The Scotland-wide Free Bus Schemefor Older and Disabled People will provide free travel for companions where assistanceis required to travel. The cost of concessionary travel for companions will be coveredby the £159 million capped budget for 2006-07.

The Scotland-wide Free Bus Schemefor Older and Disabled People will provide free travel for companions where assistanceis required to travel. The eligibility criteria for companions is set out in TheNational Bus Travel Concession Scheme for Older and Disabled People (Eligible Personsand Eligible Services)(Scotland) Order 2006 (S.S.I. 2006/117).

The information requested isprovided in the following table.

Number of Applicationsto the Scotland-Wide Free Bus Scheme for Each Local Authority as at 17 March 2006

Local Authority	Application Count
Aberdeen City	32,576
Aberdeenshire	25,312
Angus	15,611
Argyll and Bute	11,530
City of Edinburgh	52,734
Clackmannanshire	6,010
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	1,312
Dumfries and Galloway	16,048
Dundee City	23,634
East Ayrshire	16,071
East Dunbartonshire	13,034
East Lothian	15,789
East Renfrewshire	10,573
Falkirk	24,367
Fife	43,166
Glasgow	66,213
Highland	15,013
Inverclyde	11,409
Midlothian	11,394
Moray	9,786
North Ayrshire	19,182
North Lanarkshire	36,571
Orkney Islands	2,698
Perth and Kinross	17,339
Renfrewshire	22,173
Scottish Borders	15,065
Shetland Islands	2,520
South Ayrshire	16,433
South Lanarkshire	35,007
Stirling	11,832
West Dunbartonshire	11,408
West Lothian	18,417
Grand Total:	630,227

 

The information requested isprovided in the following table.

The estimate of the number ofpeople eligible for the Scotland–wide Free Bus Scheme has been calculated by usingthe numbers of older people for each local authority obtained from the 2001 censusand increasing the total by 10% as an estimate of the number of eligible disabledpeople.

Estimated Number ofPeople Eligible for the Scotland-Wide Free Bus Scheme for Older and Disabled Peoplefor Each Local Authority

Local Authority	Number Eligible
Aberdeen City	46,327
Aberdeenshire	48,064
Angus	28,231
Argyll and Bute	24,808
City of Edinburgh	97,859
Clackmannanshire	10,357
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	7,594
Dumfries and Galloway	41,350
Dundee City	36,795
East Ayrshire	28,490
East Dunbartonshire	25,180
East Lothian	22,401
East Renfrewshire	20,513
Falkirk	33,292
Fife	82,405
Glasgow	129,563
Highland	51,275
Inverclyde	20,373
Midlothian	17,982
Moray	20,621
North Ayrshire	32,520
North Lanarkshire	67,131
Orkney Islands	4,825
Perth and Kinross	35,900
Renfrewshire	39,392
Scottish Borders	29,059
Shetland Islands	4,559
South Ayrshire	30,820
South Lanarkshire	68,274
Stirling	19,863
West Dunbartonshire	21,288
West Lothian	28,479
Grand Total:	1,175,590

 

The Department for Work and Pensionsare developing a long-term measure of child poverty – which the Executive will adopt.This is being introduced this year in two stages. Future low income estimates forall individuals, working age adults and pensioners will be brought in line withthe equivalisation methodology used in the new child poverty measure from next year.

Full details on current and futuremethodologies for calculating low income estimates can be found in the latest ScottishHouseholds Below Average Income 2004-05 publication (Bib. number 39177 on pages8-10).

It is only possible to identifythe ethnic group of the head of household.

In Scotland in 2002-03to 2004-05, after housing costs, an estimated 94% of children living in householdsthat are in relative low income poverty, have a non-minority ethnic head of household.Before housing costs the figure is estimated to be 93%.

In Scotland in 2002-03to 2004-05, after housing costs, an estimated 24% of children with a non-minorityethnic head of household, live in households that are in relative low income poverty.Before housing costs the figure is estimated to be 21%.

Median net income per householdin Scotland in 2004-05 is estimated to be £332 per week.

Net income is the total incomefrom all sources (including benefits and tax credits) after deductions for tax,national insurance, council tax, pension contributions and maintenance payments.

The Scottish Executive has notundertaken comparative studies between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom. We will producea briefing shortly that interrogates the Scottish statistics by family unit breakdownbut this will not make comparisons with Great Britain statistics.

However, ministers continue tobe involved in discussing ways to tackle child poverty with all of the administrationsin the United Kingdom and Ireland. Ministers are actively involved in the Joint MinisterialCommittee on Poverty, and at the recent meeting of the British Irish Council heldin Edinburgh ministers from the eight member administrations agreed that their nexttopic for debate should be child poverty.

Households should treat housing costs as they would any other relatively, fixed item of expenditure for budgeting purposes. The Scottish Executive publishes low income thresholds on both a “before housing costs” basis and an “after housing costs” basis. This is because some people choose to spend more of their income on housing costs. An after housing costs measure therefore, would understate the relative standard of living of those individuals who were actually benefiting from a better quality of life by paying more for better accommodation. Conversely, any income measure which does not deduct housing costs will overstate the living standards of individuals whose housing costs are high relative to the quality of their accommodation.

I am advised by the Food StandardsAgency that 10 farms in Scotland, comprising nine in East Ayrshire Council Area and onein Stirling Council Area, are still subject to restrictions as a result of the Chernobyl incident.The restricted areas are defined in the Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions)(Radioactivity in Sheep) Order 1991 No. 20 (as amended) and sheep from these farmsare required to be monitored for radioactivity prior to being moved off farm.