Linda Fabiani

8 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any ministers or deputy ministers have written to the Home Office regarding the impact on their responsibilities of issues relating to (a) asylum seekers in general or (b) individual asylum seekers since May 1999.

Answer · Margaret Curran: Ministers have written to the Home Office about practical issues relating to the dispersal of asylum seekers into Scotland’s communities.</p>

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-33601 by Ms Margaret Curran on 11 February 2003, whether the Home Secretary has yet consulted it regarding the siting of accommodation centres in Scotland.

Answer · Margaret Curran: The Executive has not yetbeen consulted by the Home Secretary regarding the siting of an accommodationcentre on Scotland.</p>

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what involvement the Social Work Services Inspectorate has had, and continues to have, with Dungavel House immigration removal centre.

Answer · Euan Robson: The Social Work Services Inspectoratehas had no involvement with Dungavel House Immigration Removal Centre, nor any involvementat present.</p>

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what involvement the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care has had, and continues to have, with Dungavel House immigration removal centre.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>The pre-school facility atDungavel has been registered by the Care Commission under the Regulation ofCare (Scotland) Act 2001. Working with the Home Office and HerMajesty's Inspectorate of Education, the Care Commission will regulate th…

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any of the terms of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 are overridden by the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Nationality, immigration and asylum are matters for the Home Office. In certain circumstances some provisions of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 are disapplied by the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999.</p>

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the terms of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 apply to the children of asylum seekers.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Nationality, immigration and asylum are matters for the Home Office. The terms of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 apply to the children of asylum seekers except where disapplied by UK legislation.</p>

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that best practice in dealing with people with learning disabilities is shared amongst local authorities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>We are keen to ensuredissemination of best practice. The principles of <i>The same as you?</i> <i>A reviewof services for people with learning disabilities</i>, published by the Scottish Executive, give a lead on good practice, and that…

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research it is undertaking into the needs of people with learning disabilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>We announced on 26 September 2002that we havecommissioned research into the needs of people with learning disabilities whoare in prison or secure accommodation. This will find out what type of servicesthey receive, and identify any gaps…

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has commissioned a quality of life survey for people with learning disabilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: No, but the informationobtained from the new statistical return about learning disabilities referredto in the answer given to question S2W-1890, today will, over time, enabletrends to be established on a number of aspects that relate closely to thequality of …

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to measure progress for people with learning disabilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>Officials at the Scottish Executive have just instituted a new statistical return to measure progressagainst various recommendations set out in <i>The same as you? A review ofservices for people with learning disabilities</i>. This asks…

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards ensuring the provision of mainstream employment services, as referred to in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>Employment has been one of the initial priorities for the national The same as you? Implementation Group.It established a sub-group to look at employment, and its report is expected indue course .</p></div>

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards ensuring the provision of mainstream education services, as referred to in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>As wenote in our Lifelong Learning Strategy <i>Life through Learning; Learningthrough Life</i>, which was published in February of this year, uneven accessto lifelong learning has the capacity to entrench inequalities. Our goal is tocre…

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards ensuring the provision of mainstream social care services, as referred to in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>The Scottish Executive isproviding £1.3 billion this year to help local authorities deliver social careservices, including learning disabilities.</p></div>

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards ensuring the provision of mainstream health services, as referred to in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>the Scottish Executive is planning to spend over £7.3 billion this year onproviding health services for everyone in Scotland, including people with learning disabilities.</p><p>Wepublished <i>Promoting Health,Supporting Inclusion </i>in…

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards ensuring that more children are educated in mainstream schools, as referred to in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>We have legislated for theinclusion of all children in mainstream schools, subject to certain prescribedcircumstances. The Executive will monitor the impact of the new legislationwhich took effect from 1 August 2003.</p></div>

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards ensuring that there is an increasing range of employment opportunities, as referred to in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Employment has been one of the priorities for the national The same as you? Implementation Group. It setup an employment sub-group, whose report is near finalisation. The report willencourage a wide range of employment opportunities for people with learningdi…

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards providing more day opportunities in education, leisure and employment, as referred to in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Provision of dayopportunities is a matter for local authorities, who provide such services.</p><p>Many local authorities arein the process of reconfiguring their day services, in accordance with therecommendations of <i>The same as you?</i> Information for ea…

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards providing less formal day care, as referred to in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>Provision of day care is amatter for local authorities, who provide such services.</p><p>Many local authorities arein the process of reconfiguring their day services, in accordance with therecommendations of <i>The same as you?</i> Info…

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards the provision of specialist health care, as referred to in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Provision of specialisthealth care support is a matter for health boards and local authorities, whoprovide such services.</p><p>They are aided in this taskby <i>Promoting Health, Supporting Inclusion </i>published by the Executive in July 2002. It is aboutthe…

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards elimination of long-stay hospital places, as referred to in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>The number of individualswith learning disabilities in long-stay hospitals has been coming down for sometime, and at October 2002 was around 900. Lennox Castle near Glasgow closed in May 2002, Birkwood Hospital inLanarkshire in Septembe…

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made towards the foundation of a Scottish centre for learning disability, as referred to in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>The Scottish Consortium forLearning Disability was established during 2001 with funding from the ScottishExecutive, and officially launched by Malcolm Chisholm, then Deputy Ministerfor Health and Community Care, on 5 October 2001.</p></…

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to alter the balance in spending on learning disability services and, in particular, whether it will move the emphasis of such spending away from hospitals.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>It has long been the Scottish Executive’s policy to move the emphasis of spending on learning disabilityservices away from hospital provision. The learning disability change funds we providedfrom 2001-02 are a lever for moving the balan…

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure continuing support for people with learning disabilities whose carers are (a) 65 or over and (b) 70 or over.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p><i>The same as you?</i> recommended that life plans for people with learningdisabilities who live with their parents should include plans for a time whenparents may no longer be able to provide care. Scottish Executive guidance onPartne…

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will alter the support provision for adults with learning difficulties who wish to remain in their own home.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>No – the recommendations setout in the <i>The same as you?</i> review of services for people with learningdisabilities continue to guide the Executive’s policy that people with learningdisabilities should be cared for at home, with an a…

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it expects local authorities to provide for adults with learning difficulties who wish to remain in their own home.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>We expect local authoritiesto secure a range of services appropriate to an individual’s needs across therange of community care client groups, including learning disabilities</p></div>

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support local authorities are statutorily required to provide for adults with learning disabilities who wish to remain in their own home.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>Local authorities have aduty under the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 to assess the needs of, and provideappropriate services to, people who appear to need them.</p></div>

7 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what support it provides for adults with learning disabilities who wish to remain in their own home.

Answer · Tom McCabe: <div class=Section1><p>Community Care policygenerally is that, where possible, people should be supported to live in theirown homes. Practical support for individuals to remain at home is providedthrough care services, notably health and community care.</p></…

5 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make particular provision in respect of non-fully-mutual housing co-operatives in light of the withdrawal of section 54 of the Housing Act 1988.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>The working party that was set up made recommendations abouthow to mitigate the financial effect on small housing associations of thewi…

5 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the non-fully-mutual housing co-operative model for registered social landlords.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>The consultation paper <i>ModernisingScotland’s Social Housing</i> makes clear ministerial commitment to communityownership. The housin…

5 Aug 2003 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the working group established to examine the implications for housing associations of the withdrawal of section 54 of the Housing Act 1988 considered the particular circumstances of non-fully-mutual housing co-operatives.

Answer · Margaret Curran: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:</p><p>A working group wasestablished to examine the financial impact on the housing association sectorof the withdrawal of section 54. The wo…