- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 27 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29466 by Malcolm Chisholm on 14 October 2002, how much of the #36 million for the modernisation and improvement of general practitioner and dental services was allocated to dental services and for what purposes this allocation was made.
Answer
£4,281,000has been allocated in the third tranche of funding to the following premises modernisation projects under this initiative, which wholly or in part involve dental services.
| Board | Project | Value | Description |
| Borders | Eyemouth | £39,300 | Upgrade of dental facilities at Community School |
| Dumfries and Galloway | Stewartry | £105,000 | Upgrade of 3 GDP practices to accommodate community dental service |
| Grampian | Buckie/Keith | £12,200 | Upgrade of dental facilities in schools |
| Greater Glasgow | Easterhouse Health Centre | £3,125,000 | Reconfiguration of Health Centre including Dental Outreach Facility |
| Highland | Culloden | £81,000 | Extension to medical centre to provide dental clinic and accommodation |
| | Dunbar Hospital | £43,300 | Dental surgery to be provided within hospital at Thurso |
| | Lawson Memorial hospital | £42,200 | Dental surgery to be provided within hospital at Golspie |
| Lothian | Lauriston Walk in Dental Centre | £558,000 | Introduction of a service to meet immediate and medium dental treatment needs |
| Orkney | Stromness | £200,000 | New build community dental facility |
| Tayside | Perth/Dundee | £75,000 | Improvement to emergency dental premises |
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 27 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers have been given to the Convener of the Care Commission under the terms of the Scheme of Delegation.
Answer
The convener is appointed under Schedule 1 Section 6 of the Regulation of Care(Scotland) Act 2001 and is personally responsible to Scottish ministers for ensuring that the Care Commission’s policies are compatible with those of the Scottish ministers and for ensuring probity in the conduct of the Care Commission’s affairs. The Care Commission is responsible for the operation of its Scheme of Delegation.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 27 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what body was appointed as external auditor to the Care Commission and what role that body will take in the external review into the operational procedures of the commission.
Answer
Under the terms of the Public Finance and Accountability (Scotland) Act 2000, the Auditor General is responsible for the external audit of the Care Commission. In addition to conducting the audit of the commission’s accounts,the Auditor General may initiate an examination into the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which the Care Commission has used its resources in discharging its functions. In determining whether such an examination should becarried out, the Auditor General must take into account any proposals made by Parliament.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 01 August 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 27 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether salaried dentists may be appointed when there is no provision of NHS dental services within reasonable access in the Scottish Borders.
Answer
When any NHS board or Primary Care NHS Trust considers that the existing general dental service provision is insufficient to meet the demands of the local population and no independent General Dental Practitioner is available to fill the gap, approval can be sought from Scottish ministers to appoint a salaried dentist.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 August 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Euan Robson on 27 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to intervene following any critical inspection report by the Care Commission.
Answer
There is no power in the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 relating to a service registered under part 1 of that act which would enable Scottish ministers to intervene in the running of that service.Where a service is registered under part 2 of the act, section 42(1) empowersScottish ministers to take action on receipt of a report by the Care Commission.However, section 6 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 empowers Scottish ministers to carry out inspections of places, facilities and records relating to services provided by virtue of the 1968 act.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 20 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether housing associations are required to have emergency and contingency plans in place for events such as flooding.
Answer
The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 provides Scottish ministers with the power to set standards for the performance of housing associations and other Registered Social Landlords. Performance Standards are developed and published jointly by Communities Scotland, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and COSLA.The current published performance standards set out the performance expectation that housing associations will identify and appraise the most important risks they face, and take a prudent approach to managing them. In meeting this standard, housing associations are expected to carry out regular risk appraisals, to identify key risks and have in place an appropriate risk management strategy. This should include contingency plans to respond to emergency events such as flooding.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 20 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Bellwin Scheme can be applied to meet costs incurred by Scottish Borders Housing Association as a consequence of flood damage to its properties.
Answer
The Bellwin Scheme would not be applied in these circumstances as it provides emergency payments to local authorities. Damage to Scottish Borders Housing Association property is recognised as an insurable cost, which Scottish Borders Housing Association should seek to claim from its insurers.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 20 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to intervene if there is insufficient accommodation to house decanted housing association tenants.
Answer
The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 provides Scottish ministers with various powers in relation to housing associations and these powers have been delegated to Communities Scotland. However, Communities Scotland has no landlord function and no specific power to offer housing accommodation. The responsibility for finding suitable decant accommodation for tenants lies with the housing association. If approached by a housing association where there is insufficient accommodation to house decanted housing association tenants, Communities Scotland would support and assist the housing association by liasing with strategic partners and other housing providers in the area concerned to establish if additional accommodation could be made available by another social landlord.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Mary Mulligan on 20 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to intervene should a housing association fail in its obligations to its tenants.
Answer
The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 provides Scottish ministers with powers to intervene to address poor performance by housing associations. These powers have been delegated to Communities Scotland. Where a housing association's performance is poor and it is failing to meet its obligations to tenants, Communities Scotland, on behalf of Scottish ministers, may:Remove members of the governing body of the housing association where their failure to act impedes the proper management of the organisation;Appoint persons to the governing body of the housing association for the purpose of improving the management of the organisation;Appoint a manager to the housing association, to ensure that the management of its affairs is of an appropriate standard, andInstruct a statutory inquiry into the affairs of the housing association, and (if required) a related Extraordinary Audit of its finances. If ministers conclude that there has been mismanagement or misconduct by the housing association, they have a further range of powers including directing the housing association to transfer its land to another registered landlord, following consultation with tenants.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 July 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 20 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to intervene on health grounds should Scottish Borders Housing Association fail to carry out a health risk assessment following the flooding at the Bannerfield Estate, Selkirk.
Answer
I understand that the Department of Public Health at NHS Borders has already undertaken a health risk assessment in consultation with Scottish Borders Housing Association.NHS Borders has also been involved in public meetings on this issue and discussions with the local authority and other relevant agencies have taken place.
