COMHAIRLE NAN EILEAN SIAR Appendix 1 Consumer and Environmental Services Service Plan 2018/19 –Year End Review

General Overview Budgets The Annual spend for 2018/19 is detailed below. These don’t include the core Business and Service Plan costs of running the The Section had one action in the Departmental Comhairle assigned to the Business Plan which was completion of the Service Services (circa £196k). plan. The action was generally on target however The Environmental there was some slippage in inspections and Health and Food interventions, due to staffing issues. Performance Safety budgets are can be found at www.cne-siar.gov.uk/strategy- closely interlinked, with performance-and-research/performance/service- some general costs business-plan-progress-reports/ and the 2018/19 being shared across Service Plan was approved by the Comhairle in April budgets. There is also 2018. some cross over with these budgets and Trading Staffing Standards. The Food Safety The full time equivalent staffing of the section for the budget also includes Animal Health. Spend is lower year was 16 (9.55 officers, one admin support and than the profiled budget as a result of staff vacancies 2.6 Development Services Support staff in Uist). The and additional income. vacant EHO –Balivanich post was successfully filled by the trainee postholder who qualified in November 2018. Two members of staff were on maternity most of the Health and Safety year and only one post was temporary filled. This In line with Health and Safety Executive (HSE) coupled with several other long term absences in the guidance premises will not be subject to pro-active team did affect performance, although the Service inspections unless they are classed as high risk or continues to have the use of a relief EHO in Uist to the subject of a complaint. assist with urgent matters. All officers continued to be involved in a wide range of activities and functions All RIDDOR notifications were investigated, where it across the Services. was shown the Comhairle were the Enforcing Authority. An approximate split of the work of the Services is detailed below based on categories linked to those The chart below shows the activity for the year. The used by the APSE for benchmarking. This split does Service also served one Improvement Notice which is not include the work the support staff In Uist do for still outstanding. other areas of the Department).

Water Air Quality Animal Health 4% 1% 6% Accidents (RIDDOR) Contaminated Advisory Visits Consumer Land Trading Protection 2% Complaints Standards 7% 13% Health & ProActive Visits Pest Control Safety 3% 3% RE-Visits Public Health Environmenta Service Requests 8% l Enforcement 8% 0 5 10 15 20 25

Noise Licensing Food Hygiene 1% 9% 18% Animal Health Proactive animal health activity was on target (75% Landlord Reg against a 75% target) and other delivery was in 3% Housing Food accordance with the plan other than there was no Dogs 3% Standards 3% participation in industry liaison groups as none had 7% been held.

All animal premises subject to licence were visited and all were found to be satisfactory.

The Service has dealt with the following number of The Service also facilitated the local multi-agency recorded service requests this year. Safety Advisory Group which manages the safety of the various events held throughout the year, including 63 Animal Welfare/General 33 the Hebcelt and EDF festivals.

