Chamber and committees

The Executive supports a "no proof, no sale" policy in relation to age-restricted goods such as alcohol and tobacco and is clearly disturbed if shopkeepers acting responsibly to avoid illegal sales are intimidated in this way. We are keen to tackle retail crime and will continue to work with retailers, through, for example, the Scottish Business Crime Centre-led Safer City Centres, to identify approaches to reduce crime and violence in the business sector.

The Health Technology Board for Scotland became a part of NHS Quality Improvement Scotland on 1 January 2003. NHS Quality Improvement Scotland works with experts to identify whether there are important differences in Scotland that may affect the suitability of NICE guidance for NHSScotland. When NICE publishes its final guidance on this subject, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland will issue the NICE guidance stating whether it is as valid for Scotland as for England and Wales. If important differences are identified between Scotland and England/Wales, NHS Quality Improvement Scotland will develop the NICE guidance.All NICE guidance has recommendations for further research, such as clinical trials, which need to be addressed by researchers and funding bodies.

Foetal anti-convulsant syndrome describes the range of congenital abnormalities that can occur in children born to mothers taking anti-convulsant medication to control epilepsy during pregnancy. The syndrome is associated with a wide range of conditions and problems, including minor birth defects and physical and learning disabilities. The pattern of impairment also varies widely. Therefore, Executive policy on services for children with disabilities, or other needs for additional support for learning will apply to children affected by foetal anti-convulsant syndrome. These include our plans to introduce through legislation a new framework for meeting children's needs for additional support for learning, and our Integrated Strategy for the Early Years to improve the health and well-being of young children (aged 0 to five), recently published for consultation.

This information is not held centrally.

The Performance Audit Group's (PAG) field engineers regularly inspect motorways and record observations on litter, amongst other issues. PAG advises the operating companies and the Scottish Executive through an established reporting system when litter accumulations are observed which do not comply or are approaching non-compliance with the trunk road contract requirements, which incorporates the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the associated Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse.In addition, PAG carries out detailed monthly monitoring of the condition of the network at pre-selected sites. This monitoring includes an assessment of litter accumulations relative to the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

At present there is no legal obligation on developers to provide information to prospective purchasers on the arrangements for the maintenance of common ground and the adoption of roads. Houses are sold on the basis of caveat emptor, buyer beware. It is up to the buyer (with the assistance of their agent, usually a solicitor) to satisfy themselves as to the suitability of the property they are buying.The arrangements for the maintenance of common ground and obligations on owners are usually set out as title conditions in relevant title deeds which should be brought to the attention of prospective buyers by their agents before missives are concluded. In the case of roads, the title deeds will usually provide for their upkeep and maintenance until such time as the roads are adopted by the local authority if that is the intention. If there is no undertaking or intention that the roads should be adopted by the local authority then the purchaser's agent should draw this to the attention of the prospective purchaser.The Housing Improvement Task Force, which reported in March 2003, raised a number of concerns about the sales contracts used by some developers. In particular, the task force noted evidence from the Law Society's Conveyancing Committee that deeds of conditions including important conditions relating to common maintenance obligations are not always prepared at the point of conclusion of missives and there is a concern that purchasers do not have all the information that should be available to them at the point of purchase. The Executive is consulting on the recommendations of the Housing Improvement Task Force and will come to a view on what action it should take later in the year.

Maintenance obligations relating to a property and any common ground in which it has a share are set out as title conditions in the relevant title deeds. These conditions form part of the agreement of sale of the property. Under current arrangements an agent acting on behalf of the purchaser will demand to have sight of deeds containing conditions of tenure as part of the process of concluding missives. This usually takes place after the purchaser has made an offer to buy the property.Solicitors and other purchasing agents should draw to the attention of their clients the obligations to which they will become subject when they purchase a house. Obligations for the maintenance of common ground should therefore be brought to the attention of a prospective purchaser prior to the conclusion of the sale of a property as part of the existing process of house purchase. The Housing Improvement Task Force which reported in March 2003 has recommended that sellers of residential properties should provide a "Purchaser's Information Pack" when the property is put on the market. The pack would contain standard documents and information including a statement of the obligations attaching to a property. The intention behind the recommendation is that prospective purchasers should be informed of any common property obligations before they make an offer to purchase. The Executive is consulting on the recommendations of the Housing Improvement Task Force and will come to a view on what action it should take later in the year.

At present there are no obligations on developers to provide information to prospective purchasers on any planning conditions attached to the house. Houses are sold on the basis of caveat emptor, buyer beware. It is up to the buyer (with the assistance of their agent, usually a solicitor) to satisfy themselves as to the suitability of the property they are buying.Agents will at present ask to see copies of planning consents and building warrants relevant to work carried out on the property which is being offered for sale. They will also seek assurances that no further planning consents have been granted for the immediate area. Failure to do so may amount to professional negligence on the part of the agent.The Housing Improvement Task Force which reported in March 2003 has recommended that sellers of residential properties should provide a "Purchaser's Information Pack" which would include standard documents and information for prospective purchasers. This would include copies of any planning, listed building and building regulations consents and approvals, or a building standards inspection report if the relevant consents cannot be provided. The Executive is consulting on the recommendations of the Housing Improvement Task Force and will come to a view on what action it should take later in the year.

As ministers we want to be able to appoint more people to the boards of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) from population groups that are currently under-represented, including people under 35. That is why I welcome the recent appointment of the youngest ever member of NDPB, Ceit-Anna Macleod, a 19-year-old student, to the board of the Bòrd Gaidhlig na h-Alba. We are doing a great deal to try to attract more young people like her to apply. We have for example worked with organisations like Youthlink Scotland and the Scottish Youth Parliament on research programmes and a board member shadowing scheme. We have also legislated to give the new Public Appointments Commissioner for Scotland (PACS), who will be appointed by the Parliament later this year, a specific responsibility to promote diversity on our NDPBs. We look forward to working with the PACS as he or she draws up a diversity strategy for public appointments and reviews targets for under-represented groups. A key task will be to build on our work to date in raising awareness of the opportunities on NDPBs among younger people.

I am pleased to announce the publication today of the document, Implementation of the National Cultural Strategy: Guidance for Scottish Local Authorities. This is a joint publication with COSLA in the spirit of the kind of partnership activity that the guidance advocates. The guidance explores and identifies approaches and good practice for delivering local authorities' core cultural provision and the wide range of other core activities in which culture can play an important role. The guidance is commended to all local authorities, cultural agencies and other interested parties. Copies are available from the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 27154) and on the Executive website.