Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03598 on 8 November 2011. 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 has no plans to introduce a large retail supplement, but it will bring forward legislation to implement a public health supplement to support preventative spend measures.

It is estimated that around 240 retail premises listed on the valuation rolls for Scotland will be liable for the public health supplement. This represents 0.1% of all non-domestic properties in Scotland.

Further details will be available when the legislation for the public health supplement is laid in parliament in the New Year.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03568 on 8 November 2011. 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 publication of the Draft Budget 2012-13 marked the start of the public consultation on the Scottish Government’s budget plans and comments are welcomed by 21 December 2011.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03604 on 8 November 2011. 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03476 on 27 October 2011. 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03568 on 8 November 2011. 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 establishment of the Change Funds is a starting point in the wider alignment of public service budgets on a preventative spend basis. Decision making about the change funds will be taken locally in line with the guidance that will be developed by the relevant joint Groups. Local government is fully committed to the preventative approach and to making an appropriate financial contribution to the change funds. The expenditure in total across the Spending Review period is broken down as £310 million for the Change Fund for older people’s services; £272 million for the Early Years and Early Intervention Fund and £7.5 million for the Reducing Reoffending Change Fund.

The Distinction Award Scheme is specifically for eligible NHS Scotland Consultants. The information requested for 2009 and 2010 is contained within the Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards (SACDA) Annual Reports. These can be found on the SACDA website:

http://www.shsc.scot.nhs.uk/upload/file/national_committee_services/sacda/annual_report/2011_sacda_annual_report_2010_awards_round.pdf.

The 2011 Annual Report will be published shortly. For ease, the information for each of the three years requested, is as follows:

Notes:

* New Awards were frozen and only re-cycled awards were available for distribution

** The scheme was fully frozen.

To provide external and independent assurance of the recognised high quality of the paediatric cardiac surgery services provided by Yorkhill Hospital, I announced in June 2011 that a review of the service would be undertaken by the Safe and Sustainable Programme team who have assessed these services across England.

The review, led by Sir Ian Kennedy, took place on 3 November 2011.