Chamber and committees

Patients who have suffered a stroke are assessed by the health care team and their needs identified in order that care can be provided by the appropriate members of the team. The Coronary Heart Disease/Stroke Task Force acknowledges the role which the Professions Allied to Medicine (PAM) make to our response to the care of people suffering from these conditions. The report is out for consultation, and the covering letter specifically invites comments about the ways in which the contribution of PAMs could be extended in future.

The primary difference between Udal and Feudal land law is that Udal land is held outright by the owner and is not subject to any superior interest, including the Crown. This difference will be removed by the Abolition of Feudal Tenure etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 which provides for the abolition of superior interests in Feudal land on the appointed day. Land will then be owned outright.

Another distinguishing feature, is that under Udal law the foreshore in Orkney and Shetland is treated in the same way as land above the high water mark across the rest of Scotland. Consequently, it is possible for Udal titles to land to include the foreshore as property.

Another distinctive feature of Udal land is that, unlike Feudal land, ownership may be transferred without the requirement of a written title. This difference will disappear once the Land Register becomes operational in Orkney and Shetland from 1 April 2003 as the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 provides that an acquirer of Udal land will only obtain a real right to the land on registration.

The payment of skat, which is considered to be a form of land tax, is an incident of Udal land law. It has not been competent to create new skats since 1974 and both skat and feuduty will be extinguished on the appointed day.

The general law of Scotland applies to land across Scotland. In areas where Udal tenure subsists, Udal land may differ from land held on feudal tenure, and it is therefore consistent with the law of Scotland for adjacent pieces of land in these areas to be held under different systems of land tenure.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-17675. The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill does not make any specific provision in relation to Udal Law.

It is possible that charges of culpable and reckless conduct could be brought against doctors or pharmacists in these circumstances. However, any charges and subsequent prosecutions would be determined entirely by the specific circumstances surrounding each case.

The Scottish Executive has supported the case by The Highland Council for the imposition of measures to ensure access to Gatwick from Inverness. The Minister for Transport and Planning wrote to the UK Government on 8 October with a formal request to impose a Public Service Obligation on the Inverness-Gatwick route and to implement measures which will secure the slots required to maintain the service. No similar work is being undertaken in relation to the restoration of an Inverness-Heathrow route.

The content of the undergraduate medical curriculum is a matter for the General Medical Council (GMC), which is a body independent of government. Currently the GMC recommends that each university cover a core curriculum, encompassing the essential knowledge and skills and the appropriate attitudes to be acquired by the time of graduation. In addition, the core curriculum should be augmented by a series of special study modules, which allow students to study areas of particular interest. While it will not be possible or appropriate for all medical schools to provide training in rural health, it is already open to students and schools to access and provide this training on an individual basis.

The GMC is reviewing its recommendations regarding undergraduate medical education at present and the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland represents the Scottish Executive's interests.

In addition, the Scottish Executive is working with a range of organisations, including the Remote and Rural Areas Resource Initiative (RARARI), to develop measures to support and improve health care in rural areas. This includes RARARI's exploration of the scope for developing a multi-professional Faculty of Rural Health Care.

The Scottish Executive is not undertaking any review of the level of funding for infertility services in Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18296 on 4 October 2001.

The Clinical Resource and Audit Group (CRAG) is funding a national confidential enquiry into methadone related deaths.

The enquiry report will be published once it has been reviewed and approved by the Clinical Effectiveness Programmes Sub-Group of CRAG.