Chamber and committees

My answer to the member's earlier question (S1W-21411) sets out the position regarding clinical effectiveness and availability of photodynamic therapy for cancer.Service development is subject to the normal NHS Board local health planning processes, based on assessed needs of resident patient populations.

A formal designation of urban regeneration areas no longer exists in Scottish Executive policy. Some areas that were previously designated for urban regeneration have been incorporated into Social Inclusion Partnership (SIP) programmes. Schools currently form a major part of the Digital Scotland Pathfinder projects intended to roll out broadband infrastructure in the first instance to the public sector in the South of Scotland and the Highlands and Islands respectively. The Executive will be discussing with individual education authorities and with groups of authorities outside the Pathfinder areas their needs in relation to broadband in order to determine what levels and kinds of support it can offer in each case.Following these discussions, and taking into account progress in the Pathfinder areas, the Executive will be in a position to offer a range of advice and support to those education authorities that are not included in the Pathfinder projects.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21173.

The regulation of activities relating to the sending of direct marketing faxes is reserved to the UK Government. The Executive is not aware of any data gathered related to the estimated cost to businesses of using premium rate phone calls to respond to unsolicited faxes.

The Executive has not undertaken any analysis of unsolicited faxes sent to schools.

NHSScotland planning is directed to achieve consistent access to appropriate telecommunications network services across all general medical practices including those in urban regeneration areas. General medical practices across Scotland are linked to secure, private NHS telecommunications network facilities. Where appropriate these links, which are in the main ISDN links, are upgraded to higher capacity lines, for example in larger Health Centres. Where clinical need justifies it, for example in telemedicine applications, broadband technologies can be made available. It is anticipated that needs will increase and, in keeping with the Executive's broadband strategy, future contracts for telecommunications services will continue to ensure that higher bandwidths are available as necessary.

The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including the regulation of unsolicited faxes.

The regulation of activities relating to the sending of direct marketing faxes and premium rate phone services is reserved to the UK Government.Individuals are protected by law from receiving direct marketing faxes, and corporate subscribers can apply for the same protection by registering with the Fax Preference Service (FPS) run by the Direct Marketing Association. The law also requires that direct marketing faxes must include the name and either the address of the sender or a freephone telephone number on which the sender can be contacted. Any individual or FPS subscriber who receives an unsolicited marketing fax may complain to the Information Commissioner's Office, which investigates cases and can fine or bar offending parties where appropriate. Premium rate service providers are regulated by the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services (ICSTIS) which requires service providers, among other things, to state the charge for calls to each service clearly in all promotions. Those who breach the Code may be fined or disconnected. Anyone with a query or complaint about a premium rate service may contact ICSTIS directly on their freephone number.

The Scottish Executive launched a broadband strategy on 31 August 2001 with the aim of promoting affordable pervasive broadband across Scotland. The strategy includes aggregated public sector procurement which will be taken forward initially in two pathfinder areas - the Highlands and Islands and South of Scotland. We aim to invest in broadband capacity for public services in a way that stimulates providers to supply a wider range of services to businesses and consumers. Depending on market development we will consider how far the zonal approach needs to be extended beyond the pathfinder areas. The Executive is also beginning to look at broadband demand stimulation measures. As a first step we are looking at how we can utilise the DTI £30 million broadband fund for this. £4.4 million has been allocated to Scotland for innovative broadband projects. We have worked with the enterprise agencies to develop proposals, including demand stimulation measures and network projects. This approach is intended to complement the work in pathfinder areas. Projects are likely to be spread across Scotland, including areas outwith the pathfinders.

Over the past 30 years, grants were made available to local authorities to provide sites for travellers. Pitch targets were also set to encourage councils to take advantage of the grant scheme. This has led to the provision of over 30 sites for travellers. The grant scheme was discontinued in December 1998.For the future, local authorities should consider the accommodation needs of Travellers in preparing their Local Housing Strategies. Communities Scotland, as regulator of the housing functions of local authorities, will regulate local authority sites for travellers.