I refer you to my reply to questionS2W-15461 on 18 April 2005, and the Executives Health Department’s White Paper Partnershipfor Care sets out our commitment to the training and development of qualifiedstaff to Continued Professional Development (CPD) and the entitlement for trainingfor all other health service staff in Scotland.

Each NHSScotland boards holdswithin their annual funding allocation a budget for nursing and midwifery post-registrationeducation, and therefore they will be working in partnership with their nursingstaff to ensure that they are supported and encouraged to develop and maintain theirskills.

Once NHS boards, as employersof NHSScotland staff, have determined that nurse prescribing is a requirement of the nurse’s role and that patient care would benefit from this extension to thenurse’s role, the nurse in question would make an application to undertake an academiccourse which appropriately meets their needs. This application would be made inpartnership with the health service manager as part of service planning and developmentand who will be required to authorise any study leave. The Executive pay the coursefees and make a contribution to the replacement costs involved while the nurse ison study leave.

NHS boards, will wish to ensurethat all health care professionals, not just nurses, maintain their CPD to ensurethat they continue to be registered with the relevant registration body as fit topractise. It is a requirement of continuing professional registration that qualifiedstaff have CPD.

All NHS boards will now be reviewingtheir arrangements for CPD and other staff development as part of their implementationof the pay modernisation scheme we know as Agenda for Change. This schemethrough the Knowledge and Skills Framework encourages health service employers toprovide development opportunities and career progression for their employees.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for whichcan be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The following table providesinformation on how much funding the Scottish Executive has made available to each localauthority over 2004-08 to tackle antisocial behaviour. The funding made availablein 2004-05 and 2005-06 was allocated for community wardens and for services to supportpeople affected by antisocial behaviour, for example helplines, neighbour mediation,victim support and specialised antisocial behaviour teams. From 2006, Executivefunding will support the priorities identified by local authorities and their CommunityPlanning Partners, in consultation with local people, as part of their antisocialbehaviour strategies.

Local Authority	2004-05 (£)	2005-06 (£)	2006-07 (£)	2007-08 (£)	Total (£)
Glasgow City	2,487,000	2,760,950	3,238,000	3,401,000	11,886,950
Edinburgh, City of	1,685,000	1,869,950	2,210,000	2,374,000	8,138,950
North Lanarkshire	1,685,000	1,869,950	2,210,000	2,374,000	8,138,950
Dundee City	1,685,000	1,869,950	2,210,000	2,374,000	8,138,950
Renfrewshire	1,364,000	1,513,550	1,765,000	1,900,000	6,542,550
Aberdeen City	1,364,000	1,513,550	1,765,000	1,900,000	6,542,550
West Dunbartonshire	1,364,000	1,513,550	1,765,000	1,900,000	6,542,550
Inverclyde	1,364,000	1,513,550	1,765,000	1,900,000	6,542,550
Fife	843,000	935,550	1,150,000	1,300,000	4,228,550
South Lanarkshire	843,000	935,550	1,150,000	1,300,000	4,228,550
North Ayrshire	843,000	935,550	1,150,000	1,300,000	4,228,550
East Ayrshire	843,000	935,550	1,068,000	1,130,000	3,976,550
West Lothian	642,000	712,800	835,500	880,000	3,070,300
Falkirk	642,000	712,800	835,500	880,000	3,070,300
Dumfries and Galloway	642,000	712,800	835,500	880,000	3,070,300
South Ayrshire	642,000	712,800	835,500	880,000	3,070,300
Highland	369,000	409,400	480,000	519,000	1,777,400
Perth and Kinross	369,000	409,400	480,000	519,000	1,777,400
Clackmannanshire	369,000	409,400	480,000	519,000	1,777,400
Stirling	369,000	409,400	480,000	519,000	1,777,400
Angus	369,000	409,400	480,000	519,000	1,777,400
Midlothian	369,000	409,400	480,000	519,000	1,777,400
East Renfrewshire	369,000	409,400	480,000	519,000	1,777,400
East Dunbartonshire	369,000	409,400	480,000	519,000	1,777,400
Aberdeenshire	248,000	275,750	320,000	335,000	1,178,750
Scottish Borders	248,000	275,750	320,000	335,000	1,178,750
East Lothian	248,000	275,750	320,000	335,000	1,178,750
Moray	248,000	275,750	320,000	335,000	1,178,750
Argyll and Bute	184,000	204,700	247,000	260,000	895,700
Eilean Siar	184,000	204,700	225,000	245,000	858,700
Shetland Islands	184,000	204,700	225,000	245,000	858,700
Orkney Islands	184,000	204,700	225,000	245,000	858,700
Total	23,618,000	26,215,400	30,830,000	33,160,000	113,823,400

