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The draftregulations which were the subject of recent consultation proposed that thesingle survey should be no more than 12 weeks old when the property was firstmarketed. However, there was no proposed time limit on the information in the singlesurvey. Rather, it was suggested that this should be a matter for the market,reflecting the need for flexibility to address the circumstances of particularcases.

The draftregulations which were the subject of recent consultation proposed thatevery seller who marketed their property for sale would be under a duty toprovide, upon request, a single survey and a property sale questionnaire, whichwould form a purchaser’s information pack (PIP). They did not propose that PIPswould be provided free or at a reduced rate to sellers on low incomes, butrather that the market would decide the fees for PIPs.

The Scottish Governmentrecognises the specific references to independent living in work carried out bythe Disability Rights Commission and by the Scottish Parliament’s Equal OpportunitiesCommittee and is currently considering what further steps need to be taken to advanceindependent living in Scotland and we will announce our plans later in the year.

A number of piecesof relevant legislation relating to independent living, including employment andbenefits legislation and anti-discrimination legislation, is reserved to Westminster.

In Scotland, the Scottish Government is currently considering whatsteps need to be taken to advance independent living and we will announce our planslater in the year.

Under the DisabilityDiscrimination Act 1995 (DDA), service providers and public authorities are requiredto make reasonable adjustments to allow access for disabled people. The ScottishGovernment will ensure that the services that it provides, and the public functionsthat it delivers, meet the requirements of the DDA. We expect other organisationsto do the same.

Work to ensure disabled peoplecan readily access buildings where the Scottish Government is a major occupier hasbeen on-going for a number of years. Access Audits have been performed for all ofour properties and a range of works carried out to improve access for visitors witha disability. A further range of works have been identified to be carried out duringthe current financial year.

We also recognisethe role that local access panels can play and have provided support to developtheir capacity over recent years.

The Scottish Governmentwill take forward its commitment to improved social inclusion for disabled peoplethrough the delivery of its five strategic objectives and overarching purpose, whichcommit all public services to creating a fairer Scotland with opportunities for all Scots to flourish through increasing sustainableeconomic growth.

A number of policiesand programmes act to deliver this commitment in relation to disabled people. Forillustration, disabled people mare a priority group for all seven of the targetareas for the Workforce Plus employability framework, and the Scottish Governmentdirectly supports a programme run by the Child Poverty Action Group to enhance theprovision of high-quality advice on the tax credits and benefits to families affectedby disability.

The Scottish Governmentis committed to consultation and engagement with disabled people. We currently funda number of national disability led organisations to assist us with this. We regardthis as an important feature of our work and will want to continue to provide support.

The public sectorduty to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people, which came into forcein December 2006, provides an opportunity for public bodies to focus on the needsof disabled people and develop work on independent living. The duty also provides a reporting frameworkfor progress towards disability equality with the first annual reports due in December2007. This may provide some measure of the progress being made towards independentliving.

However, the ScottishGovernment is also considering what further steps need to be taken to advance independentliving in Scotland, and how performance can be measured mosteffectively, and we will announce our plans later in the year.

The public sectorduty to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people, which came into forcein December 2006, provides an opportunity for public bodies to focus on the needsof disabled people and develop work on independent living. Other recent initiativesalso support independent living such as the new national guidance on self-directedsupport, which was issued in July, and tasks local authorities with developing localinfrastructures in order to increase uptake.

However, the ScottishGovernment recognises the specific references to independent living in work carriedout by the Disability Rights Commission and by the Scottish Parliament’s Equal OpportunitiesCommittee and is currently considering what further steps need to be taken to advanceindependent living in Scotland and we will announce our plans later in the year.

The Scottish Governmentis aware of the calls for national measures to promote positive attitudes towardsdisabled people which were made in the Equal Opportunities Committee’s DisabilityInquiry Report Removing Barriers and Creating Opportunities (November2006), in the Disability Working Group’s report (November 2006). These reportswill inform our consideration of what steps need to be taken to further promotedisability equality and advance independent living in Scotland and we will announceour plans later in the year.