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Estimates reported by local authorities in the voluntary Scottish Vacant and Derelict Land Survey (SVDLS) are set out in the tables.

Area of Vacant and Derelict Land Brought Back Into Use Since the Previous Survey (Hectares), Scotland, 2002-04^1-5

Area	2002	2003	2004
Reclaimed derelict	293	308	181
- of which formerly contaminated	25	59	37
Reclaimed vacant	391	271	286
Total	684	579	466

 

Area of Vacant and Derelict Land (Hectares), Scotland, 2002-04^1-5

Area	2002	2003	2004
Derelict	7,767	7,741	7,638
- of which tested and found to be contaminated	2,541	2,489	2,352
Vacant	3,282	3,107	3,023
Total	11,049	10,847	10,661

Notes:

1. Figures may not sum due to rounding.

2. Sites covering less than 0.1 hectares are excluded.

3. The SVDLS includes only that vacant land which is either located within an urban settlement (with a population of 2,000 or more) or which is located within 1km of such settlements, and which would commonly be considered as having the characteristics of urban vacant land.

4. The SVDLS is not a statutory survey. For those councils that did not provide data for a particular year, data from the previous SVDLS has been used.

5. The SVDLS classifies sites as either being vacant or derelict. Any site that has been tested and found to be contaminated is automatically classified as derelict. The term “contamination” used in the survey is anecdotal and refers simply to the presence of a number of potential contaminants. This differs from the statutory definition in the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Information from the 2005 survey will be published on the 31 January 2006. Results of the 2004 survey can be viewed on the Scottish Executive website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00381-00.asp.

The following table shows the total capital debt and per capita debt (for all services) owed by each local authority as at 31 March 2005.

	Total Debt (£ Million)	Total Debt Per Head (£)
Aberdeen City	389.8	1,916
Aberdeenshire	365.9	1,571
Angus	118.7	1,094
Argyll and Bute	223.3	2,449
Clackmannanshire	81.9	1,698
Dumfries and Galloway	188.1	1,272
Dundee City	303.7	2,141
East Ayrshire	188.9	1,578
East Dunbartonshire	118.4	1,111
East Lothian	112.8	1,232
East Renfrewshire	104.4	1,165
Edinburgh, City of	816.1	1,799
Eilean Siar	181.3	6,905
Falkirk	194.0	1,316
Fife	487.5	1,375
Glasgow City	1,281.1	2,218
Highland	551.5	2,609
Inverclyde	224.2	2,720
Midlothian	84.4	1,061
Moray	160.1	1,825
North Ayrshire	192.4	1,415
North Lanarkshire	387.3	1,200
Orkney Islands	33.8	1,735
Perth and Kinross	159.3	1,158
Renfrewshire	274.7	1,610
Scottish Borders	161.0	1,474
Shetland Islands	51.7	2,358
South Ayrshire	172.2	1,540
South Lanarkshire	399.4	1,308
Stirling	150.5	1,743
West Dunbartonshire	188.9	2,054
West Lothian	188.2	1,156
Total all-Scotland	8,535.8	1,681

Notes:

(i) Individual local authority figures may not sum to the all-Scotland total, due to rounding.

(ii) The figures given exclude the police and fire boards/authorities, Forth Estuary Transport Authority, Tay Bridge and Strathclyde Passenger Transport.

Individuals moving to Scotland from the rest of the UK and overseas do so under a variety of means and it is not possible to identify their level of earnings or to what extent they have been influenced by the Fresh Talent initiative on every occasion. However, information on the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme will be collected through a questionnaire which the Relocation Advisory Service will issue to all successful applicants. A breakdown of the data collected through the questionnaires will be issued on a six monthly basis. We expect the first breakdown to be published in the next few months.

Individuals moving to Scotland from the rest of the UK and overseas do so under a variety of means and it is not possible to identify their level of earnings or to what extent they have been influenced by the Fresh Talent Initiative on every occasion. However, information on the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme will be collected through a questionnaire which the Relocation Advisory Service will issue to all successful applicants. A breakdown of the data collected through the questionnaires will be issued on a six monthly basis. We expect the first breakdown to be published in the next few months.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-21755 on 18 January 2006. 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/webapp/wa.search.

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.