Chamber and committees

Twenty-nine of the 32 local authorities offer an organic waste collection from the kerbside. In addition, 13 local authorities collect food waste either with other organic waste or collected separately.

Preventing food waste, where possible, is the most environmentally sustainable approach. Prevention saves householders money and helps to reduce greenhouse gases associated with the production, transportation, storage and disposal of food.

Some food waste, however, is unavoidable, for example tea bags, fruit skins and vegetable peelings. Where possible, householders should compost these types of material at home. For households that cannot compost at home, or for the types of waste that it is recommended not to compost at home, such as chicken carcasses and cooked food waste, householders should utilise the food waste collection services where they are provided by local authorities.

All local authorities provide facilities at household waste recycling centres for householders to deposit organic garden waste, however some households may not be conveniently placed to utilise these facilities. At the present time no provision is made for the separate collection of food waste at these facilities.

It is the responsibility of each local authority to determine what collection systems are put in place. Food waste trials in Scotland have been supported by the Scottish Government in seven local authority areas. The Scottish Government is supporting councils who wish to introduce food waste collections with assistance from Remade Scotland, Waste Aware Scotland and Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP).

Seven employers in the three Ayrshire local authority areas have registered through the Adopt an Apprentice scheme. Across the scheme the majority of employers are in the construction sector and hundreds of redundant apprentices have now been placed with new employers.

Local Authority	No. of Employers
East Ayrshire	4
North Ayrshire	1
South Ayrshire	2
Total	7

 

Since the launch of Adopt an Apprentice scheme on 10 June 2009 information about the scheme has been made available through a number of newspaper articles at both national and local level. Information is also available on websites such as Skills Development Scotland http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/redundancy and the Scottish Government http://www.scotland.gov.uk/scotaction.

The Scottish Government continues to work with key partners to build on their communications mechanisms to promote the Adopt an Apprentice scheme to employers. We are working closely with sector skills councils, in particular ConstructionSkills, to promote this new scheme to employers and the Scottish Chambers of Commerce and the Alliance of Sector Skills Councils will shortly be circulating details of the Adopt an Apprentice scheme to their employers.

HM Treasury advises the Scottish Government from time to time of changes “ both up and down “ in the overall Scottish Block budget consequent on changes in Departmental spending totals in England and Wales affecting programmes that are included in the Barnett arrangements as comparable to Scotland. The source of these changes is a matter for the relevant Whitehall Departments and their ministers. Barnett consequentials accrue to the Scottish Block as a whole. Consequently, decisions about how the changes in overall budgets should be reflected in Scottish spending totals are matters for Scottish ministers. Scotland has received no Barnett consequentials in respect of funding for flood risk management in England and Wales since May 2007.

The Countryside Survey 2007, the most recent country-wide assessment of habitat extent, estimates the area of blanket bog in Scotland as 1.1m ha. This survey does not attempt to distinguish on a quantitative basis between areas in favourable and unfavourable condition.

Scottish Natural Heritage assesses the condition of features on designated sites on a cyclical basis. Recent monitoring indicated that the blanket bog on 64% of sites was in favourable or recovering condition, with the feature on 36% of sites being in unfavourable condition. However, continuing changes in management, including those supported through the Scottish Rural Development Programme should have improved that position.

Funding for peatland restoration is provided through the Scottish Rural Development Programme, with measures covering Rural Priority Options and their associated capital items like drainblocking. In addition Scottish Natural Heritage funds moorland projects through their Natural Care scheme.

The Scottish Flood Forum (SFF) is an independent body funded by the Scottish Government. It was set up in October 2008 and has been working closely with SEPA to encourage people and communities at risk of flooding to take action for themselves and prepare for future flood events. During its first year it has been working mainly with communities in Broxburn, Freuchie, Dumfries and Hawick to help residents set up community flood groups.

The SFF has also responded to recent flood events in Cupar and Milnathort and has provided advice and support through personal visits and drop in flood surgeries for victims of the July floods. It has been praised by local councillors in Fife for providing an invaluable service to those who have been unfortunate to have suffered in those flood events.

The SFF has met East Ayrshire Council to discuss how it can support people and local businesses at risk from flooding in the area. In Kilmarnock the SFF is working with the Chamber of Commerce and the Kilmarnock Business Gateway to build resilience and offer training to help businesses prepare for flooding.

The SFF has not been active in Loudoun to-date but would be happy to offer support to communities there if required.

The information requested is not held centrally. However, the General Register Office for Scotland collects information on the number of adoption applications granted in each year. I attach the details in the following table.

Year	Number of Adoptions
1999	489
2000	391
2001	468
2002	385
2003	468
2004	393
2005	439
2006	418
2007	441
2008	418

Table 2.1, Vital Events Reference Tables 2008, General Register Office for Scotland.

We do not hold information centrally on the timescales involved in processing applications for approval as prospective adopters.

The Adoption Policy Review Group, referred to in the answer to question S1W-14765, identified a number of issues which needed to be addressed to ensure that the adoption process was timely and efficient in order to meet the needs of the children involved. The recommendations of the Adoption Policy Review Group led to the development of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 (the 2007 Act). The 2007 act and associated regulations make provision for a rigorous process of assessing and approving prospective adopters to ensure they meet, and continue to meet, the needs of a child placed with them. The 2007 act will come into force on 28 September 2009 and the Scottish Government is supporting the implementation with guidance and training prepared and delivered by the British Association for Adoption and Fostering and the Fostering Network.