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(a) Total Attendances “ Monklands Hospital A&E Unit

Source: NHS Lanarkshire.

Note: *Represents 10 months of the year.

(b) New Attenders “ Ayr Hospital A&E Department

Source: NHS Ayrshire and Arran.

Note: *From April 2009 to February 2010.

(c) Medical Oncology Patient Activity “ Royal Aberdeen Children''s Hospital

Source: NHS Grampian.

Notes:

Figures for 2007 are from 1 May 2007.

Figures for 2008 and 2009 are from 1 January to 31 December.

Figures for 2010 are up to 31 March.

Only attended patients have been taken into account.

*Medical Oncology Outpatient Clinic also caters to patients with non-malignant heamatological diseases along with cancer.

(d) Patient Activity “ Royal Hospital for Sick Children Cancer Centre, Edinburgh

Source: NHS Lothian.

The figures provided include all treatments including multiple spells of treatment for the same patient.

(e) Patient Activity (Obstetrics only) - Vale of Leven Hospital Maternity Unit

Source: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Figures are by calendar year.

Figures for 2007 are from 1 May to 31 December.

Figures for 2010 are from January to March.

(f) Patient Activity (Obstetrics only) “ Inverclyde Royal Hospital Maternity Unit

Source: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Figures are by calendar year.

Figures for 2007 are from 1 May to 31 December.

Figures for 2010 are from January to March.

(g) Patient Activity “ Neurosurgery, Edinburgh

Source: NHS Lothian.

Notes:

The figures provided include all treatments including multiple spells of treatment for the same patient.

*combines adult treatment (based at the Western General Hospital) and paediatric treatment (based at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children).

(h) Neurosurgery Patient Activity “ Aberdeen Royal Infirmary

Source: NHS Grampian.

Figures for 2007 are from 1 May 2007.

Figures for 2008 and 2009 are from 1 January to 31 December.

Figures for 2010 are up to 31 March.

Only attended patients have been taken into account.

(i) Neurosurgery Patient Activity “ Tayside

Source: NHS Tayside.

(j) Neurosurgery Patient Activity “ Glasgow

Source: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Figures are by calendar year.

Figures for 2007 are from 1 May to 31 December.

Figures for 2010 are from 1 January to 28 February.

Soon we will also consult on proposals for new Self Directed Support legislation. These proposals are designed to consolidate and extend existing legislation.

Copies of the Government''s response plus supporting analysis can also be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/12/12121638/0.

The then Scottish Executive''s Sensory Impairment Action Plan (SIAP), launched in January 2004, identified common community care priorities for people with sensory impairment and made seven recommendations setting out short, medium and long-term goals to improve access to services. The Scottish Government is working with service users, and relevant voluntary and statutory agencies to implement the recommendations.

In 2007, the Scottish Government published, under cover of HDL(2007)20, Community Care Services For People with A Sensory Impairment: Policy and Practice Guidance for local authorities and their partners on meeting the needs of people with a sensory impairment. It sets out the role of community health partnerships in reducing the health inequalities faced by this group.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland is however, developing generic clinical standards for neurological conditions and the draft standards include a requirement that each regional neurology centre has identified contacts with the individual responsible for neurological conditions in the local community health partnerships, to facilitate management in the community.

The draft clinical standards also include standards specific to motor neurone disease (MND), focussing on the delivery of specialist MND services, diagnosis of MND and condition management of MND.

The guidance states that, in broad terms, where the equipment is directly related to the management of an illness, or for the rehabilitation of a patient from hospital then the responsibility lies with the health board. Where equipment is required to help the individual achieve greater independence within the home then the responsibility lies with the local authority social work services.

The Scottish Government is aware that this guidance is now out of date and does not support joint working between social work, housing and the NHS. To address this, the Scottish Government issued revised draft guidance for public consultation on 2 December 2008. The consultation has now closed and officials are working on producing new guidance for publication in November.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/12/03120911/0.

The new guidance no longer distinguishes between health and local authority responsibility, it encourages a partnership approach to the provision of equipment and adaptations. It will enable professionals, users and carers to better understand local health and social care partnerships responsibilities, and create a more consistent approach to the provision of equipment and adaptations across Scotland.

The consultation process also highlighted that the local arrangements for funding of major adaptations within the different housing tenures requires further clarity. Work has commenced within the Scottish Government to produce further guidance on this complex issue.

Building Better Schools: Investing in Scotland''s Future represents the Scottish Government and COSLA''s agreed destination and route map to get the School Estate up to the standard which Audit Scotland set out in Improving the School Estate. It has been developed as a partnership between national and local government and we are jointly committed to continuing this partnership as we proceed with implementation. The strategy has pupils at its centre and sets out the joint Government-COSLA target of achieving 90% of children being educated in good condition schools (conditions A & B) with firm plans to lift the rest of pupils out of being educated in schools in conditions C & D.

I am also pleased to announce the 14 secondary schools will benefit from the new £1.25 billion school building programme that will follow on from the current £2 billion of school investment that is being supported by the government which are:

As I have previously set out to Parliament (Col. 19247) we have engaged with COSLA, councils and the Scottish Futures Trust to identify the 14 schools and have taken into account the distribution of needs throughout Scotland; the best available information about schools'' condition and unsuitability to deliver the curriculum for excellence; additionality, and authorities'' plans and priorities and readiness to proceed.

We have also agreed with COSLA that we would accelerate the primary school announcement and that the same criteria will be used to identify these schools. We anticipate that all councils will benefit from the first tranches of the school building programme.