 

Details on nursing vacanciescan be accessed on the attached ISD website link in tables E7 to E10.http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/info3.jsp?pContentID=1350&p_applic=CCC&p_service=Content.show&.

Responsibility for food law in Scotland lies with the Food Standards Agency, including the legislation on food additives and colours.

The agency has advised me that the use of additives in all foods is strictly regulated at European level and kept under constant review. It is the agency’s policy that no additive should be permitted unless there is convincing evidence that it will not harm consumers. Safety is the over-riding concern when food additives are being evaluated.

The agency has informed me that the list of permitted additives (other than colours and sweeteners), and their conditions of use, is currently being updated in line with advice from the Scientific Committee on Food (now the European Food Safety Authority’s Scientific Panel on Food Additives) and to take account of technological progress.

There are currently no plans to update the list of permitted colours in food.

NHS 24 currently provides access to 120 different languages through British Telecom’s Language Line, which allows safe, quality-controlled access to an immediate translation service for the Scottish public. There are no plans to recruit Gaelic-speaking nurse advisers specifically, as Language Line is capable of fully meeting demands placed on it from the Gaelic-speaking community - so far, the Gaelic translation service has not been required or requested.

NHS 24 does have one nurse adviser on the staff who speaks Gaelic, although the individual is employed for their professional and clinical skills rather than their ability to speak Gaelic.

Respiratory nurse specialists work with patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other respiratory conditions.

As at 30 September 2004, there were 48 Respiratory Nurse Specialists across NHSScotland. The numbers in each NHS board area are shown in the following table .

Argyll and Clyde	7
Ayrshire and Arran	1
Borders	2
Dumfries and Galloway	1
Fife	2
Forth Valley	4
Greater Glasgow	4
Grampian	4
Highland	0
Lanarkshire	8
Lothian	12
Orkney	0
Shetland	0
Tayside	3
Western Isles	0
Scotland	48

 

Further information is published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statistics, at www.isdscotland.org/workforce.

Generally there is no difference in toxicity but there can be some minor variation in the naturally occurring fluoride depending on the chemical make up of its source.

There is no indication of toxicological concern for either the concentrations of fluoride ions or related chemical species, naturally or artificially added, in UK public drinking water supplies.

As NHS 24 was introduced into each NHS board area, a significant programme of work was carried out by NHS 24 and the NHS board to capture a wealth of local data regarding services. This information is held on NHS 24’s national database and helps to support the delivery of care. Each NHS board is responsible for ensuring that updates are passed back to NHS 24 to ensure maximum operational efficiency. NHS 24 has on-going staff awareness training to highlight the contents of this comprehensive database, which details the services available in each local area. This training helps staff to access and navigate the electronic system more effectively.

NHS 24 is also developing an improved directory of available local services. This will be even more comprehensive and easier to use. It is also planned that this improved system will contain a highly effective, geographical information system which uses the latest technology. This will give NHS 24 staff a greater working knowledge of the geography and road networks which are local to the patient or caller.

NHS 24 staff and colleagues in the local out-of-hours services remain in regular contact to ensure that patients are seen in the most appropriate place for their care, and by the right professional.

There have been discussions between the Executive and Highland Council about this road project but, as the route is the responsibility of the local authority, no direct approach for funding.

The Executive is currently reviewing the criteria for infertility treatment set out in EAGISS and its implementation in NHS boards across Scotland. The Executive will work closely with boards to support implementation of any revised criteria.