Legislation places local authorities under a duty to determine and keep under review the maximum amount it can afford to allocate to capital expenditure. This requires them to consider the amount of borrowing it will need to undertake, and in doing so local authorities are required to have regard to the Prudential Code. The Prudential Code requires expenditure plans to be affordable, prudent and sustainable.

The prudential code requires local authorities to determine three indicators for borrowing. The first requires them to determine an Authorised Limit which is an upper limit placed upon external debt. The second is to determine an Operational Boundary which is the limit placed upon external debt based upon the most likely borrowing requirement. The operational boundary therefore links directly with the local authority''s plans for capital expenditure, and is the key management tool of in year monitoring. At the end of each year a local authority will calculate its actual external debt. The Scottish Government collects data on these prudential indicators from local authorities.

The measurement of debt to fixed assets is not one of the prudential indicators.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) is developing clinical standards for neurological conditions. Standard statement 2 is that patients with suspected neurological disorders are assessed by clinicians who specialise in neurological conditions and patients are assessed within timescales dictated by their clinical needs. NHS QIS published the draft standards for consultation on 24 November 2008 , with publication due in summer 2009.

We have provided Action for ME with funding to develop a Scottish Good Practice Statement for GPs on CFS/ME. This is intended to ensure better and more consistent standards of care for patients, including quicker and more reliable diagnosis of the illness and agreed clinical/diagnostic criteria for CFS/ME. The advice is due to be published in the near future. It is expected to include information about the specialists to whom GPs might make a referral.

The NHS in Scotland works with local government and voluntary sector partners as well as patients and their carers to offer care and treatment which is in accordance with clinical evidence of effectiveness.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (QIS) has worked with stakeholders to develop integrated care pathways to improve how schizophrenia and other mental health conditions are managed by health and other care systems over time. The first stage of accreditation for these pathways is by September this year.

The Scottish Recovery Network undertakes work across Scotland that promotes the evidence that people can and do recover from mental illness and that those who continue to have symptoms of illness can live meaningful and fulfilling lives.

Centrally collected information is not available.

In most cases those requiring access to mental health services already receive treatment well within 18 weeks. However, for those areas where delays occur, we have been considering a new waiting time target and work is already underway towards establishing a target for referral to treatment for specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services for 2010-11. Access to psychological therapies will also be receiving similar attention over the coming months.

The safety of medicines is reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA and its independent advisory committee the commission on Human Medicines keep the safety of all licensed medicines, including hormone replacement therapy (HRT), under close review.

Comprehensive information on the risks and benefits of HRT can be found on the MHRA''s website www.mhra.gov.uk.

NHS Quality Improvement Scotland (NHS QIS) is developing clinical standards for neurological conditions. Standard statement 1 is that an effective and comprehensive neurological health service is available and offered across all NHS boards. NHS QIS published the draft standards for consultation on 24 November 2008, with publication due in summer 2009.

Other initiatives which will contribute to consistency of services are the Scottish Good Practice Statement on CFS/ME being developed for GPs by Action for ME, and the needs assessment being carried out by the Scottish Public Health Network. A Managed Clinical Network approach would also help to promote consistency of services.

GPs, as independent contractors, are expected to highlight and address their own education needs throughout their careers. They are also expected to follow locally agreed and national clinical guidelines on the management of patients with CFS/ME.

GPs are supported in this by NHS boards, for example through the Protected Learning Time initiatives which allows supported time for training.

The Scottish Good Practice Statement for GPs on CFS/ME will, amongst other things, help lay the foundations for a basic training package for health professionals. Development of the advice has involved the assessment of a wide range of material, including international work, in order to produce a document suited to Scottish circumstances. The advice is due to be published in the near future.

As part of the Single Outcome Agreement (SOA) approach, Councils (for the 2008-09 SOA) and Community Planning Partnerships (for subsequent SOAs) will be expected to report to the Scottish Government and their local communities each year. Reports for 2008-09 will be due in September 2009. These reports will describe progress made towards local outcomes, including those outcomes relating to health and physical activity, and show how this progress contributes to the Scottish Government''s National Outcomes. The Scottish Government will ensure that the reports are made available for scrutiny by Parliament.

Cash savings of £1.41 million and productivity savings of £1.49 million were made from the NHS Shared Support Services Programme in 2007-08. Further cash savings of £4.34 million will be achieved in 2008-09. These savings are retained by NHS boards for local reinvestment.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-21511 on 10 March 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.