Seòmar agus comataidhean

Employers are responsible for the training and continuous learning of their employees.

There is guidance and tools available to all employers in the social services sector which supports the identification, level and quality of training required for their employees. This includes the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) Code of Practice, National Occupational Standards (NOS), Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF); and the Continuous Learning Framework (CLF).

Bodies such as the SSSC, Skills for Care and Development, the sector skills council for the social services sector, Social Care and Social Work Improvement Scotland (Care Inspectorate) and the Scottish Qualifications Authority amongst others, support employers in training their workforce.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-21953 on 21 July 2014. 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.

Section 6 of the Scottish Government’s draft Scottish Independence Bill, which was published for consultation on 16 June 2014, provides that the territory of Scotland, in the event of independence, would continue to consist of all the land, islands, internal waters and territorial sea that form the territory of Scotland at present. This is in accordance with widely-accepted principles of international law.

Scotland has 93 inhabited islands with a total population of over 103,000 people (latest 2011 Census day estimates). Our island communities are long-standing and much-valued parts of Scotland and that would continue in the event of independence. This is reflected in section 30 of the draft Scottish Independence Bill, which provides that the particular needs of island communities must be taken into account when the Scottish Government is carrying out its functions, and in the Government’s proposals in Empowering Scotland’s Island Communities published on 16 June.

Question 558 in Scotland’s Future made it clear that, in the event of independence, Scotland’s territory will remain as it is now.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-21856 on 15 July 2014. 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.

It is very important to fully involve carers in the discharge planning of the people they care for who are patients. The good practice which exists needs to be spread across Scotland and we will make sure that this happens.

The consultation on the carers’ legislation sets out our proposals to help ensure more consistent and sustainable support to improve outcomes for carers and young carers across Scotland. One of the key principles of the legislation, and of the regulations underpinning the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014, is to ensure greater carer involvement in the shaping, planning, and delivery of services that carers and the people they care for use.

We are currently analysing the consultation responses to the carers’ legislation and will publish our response in Autumn 2014.

No decision has been made on targets within the refreshed framework. Targets for hepatitis C treatment will be informed by progress in delivering the current priorities, as reflected in data on indicators; by end of framework reports from NHS boards, which will be received towards the end of 2014-15; by the Treatment and Therapies Sub-group, which will report to ministers before Christmas 2014.

The Sexual Health and Bloodborne Virus Framework highlights the importance of developing strategies to treat those chronically infected with hepatitis C. This fully encompasses all infected individuals, including those who have not completed treatment and those who have not achieved a sustained viral response.

Data is collected locally and nationally on individuals commencing but not completing treatment, and those who do not achieve a sustained viral response. Those who have previously commenced treatment will be known to services and in the vast majority of cases will be seen regularly for review by the clinical team.

The table below sets out national data on the number of patients commencing treatment each year. A significant proportion are individuals recommencing treatment. This increased significantly in 2012-13 following the introduction of protease inhibitors.

The Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework contains an explicit target reflecting the government’s desire to see treatment numbers increase, and performance against these targets is monitored through national indicator data and during annual Scottish Government visits to NHS boards.

The current financial year is the final year of the framework, and the refreshed framework, to be published next year, will reflect the conclusions of the treatment and therapies subgroup on priorities for hepatitis C therapy in light of the rapidly evolving treatment landscape. Policy on hepatitis C targets may therefore be different in the future.