Chamber and committees

The allocation under the “Children and families” category will support our Partnership Agreement commitments to invest in and reform children’s services through the delivery of a package of integrated policies and funding programmes. These include the integrated children’s services agenda, the child protection reform programme, children’s rights and support for the voluntary sector. Policies and programmes will be delivered in partnership with local authorities, NHS boards, the voluntary sector and other planning and delivery partners.

We intend to distribute the Strategic Waste Fund to local authorities to prevent waste arisings, to improve recycling and composting facilities, to invest in infrastructure to divert waste away from landfill and to support education and awareness campaigns.

The “Miscellaneous other Health Services” line in table 5.05 covers expenditure on the following areas:

National Professional Advisory Committee;

NHS helpline;

Scottish Cancer Group;

Legal expenses of haemophiliacs with HIV/Hepatitis C;

Hepatitis C Ex-gratia Payment Scheme;

British Standards Institute;

Infant feeding survey;

Misuse of drugs tribunal;

Tribunal and appeal hearings;

Radiological protection;

Scottish Health Survey;

International co-operation;

Medicines and related products testing;

Property and Environment Forum;

Consultancy services;

Stationery and printing;

Committees and conferences;

Payments to the Office of National Statistics;

Cost of collection for National Insurance contributions;

Emergency planning, and

Scottish Partnership for palliative care.

We intend to use these resources on a grant scheme for local authorities to clean up contaminated land and on initiatives which help to deliver the National Waste Plan. These initiatives relate to the development of markets for recycled products, waste prevention, waste awareness, business resource efficiency, support for the community recycling sector and Eco-Schools.

2005-06 is the first full-year of three initiatives which are funded through the International Relations spending category. These are: the promotion of Scotland’s International Image (£4 million per year); the campaign to attract Fresh Talent to Scotland (£1.7 million per year), and the Executive’s support for Scotland’s contribution to international development (£3 million per year).

In 2007-08 the level 3 Offender Services budget will be used to fund various alternatives to custody, including community-based supervision of offenders provided by local authority criminal justice social work services.  Principal areas of expenditure are: addiction services, arrest referral, bail information and supervision schemes,  community reparation orders, community service, court services, deferred sentences, diversion from prosecution, behavioural programmes addressing domestic violence and sex offending, drug and youth court pilots, drug treatment and testing orders plus a range of initiatives aimed at tackling drug-related crime, post-release supervision, probation, restriction of liberty orders (electronic tagging), supervised attendance orders, social enquiry reports, support programmes, supported accommodation for offenders, throughcare, and the Glasgow timeout facility.

It is standard practice for the Justice Finance Team to provide the two Justice Committees with a full breakdown of the Justice Budget to level 4 to assist the committees in their consideration of the Justice Budget. Arrangements are already in hand for this information to be forwarded to the Justice Committees for this year’s budget process. A copy of this information will be forwarded to Mr Brownlee when it issues shortly.

The “Health Improvement” line in table 5.06 covers expenditure on the following areas:

Health improvement-general;

Demonstration projects and learning;

Healthy eating;

Alcohol abuse;

Physical activity;

Health improvement-community;

Screening and surveillance;

Workplace health improvement;

Healthy eating in schools;

Glasgow Centre for population health, and

Public health.

A total of £11 million has been expressly identified for GP IT support within allocations to health boards for 2005-6. There has been no identification of specific funds for 2006-07 or 2007-08. This funding is included within the “Total available for NHS and Special Health Boards” line in table 5.03 of the Draft Budget 2006-07.

Funding for Integrated Community Schools is made available to local authorities through the National Priorities Action Fund which supports a number of programmes of activity around various ministerial priorities. As outlined in my response to questions S2W-18954 (answered 13 September 2005), local authorities have the flexibility to target the gross allocation made available through the fund in ways which best suit their local community and circumstances.

Revenue funding for Information Technology (eHealth) of £35.3-£65.3 million and £100.3 million for 2005-06 to 2007-08 respectively is shown in table 5.03 of the Draft Budget 2006-07. Our eHealth strategy includes the development of single electronic patient record system and we are currently investigating a range of options for the delivery of such a system. Depending on the outcome of that investigation appropriate allocations will be made to the single record project as well as to a broad range of infrastructure projects, such as improved communications networks and access to workstations which are required to support it. It is expected that there will be a continuing need for local health board as well as central funds to support the achievement of our strategy. Funding for equipment will also be available from within the capital line which is also shown in table 5.03.