Tag: Scottish Government

Legionnaires': the worst may be over

Health experts are hopeful that we now may be in the latter stages of the Legionnaires’ outbreak. As of the latest update at 4pm yesterday the number of cases stands at 82, with indications that the number of cases presenting is slowing down.

The latest reports from the Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR) on the Edinburgh Legionnaires’ disease outbreak show that there are now 37 confirmed cases and 45 suspected cases: an increase of one in the total number of confirmed cases and an increase of one suspected case.
As at noon yesterday, of those cases being treated in hospital, 15 are in intensive care and 26 are on general wards. A total of 16 cases are being treated in the community, 19 have been discharged from hospital and one person has died.
Five cases are being treated outwith the NHS Lothian area. One patient is being treated in the north of England, two in NHS Tayside, one in NHS Lanarkshire and one patient from NHS Highland is now being treated in Glasgow. At this stage all these cases are considered to be linked to the south west Edinburgh outbreak.
The ages of the confirmed cases ranges between 33 and 76, with more males than females affected.
NHS 24 has received 630 calls to the dedicated helpline for Legionnaires’ disease, and the Health and Safety Executive and City of Edinburgh  Council are continuing investigations into the possible source of the outbreak.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: “These latest figures are reassuring and in line with expectations, and although it is too early to be definite they do suggest we are now in the later stages of this outbreak. All those involved are responding extremely well: NHS Lothian services are coping with the demands on them and the City of Edinburgh Council and the Health and Safety Executive continue to make significant progress in their investigation to identify the source of this outbreak.”
Dr Duncan McCormick, Chair of the IMT and Consultant in Public Health Medicine at NHS Lothian, said: “We are pleased with the slow down in the number of cases presenting and we hope this will continue over the coming days. The risk to the general public is low but anyone with concerns should contact their GP or NHS 24’s dedicated hotline on 0800 0858 531.”

New scheme will protect private tenants

A compulsory scheme to safeguard millions of pounds in deposits paid by tenants renting properties in Scotland has been approved by Housing Minister Keith Brown.

Annually, tenancy deposits amount to over £74 million in the majority of the 273,000 households that make up the private rented sector in Scotland. It is estimated that up to 11,000 tenants have £3.6 million of their deposits wrongly withheld each year.

The first tenancy deposit scheme to be approved is the Letting Protection Service Scotland.

The scheme also aims to protect the reputation of the majority of private rented sector landlords who act professionally and responsibly. Once in place landlords or their agents must pay deposits to an approved scheme and provide key information about the tenancy, the deposit, and the scheme which is protecting it, to the tenant.

The scheme will be free for landlords and letting agents to participate in and will provide access to a free and independent dispute resolution service, where agreement over the return of a deposit cannot be agreed by the tenant and landlord. Two further schemes are being considered with the intention of starting all three schemes, which will operate across Scotland from July 2, 2012. In order to provide landlords time to prepare, the legal requirements to submit deposits into a scheme will come into effect from November this year.

Keith Brown said: “Up to 11,000 tenants annually have £3.6 million of their deposits wrongly withheld, which is why this Government is taking action to ensure tenants receive a fair deal. It is important to stress that the majority of landlords act responsibly. This scheme is aimed at those landlords who continue to tarnish the image of the private rented sector. The new regulations that allow the scheme to operate are also deliberately streamlined with the emphasis on creating a cost effective approach to safeguarding tenancy deposits.”

Kevin Firth, Director of The LPS Scotland commented: “With 5 years of custodial deposit protection experience under our belts, we are delighted to be approved by the Scottish Government to operate a scheme in Scotland. I encourage landlords and tenants to make sure that they understand the legislation and take appropriate action to ensure they are covered.

“It will be compulsory for landlords and letting agents in Scotland to protect their deposits with a Government approved scheme as soon as the legislation launches. It is crucial that those in the private rented sector don’t fall foul of this legislation and take the appropriate steps to ensure that they are prepared for its introduction.”

Graeme Brown, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “Each year millions of pounds from deposits are unfairly withheld by landlords and agents in Scotland, causing hardship to tenants and the very real threat of homelessness due to a lack of funds to secure their next property. At the same time too many landlords are uncertain about the grounds on which they can legitimately withhold a deposit.

“The introduction of a compulsory scheme to safeguard deposits is a step in the right direction towards protecting tenants, landlords and agents. Against a backdrop of increasing financial hardship and a growing private rented sector we hope the tenancy deposit scheme achieves a transparent and fair system for all.”

Sue Hopson, Brand Standards Director at Martin & Co commented: “I am extremely pleased that the Scottish Government has chosen to back a single type of scheme being custodial. In the eyes of the consumer the rules will be so much easier to understand as every agent and Landlord will be following the same rules, processes and timescales via a transparent custodial method.

“I am sure that the Landlords and Tenants in Scotland will find the scheme as beneficial and as easy to work as we have. Hopefully due to the existing legislation in England and Wales and a more prominent consultation period in Scotland the introduction of Tenancy Deposit Protection will be welcomed by Scotland and not come into fruition quite so quickly as it did for England and Wales 5 years ago. There will be a lead in time for educating Landlords, Tenants and Agents with a generous period of time before all deposits need to be protected”