FINANCE

By e-mail

7 December 2009

[FOI #22819 email]

Dear Ms Higgins

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002

PROVISION OF INFORMATION

Thank you for your request for information. I have dealt with this in accordance with the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Your requested information showing how the Council received its allocated share of £34m distributed through the Barnett formula for disabled children and copies of all correspondence on how this money was spent.

Scottish Local Authorities received additional funding of £34m over three years within the 2007 settlement. In providing monies to local authorities, the Scottish Government does not separately identify individual elements that have contributed to the overall level of the settlement. Scottish Ministers have the freedom to allocate funding in whatever way they believe best meets the needs of the Scottish people and they do not necessarily seek to replicate spending decisions made in England.

The additional funding was not ring-fenced (earmarked for specific purposes) within the funding allocations, however, the national outcome agreements to which local authorities have signed up include objectives on supporting vulnerable groups and children. This therefore ensures that these additional resources are not lost to supporting disabled children.

Within this council in 2009/10 additional resources of £1.2m were allocated for disabled school leavers, which was in addition to a £1.5m allocation in 2008/09. A further £0.4m was provided in 2009/10 for accommodation with care for highest priority needs on the accommodation waiting list and this was in addition to £0.25m provided in 2008/09. This information and further details of the Council's targets are contained in our Single outcome Agreement.

As you will appreciate, it would take a significant amount of staff time to search out any correspondence on this matter, however, if having read my response you would wish further information to be provided, I will arrange for an assessment of the time it would take to do so and thereafter advise you of any likely costs that would be chargeable. Copies of Council and Committee papers are available from the Council's website.

For further information on the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 please telephone us on 0131 200 2340 or visit our website at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/foi.

Yours sincerely

HUGH DUNN,

Corporate Finance Manager