Health allowance/ eye test etc

Thank you for your email. We will either respond directly or forward your email to the most appropriate person to give you a response.

If you have any further queries, or if you haven't received a response within 2 weeks, please call us on the following -

Housing Repairs 08451 55 00 11
Environment Team 08451 55 00 22
Housing Information
and Advice 08451 55 00 33
Rent Arrears 08451 55 00 44
General Enquries 08451 55 00 00

Best regards,

Fife Direct Team
Fife Council

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Dear Mr Ovens

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002 – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Thank you for your information request dated 12th January 2010 and
received on 13th January 2010 our reference Q6.1/2010008. This is being
dealt with in terms of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

The Act allows us 20 working days to deal with your request from the date
that we received it, but we hope to provide you with the information you
are looking for at an earlier date where possible.

Yours sincerely,

Tracey Dean
Performance & Organisational Support
Fife Council
Fife House
Glenrothes KY7 5LT

Telephone 08451 55 55 55: you will hear an automated message asking you to
enter my extension which is 442233

Fax Number - 01592 583155

"Think Green" and only print this email if absolutely necessary

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Dear Brian Ovens

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION (SCOTLAND) ACT 2002 – REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

I refer to your information request dated 12 January 2009 in regards to
eye testing and health allowances.

I am pleased to enclose the information you requested as follows and hope
that it meets your requirements.

1. How much does FIFE COUNCIL spend on employers/staff too have eye
tests and how much do they give workers towards wearing/buying
glasses?

Fife Council has statutory duties in accordance with Regulation 5 of the
(Health & Safety) Display Screen Regulations to:

(a) Provide on request to those of our own employees we identify as
Display Screen Users (most of our employees who use Computers – in
excess of 6,500 users), a free eye and eyesight test, and;

(b) Following that eye and eyesight test, ensure that the employee is
provided with special corrective appliances appropriate for the work being
done by the user only where –

· normal corrective appliances cannot be used; and the result of
the eye or eyesight test shows such provision is necessary.

In the above circumstances, Fife Council provides basic spectacle frames
and the full cost of the prescribed lenses required.

The expenditure on this provision in the last calendar year (2009) was
£7,278, a little over £1 per User.

Further to this provision, visual acuity (eyesight test) is an integral
part of the statutory health assessment of our Large Goods Vehicle Drivers
over the age of 45. This eyesight testing would be only a very small part
of our overall expenditure on statutory health surveillance, and we would
not be able to separate this out as a specific expenditure.

We do not provide any payment, directly or indirectly for spectacles for
our drivers or other employee groups, other than as required by Regulation
5 of the (Health & Safety) Display Screen Regulations discussed above.

2. Do FIFE COUNCIL pay anything towards council workers, staff or
otherwise for dental treatment?

No

3. Does FIFE COUNCIL pay for health checks towards any staff having
a health check?

Fife Council has a statutory duty to provide occupational health
surveillance for a significant number of our employees who are exposed to
a number of specified risks (including noise, vibration, certain dusts,
etc. We must also provide for fitness assessment of certain groups of our
employees (School Crossing Patrol Officers for example).

In previous years, and in support of the Scottish Government “Healthy
Working Lives” initiative, Fife Council did undertake a limited program
of more general “health checks” for our employees, and this was
outwith the statutory requirements of our occupational health surveillance
provision.

Also, if yes to any of the above could you tell me where the funding comes
from to pay for any of the above, i.e council tax etc?

As with any other Local Authority, Fife Council receives the majority of
its funding (around 80%) as a “block grant” from the Scottish
Government. The remainder is raised via Council Tax, Business Rates, and
other revenue sources. Our accounting practices do not generally allow for
differentiation of the source of funds used for any particular item of our
expenditure.

I confirm that expenditure for statutory activities described above is
taken directly from the revenue sources Fife Council receives, however the
funding for the “Healthy Working Lives” initiative came directly from
the Scottish Government and did not therefore impact on Council Tax
Revenue.

If you are not satisfied with the way we have handled your request, you
have the right to request a review of the decision. Please write to:
Chief Legal Officer, Fife House, North Street, Glenrothes, KY7 5LT; within
3 calendar months of receipt of our decision. If this fails to resolve
the matter to your complete satisfaction, you have the right to apply to
the Scottish Information Commissioner for a decision.

Yours sincerely

Colin Brown

"Think Green" and only print this email if absolutely necessary

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