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The amount of private sector grant approved for improvements for people with disabilities is shown in the following table. Data on actual spend are not broken down by type of work.

Amount of Approved Grant for Improvements for People with Disabilities: 2000-01 to 2004-05

	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05
Owner-occupied	9,285,000	10,549,000	11,407,000	12,831,000	15,474,000
Private sector tenant	49,000	46,000	67,000	105,000	445,000

Source: IMP1B returns by local authorities to Scottish Executive Development Department Analytical Services Division (Housing Statistics).

Notes:

1. Prior to 2004-05, the category of “tenant” included a small number of housing association tenants.

2. Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.

3. The figures shown represent amounts approved for work identified by local authorities specifically as improvements for disabled. They do not include grants for more general improvements which may include elements of benefit to people with disabilities, such as improved accessibility.

4. Figures from the Scottish Household Survey 2001 show that, 50% of households where a member has a limiting long-term illness or disability are owner-occupied, compared to 4% in the private rented sector.

The vital role of unpaid family carers as major care providers is well recognised by the Scottish Executive. Chief Medical Officer Letter CMO(2005)07 lays out current national policy on influenza vaccination for carers, requiring NHS boards to offer influenza vaccine to “people who are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill”.

In May 2005, the Scottish Executive, in association with the Association of Directors of Social Work, launched a framework for supporting front line social care staff. Improving Front Line Services: A Framework for Supporting Front Line Staff offers advice to employers on, among other things, promoting a safe and healthy workforce, including the benefits of illness prevention. The document is available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/05/13124510/45114.

The Scottish Executive recognises the challenges posed by an ageing population that local authorities and others involved in local policy and service delivery face. These local bodies are best placed to assess the needs of their communities, through engaging in the community planning process, when planning infrastructure and key services. The role of the Executive is to encourage and support Community Planning Partnerships in their improvement of service provision in rural areas, not to prescribe a single blueprint of what those services should be.

We do not consider there to be any barriers to eliminating poverty caused by the devolution settlement. We are committed, in partnership with the UK Government, to tackling poverty and deprivation throughout Scotland and, specifically, to eliminating child poverty by 2020.

Poverty is only partly about low income; it also encompasses a lack of opportunity, facing barriers to participating in social and economic life, and access to appropriate and affordable public services.

That is why, through our Closing the Opportunity Gap (CtOG) approach, we want to:

-prevent individuals and families from falling into poverty;

-provide routes out of poverty for individuals and families, and

-sustain individuals and families in a lifestyle free from poverty.

Through co-ordinated action across all of the Executive’s departments and agencies, and working with our partners, we are making good progress – although we recognise that there is much more still to do.

Over 210,000 children have been lifted from absolute poverty since 1997, reducing absolute child poverty from 33% to 15% – a reduction of 56%.

Over 110,000 children have been lifted from relative poverty since 1997, reducing relative child poverty from 33% to 25% – a reduction of 30%.

Over 190,000 pensioners have been lifted from absolute poverty since 1997, reducing absolute pensioner poverty from 30% to 8% – a reduction of 73%.

Over 100,000 pensioners have been lifted from relative poverty since 1997, reducing relative pensioner poverty from 30% to 18% – a reduction of 38%.

Over 220,000 working age adults have been lifted from absolute poverty since 1997, reducing absolute working age poverty from 20% to 13% – a reduction of a third.

Over 60,000 working age adults have been lifted from relative poverty since 1997, reducing relative working age poverty from 20% to 18% – a reduction of 10%.

We current have one of the highest employment rates in Europe (75%), as well as the highest employment rate since records began, and the lowest unemployment rate for a generation (3.2%).

Specific capital allocations for medical equipment were not given for the years requested. Prior to 2002, NHS trusts had to bid for capital funding which was held centrally. 2002-03 saw a major change in the methodology for allocating the Health Department’s capital budget with the majority of the available budget allocated on the basis of the Arbuthnott formula adjusted for cross boundary patient flows and weighted for the provision of regional specialities. This means that NHS boards can prioritise their investment requirements within defined resources, including those on equipment, based on their local knowledge or the local needs of the local area how this money should be spent.

Following the publication of the Audit Scotland report Better Equipped to Care? – Follow Up Report on 26 February 2004 the Executive announced an additional £125 million over three years to support investment in new and replacement medical equipment.

Specific data on medical equipment expenditure is not collected separately but is included within the general equipment categories as per NHSScotland Accounting Manual guidance. For expenditure on capital equipment (in real terms), for the years stated I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-16390 on  26 May 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliaments website which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

The information requested is not held by local authority area. Information on average waiting times is collated and presented as a national average. The average waiting time, which covers the whole of Scotland, is five months.

The UK Government, through the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is responsible for social security benefits and for campaigns to maximise their uptake. The Care 21 Report The future of unpaid care in Scotland calls, amongst other things, for a review of the benefit entitlements available to carers, and I have made DWP Ministers aware of this.

Under our Carers’ Strategy we are working with stakeholders to improve carer access to information and advice on sources of support, including financial assistance. An important strand here is the duties placed on local authorities and NHSScotland by the Community Care and Health (Scotland) Act 2002. The Care 21 report recognises that many of the necessary policy mechanisms are already in place, but that systematic implementation needs to happen Scotland-wide. We will be considering these matters further in our response to the report.

The Community Planning Implementation Group was set up in April 2003 for twelve months to take forward the recommendations of the Community Planning Task Force. The group completed its duties with the publication of its report, Making a Difference - Community Planning A Year On, in June 2004. Details of membership of the Group are given on page 15 of the report, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 33200) and on the Scottish Executive’s internet site (www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/finance/cpayo-00.asp).

Local authorities have a duty under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to assess the needs of people and decide, in the light of the assessment, whether they should arrange any services and, if so, which services. Any decision taken by the local authority’s social work department should be based on a detailed assessment of a person’s care needs taking his or her wishes into account. However, local authorities are also expected to ensure that the resources available are used in the most effective way to meet individual care needs.

Assistance to owners of private sector housing to make their houses suitable for the needs of disabled occupants is given mainly by local authorities through housing improvement grants, funded by Private Sector Housing Grant (PSHG) from the Scottish Executive. Adaptations for disabled people, along with improving houses which fall below the tolerable standard, are ministerial priorities which are taken into account in assessing local authorities’ proposals for PSHG expenditure. It is for local authorities to set local priorities, and information on the priority accorded to privately-rented and owner-occupied housing is not held centrally.

The distribution of National Lottery funds is a matter for the Lottery Distribution Bodies: Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Screen, sportscotland, the Big Lottery Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund. The information requested is not held centrally by the Executive.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport maintains an electronic database of National Lottery awards. Details of the total awarded to each constituency area and each local authority area for each Lottery good cause can be obtained through the DCMS website at:

http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk/search.asp.