Chamber and committees

This information is not held centrally. However, project information on non-commercial health related research carried out into ME in the last seven years is available from the National Research Register, a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 17404).

The Rehabilitation Technology Information Service (ReTIS), jointly funded by NHS boards, was established to provide a national information service in the field of Rehabilitation Technology (this includes the wheelchair and seating service). The information collected by ReTIS will be used to assist in the planning and management of services with the aim of improving performance. A copy of the ReTIS progress report published in August 2001 (Bib. number 20692) has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre together with an aggregated data service profile report for the wheelchair and seating service for the period April 2000 and March 2001 (Bib. number 20754).Further information on ReTIS can be obtained from its website at:www.retis.scot.nhs.uk.

The information requested is not held centrally. Funding for the service was devolved to NHS boards from April 1996.

I have arranged for a full set of the criteria applied for the provision of wheelchairs by NHSScotland to be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 20701).

The levels of traffic experienced on the Forth Road Bridge, expressed as northbound traffic are as follows:

1997-98	10,538,940
1998-99	10,390,699
1999-2000	10,933,567
2000-01	11,084,253
2001-02	11,303,629

On the basis of projected growth of 3.5% per year over March 2001 traffic levels, projections for northbound traffic using the Forth Road Bridge are:

2002-03	11, 835, 000
2003-04	12, 250, 000
2004-05	12, 680, 000
2005-06	13, 125, 000
2006-07	13, 585, 000
2007-08	14, 060, 000
2008-09	14, 550, 000
2009-10	15, 060, 000
2010-11	15, 585, 000
2011-12	16, 135, 000

The revenues received from the northbound toll on the Forth Road Bridge are:

1997-98	£ 8, 823, 373
1998-99	£ 8, 659, 142
1999-2000	£ 9, 054, 918
2000-01	£ 9, 150, 848
2001-02	£ 9, 293, 592

We accept the principle that Skillseekers should broaden its coverage, where the qualifications can support workplace competence and knowledge, and public funding for the qualifications is not already available. Over 80 qualifications outside Scottish Vocational Qualifications are already delivered as part of Skillseekers. £2 million will be spent over the next two years in developing new learning programmes for 16- 19-year-old employees.

Government aid, in the form of Regional Selective Assistance, was offered to inward investors locating in Fife in each of the three years from 1998 to 2001 as follows:

Year	Assistance Offered (£m)
1998 - 99	8
1999 - 2000	13
2000 - 01	8

Of the inward investment projects attracted to Scotland by Scottish Development International and its partners in the years 1998-2001, the proportion attracted to Fife is set out in the table:

Year	% of Total Projects	% of Total Jobs
1998-99	11	6
1999-2000	10	11
2000-01	9	16