Chamber and committees

The National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-Being has four key aims of: raising awareness of positive mental health and promoting mental health and well-being; eliminating the stigma and discrimination that can be associated with mental health; suicide prevention, and promoting and supporting recovery from mental health problems.

In relation to children, we have recently published for consultation Children and Young People's Mental Health: A Framework for Promotion, Prevention and Care. This is intended to assist local health, education and social work services in planning and delivering integrated approaches to children and young people's mental health, including for those children and young people with autistic spectrum disorder.

In addition, a national conference on medical interventions for people with autistic spectrum disorders is being planned for later this year. The conference will consider a range of health issues, including mental health problems.

Yes. The coming into force of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 will not affect the validity of powers of attorney registered under the 2000 act. Continuing and welfare powers of attorney are regulated by the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. For a power of attorney to have authority,it must be registered with the Office of the Public Guardian under section 19 of the 2000 act.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-9760, on 16 August 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Our health improvement programme focuses strongly on improving diet for all age groups, starting with children, and raising physical activity levels – a combined approach endorsed by the World Health Authority. Action is being taken for example through nutrient defined school meals, and recruitment of 620 Active School co-ordinators in addition to a range of measures to improve access to healthy food and increase opportunities for physical activity in schools, workplaces, homes and communities. Our healthy living campaign is the public face of our health promotion efforts covering both diet and physical activity and highlighting obesity.

I have today arranged for the release of a spreadsheet detailing direct and indirect grants to voluntary organisations in 2004-05. In 2004-05 the Executive will be providing £319 million directly and £85 million indirectly - £404 million in total - to the voluntary sector in Scotland. This is an increase of £30 million from last year, reflecting the Scottish Executive’s continued commitment to the sector.

Copies of the spreadsheets are available from the Parliament’s Reference Centre and the Scottish Executive website (Bib. numbers 34531 – Direct and 34532 – Indirect).

This is a matter for NHS boards.

The Holyrood Project Team has written to all Trade Package contractors involved in the Holyrood project and, from the responses received, a total of 113 apprentices have been involved in work relating to the project. Of that number, 38 were directly employed on site.

Planning permission for PPP projects is normally obtained through the usual planning application process.

The requirements in relation to notices of intention to develop and planningapplications are broadly similar.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1925 on 1 September 2003. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

The Care Commission inspected the day care service on 22 March 2004 and produced a report.

The Wanless Report, publishedin April 2002, concluded that private funding mechanisms, such as voucher schemes,tended to be more expensive and less equitable than the current model of financingthe NHS. They are also regressive since those with the greatest health needs paythe most.

Any system seeking to divertfunds from the NHS to the private sector could have an impact on the viability ofa number of NHS hospitals.