Chamber and committees

The Scottish Executive has published within its Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland proposals to fund enhanced capitation payments (including fissure sealants) for children in deprivation categories 5, 6 and 7.

In the majority of health boards such targeting will limit these treatments to between 30-50% of the child population.

However, in rural and remote health boards such as Highland and Western Isles deprivation indices are not an accurate tool for targeting resources and the Scottish Executive will discuss with health boards and the British Dental Association how to appropriately target such services based on clinical criteria and/or social background.

A wealth of materials is available to support teachers in the delivery of health education. In particular the Health Education for Living Project (HELP), distributed to schools in 1995 and updated in 1998, is a curriculum framework for health education designed for use with all stages, from pre-school to S6. Oral and dental health issues are addressed at appropriate stages throughout HELP.

Consultants in Dental Public Health and Health Promotion Departments in health boards and Directors of Community Dental Services in Primary Care NHS Trusts liaise on strategic dental and oral health care issues with education authorities. At operational level, community dentists and dental health educators employed within the community dental service collaborate with general medical practitioners, general dental practitioners, health visitors, community dieticians and teachers on oral health promotion programmes, including dental health education, and on dental public health programmes, such as toothbrushing initiatives. The target groups for such programmes include children in schools, nurseries, playgroups, the parents of these children, pregnant women and nursing mothers.

In 1999 the Scottish Executive set up a working group to review workforce requirements for dentistry. Initial findings will shortly be published in the discussion document Workforce Planning for Dentistry in Scotland - A Strategic Review. This report will identify the number of dental hygienists, dental nurses, dental therapists and dental technicians recommended to be trained in Scotland.

Following the publication of this report, discussion will occur with educational bodies, health boards and Trusts on how to develop appropriate training courses and pathways for all the professions complementary to dentistry in Scotland.

A review group was also established in 1999 to consider workforce planning and education issues for the professions complimentary to dentistry, including dental nurses.

As I said in Parliament on 21 September, a wide-ranging document on children's oral health will be issued in the New Year. It will describe what the Executive is currently doing and seek views on what further measures might be taken. It will also seek views on fluoridation of public water supplies as well as other options such as fluoride tablets and fluoridated drinks.

The Scottish Executive's drive to improve the diet of young people is being taken forward in line with the Scottish Diet Action Plan, "Eating for Health". A wide variety of action is underway at both national and local level, ranging from healthy eating campaigns targeting the young by the Health Education Board for Scotland, health boards and schools, through to community food initiatives, School Nutrition Action Groups, cooking skills courses and healthy eating vending machines within schools. Encouragingly, and also noted in the Chief Medical Officer's Report, there have been significant increases in young people's consumption of fruit, vegetables, salads, low fat milk, pasta and rice.

The reported increase in consumption of chips, sweets and fatty foods is, however, clearly a matter for concern. The Executive is, therefore, continuing to give priority to the encouragement of healthier food choices by young people. New initiatives are being introduced, such as extension of breakfast clubs and fruit and salad bars in schools and provision of fruit for infants - all supported by the recently announced £26 million Health Improvement Fund. The forthcoming appointment of a national diet action co-ordinator whose responsibilities will include working closely with those interests exercising a major influence on young people's diet, will also make an important contribution.

The Children (Scotland) Act 1995 provides for a range of measures which, if used appropriately and timeously, should protect children who are known to be at risk of harm from their parents or guardians.

The Scottish Executive provides funds to the Scottish Road Safety Campaign for the development of road safety educational materials and publicity initiatives. The campaign organises national road safety education initiatives and publicity campaigns as well as providing education and publicity materials to road safety units throughout Scotland, including Highland. These materials will be available for use in support of the campaign by Highland Health Board, Highland Council and Northern Constabulary.

The Scottish Executive is taking forward a range of measures which seek to reduce the levels of smoking by young people in Scotland. Although aimed at young people generally, aspects relating specifically to girls are addressed. The measures include health education and promotion activities such as Smokeline (pregnant young women are a priority group), the "blue sticks" TV commercial which has a strong female bias; materials for primary and secondary pupils; targeted smoking cessation services and a new enforcement package to target under age sales of tobacco. Moreover, an element of the £26 million health promotion fund which I announced on 20 August will be used for a major education drive to cut teenage smoking. We intend that this will take account of the differences between girls and boys smoking and be targeted accordingly.

I hope to be in a position to publish the report "Hepatitis C and the Heat Treatment of Blood Products for Haemophiliacs in the mid-1980s" very shortly.