

The process of re-registration is encouraged and assisted by prison healthcare staff and others involved in the prisoner’s liberation and through care planning. Guidance has been issued by Practitioner Services Division, National Services Scotland to General Practices on the re-registration of liberated prisoners.

Local authorities have a statutory duty under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to provide voluntary throughcare which consists of advice guidance and assistance to people who request such a service within 12 months of their release from custody, including those released following an appeal against conviction and/or sentence.

Further to this, the Miscarriage of Justice Organisation for Scotland, (MOJOS), has received Scottish Government funding under Section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 since 1 April 2005. The funding for 2013-14 is £62,700.

The grant funds MOJOS to provide a one-stop service to assist clients and their families to gain access to benefits, housing, health services, and to provide access to counselling, reintegration and financial advice. Priority is given to supporting individuals who have had their case referred to the High Court by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission; individuals released by the High Court following such a referral; and individuals coming from other UK jurisdictions in similar circumstances who intend to settle in Scotland.

There are currently no plans in Scotland to implement the pupil premium available to service families in England. The Scottish Government has a strong legislative and policy framework to address the wide ranging causes of educational disadvantage.

The principle of additional support needs which underpins the system for supporting children and young people in their school education in Scotland is much broader than the focus on special educational needs in place in England. The current legislation and updated Code of Practice supporting children's learning recognises that children or young people may require additional support, long or short term, for a variety of reasons including if they have experienced a bereavement, have interrupted learning (for example if their family is subject to regular moves).

Under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 local authorities have a duty to provide adequate and efficient provision of school education for all children residing in their local area. It is for local authorities to determine how they accommodate a request for a school place for a child of a Service family.

This fund is available across the UK.

The Military Scholarships applies to all bereaved children across the UK (of personnel who have died in service) to enable them to complete further and higher education studies.