27 Framework Inspections 15 The Comhairle’s 2018 Annual Air Quality Progress Report was completed in June and there were no Strandings 5 3 significant changes including no significant new air 8 pollution sources identified. Agressive dogs-Actions 7 2017/18 13 2018/19 Stray Dog Actions 14 Food Safety Licence issued by section 12 The Food Service is mainly carried out in accordance 5 with the Food Law Code of Practice (Scotland) issued 9 under the Food Safety Act 1990. Recognition is also Stray/dead animal (exc dogs) 7 taken of the Practice Guidance issued by Food 1 Dog Control Notices 8 Standards Scotland. Premises details are shown in the following graph. Environmental Health Registered/Opened 47 49 2017/18 37 Service Requests Premises Closed 2018/19 The Service has dealt with the following number of 69 263 recorded service requests in the year. Hygiene Visits 332 General enquiry 79 246 58 Standards Visits 9 323 Contaminated Land 2 90 Dogs Fouling 45 Revisit & Others 48 97 68 Patrols-dog fouling areas 16 Dog Fouling FP Notice 2 Performance against targets is shown in the following 0 tables for the financial year to the end of the reporting Street/pavement littered 9 2 period. Information on the criteria used can be found Patrols-litter areas 8 1 in Annex 5 of the Code of Practice. Fly Tipping 8 10 Litter FP Notice 0 0 Food Hygiene 34 Public Health Nuisance 18 Cat Month No Due PI Visit Pass % Target Other 3 Drainage and Sewers 2 A-6 Monthly 5* 7 7 100 100 12 8 2017/18 B-12 Monthly 29 29 24 80 100 15 Housing-HHP tenant 3 5 2018/19 C-18 Monthly 106 73 46 63 80 Housing-Private Tenant 15 D-24 Monthly 125 60 44 73 80 8 Noise Issues 20 11 E-36 Monthly 233 98 Pest Control 49 28 Unrated 34 34 29 85 70 5 Licenses Issued by Section 18 23 New 48 48 31 64 100 6 Licence Consultations 85 104 Food Standards 2 Community Engagement 0 A-12 Monthly 8 8 7 87 100 4 1 24 Monthly Ship Sanitation Certificate 1 B- 156 55 37 67 80 35 16 C-60 Monthly 303 147 128 19 Smoking visits etc 7 Water/Radiation sample 30 Unrated 45 45 31 68 70 5 16 New 46 46 28 60 100 5 Other Service Requests 12 14 *3 premises went from A to B mid year 93 Planning Consultations 70 There were a number of missed PI inspections, 167 (FOI) Information Requests 194 primarily due to staffing absences which left the 3 Service over 0.75 fte down on a qualified EHO for the Algal Blooms 2 1 year in addition to the lack of an EHO in Uist and Barra Funerals 0 for most of the year. Although the pass rate is down Due to staffing issues the Service was unable to carry the majority of the missed inspections were inspected out as much proactive work as in previous years, in the financial year. however continued to respond to all complaints and enquiries. Food Hygiene Information Scheme (FHIS) premises rating can be found at The Service had also been involved in an ongoing https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/consumers/food- appeal against a Statutory Nuisance Notice under the safety/buying-food-eating-out/food-hygiene-information- Environmental Protection Act 1990, through the Sheriff scheme Court, which was finally settled outwith the formal appeal process. The number of premises in the Outer Hebrides under Doorstoppers” stickers displayed. In conjunction with the FHIS and Police Scotland a number of non-complaint power Eatsafe tools were seized from doorstep sellers on two schemes are separate occasions. shown in There have also been ongoing discussions, involving the various parties including, the Improvement Service adjacent and COSLA, regarding the future of trading chart. standards, however there has been limited progress Further regarding this in the last year. The Comhairle did details on explore joint working with other North authorities and the this is progressing on less formal basis than was Eatsafe originally planned. If clear benefits to this Scheme is collaborative approach can be shown then a more also formal approach may be considered again in the available at future. eatsafe.gov.uk. The Service also continues to contribute towards Other activities of the food service include: national intelligence gathering and working with Number Trading Standards Scotland and other local Hygiene Improvement Notice 3 authorities to ensure fair trading. Remedial Action Notices 1 Service requests and performance figures are shown Samples below. Microbiological 29 Service Requests Total < 14 days Target Composition & Labelling 17 Business Advice 26 4* 100% Shellfish-closure notices 4 Consumer Complaints 202 92** 80% Shellfish Registration Documents 1096 CD Notifications 84 Export Health Certificates 160 CD Referrals 48 Food Advice Requests 106 Metrology 55 Hygiene Complaints 8 General Requests 2 Standard Complaints 3 Tobacco and NVPs 10 Potential food poisoning notifications 14 Underperformance in business advice requests is Monitoring and management of the Food Standards due to the staffing issues mentioned above and Scotland sampling results for the 32 shellfish sites in cases are becoming more complex which require the area continues to cause seasonal workload, longer resolution response times. This is likely to particularly in the summer months, however better continue given the type of requests being made. management of toxin risks has resulted in fewer recalls and incidents over the last few years with no Licensing recalls last year. The Service continued to administer and issue a variety of licences which range from one to three Although generating extra income, export health years in duration. certification for products going to China continues to Licence Type Issued Live place an irregular but demanding strain on the 2018/19 service, as there can be months without any requests Animal Boarding 9 6 then several come in in one day that have to be dealt Dog Breeding 1 1 with immediately. Some prepatory work was careid Pet Shop 1 1 out in relation to the possibility of an increase in Horse Riding 3 2 certification in the event of a no deal Brexit. House in Multiple Occupation 17 31 Trading Standards Street Trader 4 17 Late Hours Catering 1 6 The Service continues to deal with ongoing issues Market Operator 2 15 concerning mailing scams and itinerant traders and Metal Dealers 0 4 continues to run campaigns to increase awareness. Acupuncture - Electrolysis 2 2 Due to a maternity absence (that we could not recruit Ear Piercing 1 1 to) the staffing of the service was short a Trading Tattooing etc. 0 5 Standards Officer for most of the year which has impacted on performance. Venison Dealers 2 8 Caravan Site 16 43 The Service also continues to work successfully with Explosives 4 8 the police on issues around doorstep sellers. The Petroleum 0 18 Doorstoppers Campaign is helping householders Licence Type Issued Live however there has been increased reports of Knife Dealers 2 3 doorstep sellers calling at houses which have the “No Second-hand Car 6 15 2017-18 the Citizens Advice Network in Scotland Second Hand Goods 0 2 implemented a new case management system. Total 71 188 Changes have also been made to the way statistical Landlords Registered 147 782 data is recorded to improve the consistency and Rented Properties 207 948 quality of reported data. Due to these changes 2017- Expired Registrations 15 18 data will not be comparable to previous years and the majority of Citizens Advice Bureaux will be In addition to the Services own licences, the Services reporting a reduction in numbers as a result; this is as consulted on over 100 License applications including predicted. Public Entertainment and Occasional Alcohol licenses. Citizen & Money Advice Services The Comhairle funds citizen and money advice in the Western Isles through a contracted service, monitored by Consumer and Environmental Services. This includes general information and advice to the public as well as advice on welfare benefits, housing advice, homelessness advice, debt advice, general advice and specialised money advice Western Isles Citizens Advice Service (WICAS) currently holds the contract and an outline of the services they have provided over the year is detailed below. WICAS have offices in Stornoway, Tarbert, WICAS continue to get requests for advice and Balivanich and Castlebay as well as staff providing an assistance across a broad range of subjects, with outreach service. benefit and debt advice still being the biggest areas The Comhairle funded contract is the main source of funding for WICAS and the service would be unable to continue in its current form without it. WICAS continues to rely heavily on volunteers, with 18 volunteers donating over 2251 hours in the year. WICAS had issues with securing accommodation in Barra for the last couple of years however have now managed to secure new premises (the former Visit Scotland premises) which should hopefully provide a long term solution. The calculated financial gain that WICAS achieved for its clients was £934,778, representing over £4 of concern. gain for every £1 of Comhairle funding.

The other main areas of advice are shown below

Client contacts to the Service are shown below, with figures for 2017/18 for comparison although during