���˿���

There are various possible models for tenancy deposit schemes and we are examining their merits before considering the form of such a scheme in Scotland.

The Scottish Executive does not hold the information for agencies or other public bodies. A proportionof Scottish Executive staff time is spent in administering visits by membersof the Royal Family but we cannot provide yearly breakdowns as records of this typeare not held. We estimate that, for 2004, the cost of staff time was approximately£2000 to £2500.

The Executive also runs and paysfor a small number of events most years where members of the Royal Family are inattendance. The information we hold on cost and location is set out below.

Year	Cost £000	Location
1999	2	Stirling
2000	1	Edinburgh
2002	0
2003	33	Edinburgh
2004	1	Edinburgh

 

The 2003 figure of £33,000 relatesto the Union of the Crowns Dinner, attended by The Queen, the Dukeof Edinburgh and the Duke of York and hosted by the First Minister.

I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-14476 on 15 March 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

To date, extra-parliamentary representations regarding progress on a Vulnerable Adults Bill have been received from a range of organisations and individuals, and as a result of the Help the Aged’s New Years Resolution campaign.

We will take all such representations into account as we develop our legislative proposals.

There is no precise legal definition in Scots law on what constitutes elder abuse, nor is there a statutory or operational requirement for the Executive to collect such information.

In developing our proposals for additional protections for vulnerable adults, however, we will continue to work with a broad range of stakeholders like Age Concern Scotland and Help the Aged to ensure these measures are as comprehensive and inclusive as possible.

The following table shows core funding under the Children, Young People and Families Unified Voluntary Sector Fund received by four services which cover the south of Scotland.

	2001-02 (£)	2002-03 (£)	2003-04 (£)	2004-05 (£)
Family Mediation Borders	31,930	32,888	33,710	34,553
Family Mediation Dumfries and Galloway	56,650	58,350	59,808	61,303
Family Mediation Lothian	52,005	53,565	54,904	56,277
Family Mediation West	147,466	151,890	155,687	159,579

Information for all NHS boards in Scotland is not currently available. For those NHS areas where data is available, the following tables show the levels of obesity amongst pre-school children (aged 3 to 3.5 years) and school children (at primary 1, primary 7 and secondary 3).

High BMI Distribution (>=95th Centile) In Pre-School Children: Those Born In 2000 Who Have Received a 39-42 Month Review¹

NHS Board	Year of Birth = 2000
No. Examined	Obese (>=95th centile)
Number	%
Total	32,314	2,663	8.2
Argyll and Clyde	2,937	261	8.9
Ayrshire and Arran	2,373	204	8.6
Borders	784	63	8.0
Dumfries and Galloway	1,120	87	7.8
Fife	2,668	217	8.1
Forth Valley	2,296	220	9.6
Greater Glasgow	6,389	517	8.1
Lanarkshire	4,199	357	8.5
Lothian	6,400	514	8.0
Tayside	3,148	223	7.1

Source: CHSP-Pre School ISD Scotland February 2005.

Note: 1. A routine review of child's development usually carried out by Health Visitor/GP at around 39 to 42 months.

High BMI Distribution (>=95th Centile) In School Children: Those who Have Received a Review² At P1(4 to 5yrs), P7(11 to 12yrs) And S3 (14 to 15yrs) During School Year 2003-04

NHS Board	Class Year	School Year = 2003/04
No. Examined	Obese (>=95th centile)
Number	%
Total	P1	15,046	1,380	9.2
	P7	12,176	2,238	18.4
	S34	8,334	1,427	17.1
Argyll and Clyde	P1	402	43	10.7
	P7	384	70	18.2
	S33	N/A	N/A	N/A
Borders	P1	1,024	79	7.7
	P7	1,289	224	17.4
	S3	1,088	203	18.7
Fife	P1	3,394	315	9.3
	P7	3,725	681	18.3
	S3	2,825	477	16.9
Lanarkshire	P1	6,270	579	9.2
	P7	6,612	1,208	18.3
	S3	4,421	747	16.9
Tayside	P1	3,956	364	9.2
	P7	166	55	33.1
	S33	N/A	N/A	N/A

Source: CHSP-School ISD Scotland February 2005.

Notes:

2. A routine review of child's development usually carried out by School Nurse/Doctor.

3. S3 information for Argyll and Clyde and Tayside NHS Boards is not available.

4. Excludes Argyll and Clyde and Tayside NHS Boards.

The Executive is making revenue funding of £112,000 available to each of the four regional neurology centres in Scotland. Following bidding we are currently finalising details with the centres for the distribution of capital funding of £2.5 million.

Drawing on the successful “Action-On” methodology used in England and Wales, this revenue funding will support clinical leads and project managers to redesign  outpatient services and introduce new ways of working. Capital funding will enable the centres to refurbish premises and purchase additional equipment to support the redesigned services. We are making the funding available on the understanding that it will deliver clear benefits for patients, particularly in terms of reduced waiting times.

We have outlined various non-legislative proposals to complement the Family Law Bill, including a possible telephone helpline or information service on family relationship issues. Before allocating any funding for a helpline project we will discuss key questions with stakeholders, including the added value of a helpline on family relationships, the links with existing helplines for parents, step-parents and children, and impact on service provision at local level. We will also take account of the current scoping study of telephone helpline services by Parenting across Scotland. We are also currently looking at options for providing web-based information to improve the availability of information about family law and support services in Scotland.

Figures are given in the Annual Reports published by Family Mediation Scotland (FMS). In general, these relate to the number of people who contact local services for information or advice of any kind, not of the final numbers who proceed to mediation (though the report for 2001 does distinguish these, as noted below). Not all the figures have been collated in the same way since 1999.

	2000	2001*	2002	2003
Family Mediation Borders	158	308	297	638
FM Central	325	500	680	587
FM Dumfries and Galloway	169	221	261	127
FM Fife	392	321	70	523
FM Grampian	352	X(1)	X(1)	X(1)
FM Highland	588	768	637	460
FM Lothian	2,377	1,330	1,367	2,000
FM Orkney	107	19	97	113
FM Shetland	48	50	X(2)	X(2)
FM South Lanarkshire (from 2002)	X(3)	X(3)	109	240
FM Tayside	534	553	543	650
FM West	1,151	1,034	1,337	1,063
Counselling and Mediation Western Isles	97	29	76	145

Notes:

*In the report for 2001, the total number of all new contacts was given as 5,133, of which 628 mediation cases were started:

X(1): Figures not provided to FMS.

X(2): Service not operational.

X(3): Service not operational until 2002.

The FMS report for 2004 provides a chart showing the distribution of cases across services but does not give figures of either initial contact or mediation cases.