Chamber and committees

I replied to question S2W-23443on 6 April 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Business Improvement Districts(BID) do not feed directly into the regeneration strategy but can contribute towardsthe regeneration of the areas in which they are located.

BIDs are intended to be led bylocal businesses and will be largely funded by the same businesses. As a result,the main criteria used by the steering group to assess the applications for the Business Improvement Districts pilotsannounced on 19 March 2006 were evidenceof engagement with, and involvement of, the business community in each area; supportand backing from the local authority, and sustainability.

A range of measures are in placeto ensure that our decisions result in benefit and compliance across Scottish Executivedepartments. Policy and legislative proposals are subject to wide consultation,impact assessment - including with reference to key cross-cutting themes, and parliamentaryscrutiny. Once implemented, the impact of decisions is subject to on-going assessmentand evaluation. Specific systems are in place to monitor and support the implementationof decisions across all departments, including, for example, through the role of the Scottish Executive Delivery Unit. I hold regular stocktaking meetings with portfolioministers and provide updates on progress to Cabinet.

I refer the member to thequestion S2W-22919 answered on 22 February 2006. As indicated ScottishEnterprise has sought to hear the views of MSPs through the appropriatecommittee and taken those into account in shaping its proposals on structuralchange.

All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility forwhich can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Smart Successful Scotlandsets out the Executive’s strategic direction to the Enterprise Networks. ScottishEnterprise is required to follow this in drawing up its Operating Plan and in amanner so as to achieve progress against the measures set out in MeasuringProgress towards a Smart, Successful Scotland.

The Scottish Executive’sstrategic direction for the Enterprise Networks, A Smart, Successful Scotland, requires ScottishEnterprise to promote economic growth in a way that supports closing theopportunity gap.

As far as the Scottish Executive is aware there is no Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) investigationinto pay inequalities in Scottish local government currently underway.

However, the EOCdid launch a general formal investigationinto the role and status of classroom assistants in Scottish primary schools on23 January 2006. The investigation will run for 12 months and is based onrecent EOC pilot research indicating that classroom assistants are an exampleof jobs that are undervalued because they involve skills linked with domesticand caring roles, historically associated with women.

To inform and complement thework of the investigation, the EOC has established an advisory board. Keystakeholders will participate in the advisory board, including representativesof the Scottish Executive’s Education Department.

The national strategy makesclear that the Executive would expect the full range of contraceptive methodsto be made available to patients.

The National Sexual HealthAdvisory Committee has set up a number of sub-groups to consider theimplementation of various aspects of the strategy. The provision of appropriatecontraception including the use of long acting reversible contraception isbeing considered by one of these sub-groups. The guidelines developed by the NationalInstitute for Clinical Excellence will be reviewed as part of this.

The Executive has written to all NHS boards copied to local authoritiesasking for information on progress with regard to the recommendations withinthe strategy and about their inter-agency strategies and clinical plans. This will be reported to the National Sexual HealthAdvisory Committee (NSHAC), and it is our intention to publish an annualprogress report, with the first one due in the summer of 2006. These annualreviews will be complemented by a more comprehensive five yearly review,carried out by NSHAC.

This is a matter for the NHSboards. The information requested is not held centrally.

However, the national sexualhealth strategy, Respect and Responsibility, contains actions for the Scottish ExecutiveHealth Department to consider the potential of development and testing of STI diagnostictesting kits in rural and urban settings. It also tasks the department with consideringthe potential extension of the chlamydia postal testing kit in the light of theevaluation of the Healthy Respect initiative. Scottish Executive officials are activelypursuing these actions with key stakeholders and will report progress to the NationalSexual Health Advisory Committee.

It is our intention to ensurethat where boards do want to use postal testing kits they are made available ina cost effective way, through bulk and shared purchasing. The Executive is planningto provide a seminar for lead clinicians on the results of the Chlamydia PostalTesting Kit, to help them assess the suitability of the kits for their service provision.