Scottish Parliament e-Brief
Issue 212, 26^th July 2004

SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

Parliament is in recess.

SECTION 2 – NEWS

Emergency advice booklet
Every household in Scotland is to receive a booklet from the Government advising them on what to do in the event of an emergency.

Developed in partnership with the UK Government, the booklet includes practical advice on how to prepare for an emergency, information on what action to take should one occur and key contact telephone numbers. The information in the booklet covers areas which are both reserved to the UK Government and devolved to the Scottish Executive.

The campaign is also supported by a new website - www.preparingforemergencies.gov.uk

A national TV and newspaper advertising campaign will begin today, advising the public of this new booklet and the advice which it offers. Booklets will drop through letterboxes during August. It is possible that not all households will receive a copy at this distribution for a variety of reasons and arrangements are in place to provide reminders and advice on where copies of the booklet can be obtained.

The cost of the campaign across the UK is £8.3 million with Scotland's contribution being £1 million.

Full story

Housing and Childcare Agencies
Deputy Health Minister, Tom McCabe, has urged providers of housing support services and childcare agencies who have been in business since before 1^st April 2003, but have not yet applied for registration to the Care Commission, to do so before 30^th September to avoid future prosecution.

Mr McCabe welcomed the Lord Advocate's confirmation that he is prepared to grant amnesty against prosecution to these providers, provided they apply before that date. The amnesty will also apply to those who have submitted applications to the Commission between 1^st October 2003 and now.

Developing the arrangements for agreeing the type of service being delivered and the number of applications required took longer than expected. This meant that providers could not meet the closing date for applications. As a result, some providers have been acting unlawfully under the terms of the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 since 1^st October 2003, when they were no longer deemed to be registered with the Commission.

Full story

SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

Parliament is in recess.

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