Chamber and committees

I refer Ms Scanlon to the responses to her earlier related questions (S1W-8866, S1W-8871 and S1W-8872). Methadone treatment is a long-term process and joint assessment and care management arrangements are an important component of any good programme. Good joint assessment ensures that the best kind of detoxification takes place - whether in the person's own home or in a residential centre. The Executive is actively considering the inclusion of questions about such service models in the reporting templates for Drug Action Teams in 2001-02 which will help in giving us a better idea of what is available at local level.

Of course a number of good services already exist such as the "Social Firm" project in Angus, which provides links to people coming off drugs with education and employment. Another good initiative is the "Backpacking" home care projects in Ayrshire which involve nurses going to people's homes and offering support to those trying to harm reduce or come off drugs. Funding has been given under the New Futures Fund to 21 projects which all seek to encourage people to move away from their drugs habit and develop a personal action plan to improve their employability skills. For example, the Glasgow Community Drugs project offers support and a drop-in facility for methadone users and provides an activities programme to support them in the transition to further training and an outreach service.

I recently announced that I was making an extra £1 million available to voluntary sector organisations for the development of drug rehabilitation services through section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. While applications for a share of this funding are currently under consideration, a feature of the bidding process has been that some areas are attempting to decrease the number of people being sent to residential rehabilitation by developing local services that include home detoxification facilities. These resources should, therefore, help in improving the provision of services for people, including methadone users, who want to come off drugs and be rehabilitated into the community.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

The information is set out in the table below and covers the five-year period 1995-96 to 1999-2000.

Establishment	Capital Investment £ million
Aberdeen	1.76
Barlinnie	12.17
Castle Huntly	0.47
Cornton Vale	3.05
Dumfries	3.79
Edinburgh	11.74
Glenochil	5.05
Greenock	4.86
Inverness	1.18
Low Moss	0.87
Noranside	1.02
Perth	9.21
Peterhead	2.22
Polmont	1.81
Shotts	3.84

The Scottish Executive is aware of these worrying trends and is committed to tackling the problem of under age drinking. Current action couples enforcement to reduce availability of alcohol to under 18s with targeted alcohol education to encourage a sensible approach to drinking. A national alcohol misuse strategy is currently being worked up and measures to tackle under age drinking will be an important factor.

Detailed information on the salaries and salary and benefits packages combined for individual human resource directors, medical directors, directors of nursing services, finance directors and chief executives or their equivalents in acute or primary care NHS Trusts in the NHSiS is not held centrally. The remuneration of the chief executive and the highest paid director in a trust is published in individual trust annual reports for the year concerned.

The staff mentioned were for the years requested generally paid on general and senior managers terms and conditions, although medical directors may retain their consultant salary and additional payments, such as distinction awards and discretionary points. The pay ranges applicable to general and senior managers for the years 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99 is set out in the tables. The Trust managers' posts subject to the 1999 Trust reconfiguration have been thoroughly job evaluated and are now subject to scrutiny through the Central Evaluation Committee. The Health Act which came into force on 1 October 1999 contains a clause which enables Ministers to direct Trusts. The new arrangements for Executive Pay announced on 2 May 2000 in MEL (2000) 25 brought these staff under ministerial direction from 1 April 2000.

PAY RANGES FROM 1 SEPTEMBER 1996

GRADE	JOB UNITS		PAY RANGES
	Min	Max.	Threshold	Max.
0	269	313	13,518	17,890
1	314	370	14,964	19,806
2	371	438	16,944	22,426
3	439	518	19,353	25,615
4	519	613	22,138	29,301
5	614	734	26,006	34,422
6	735	879	29,920	39,601
7	880	1,055	35,677	47,220
8	1,056	1,260	42,154	55,794
9	1,261	1,507	47,851	63,332
10	1,508	1,800	54,240	71,788
11	1,801	2,140	60,855	80,544
12	2,141	2,550	70,955	93,913

PAY RANGES FROM 1 SEPTEMBER 1997

GRADE	JOB UNITS		PAY RANGES
	Min	Max.	Threshold	Max.
0	269	313	13,518	18,069
1	314	370	14,964	20,004
2	371	438	16,944	22,650
3	439	518	19,353	25,871
4	519	613	22,138	29,594
5	614	734	26,006	34,766
6	735	879	29,920	39,997
7	880	1,055	35,677	47,692
8	1,056	1,260	42,154	56,352
9	1,261	1,507	47,851	63,965
10	1,508	1,800	54,240	72,506
11	1,801	2,140	60,855	81,349
12	2,141	2,550	70,955	94,852

PAY RANGES FROM 1 SEPTEMBER 1998

GRADE	JOB UNITS		PAY RANGES
	Min	Max	Threshold	Max
0	269	313	14,018	18,738
1	314	370	15,518	20,744
2	371	438	17,571	23,488
3	439	518	20,069	26,828
4	519	613	22,957	30,689
5	614	734	26,968	36,052
6	735	879	31,027	41,477
7	880	1,055	36,997	49,457
8	1,056	1,260	43,714	58,437
9	1,261	1,507	49,621	66,332
10	1,508	1,800	56,247	75,189
11	1,801	2,140	63,107	84,359
12	2,141	2,550	73,580	98,362

Note: NHSiS employers were advised in July 1996 not to appointment to Grade 0 to 3 posts as it was considered it was inappropriate to classify them as senior manager posts.

The Department of Health propose to pilot the use of HPV testing for women with borderline or mildly abnormal smears as part of the Cervical Screening Programme at three sites in England. The pilot is due to start in late spring 2001. The UK National Screening Committee will review the evidence from the pilot in due course and will make recommendations on its effectiveness which I will consider.

The Scottish Executive will be monitoring progress with the pilot and the findings to see what lessons can be learned for the Cervical Screening Programme in Scotland.

Research is currently underway, based at Dundee and Aberdeen University Hospitals, which is looking at the management of women with borderline or mildly abnormal smears and HPV testing is an integral part of the study. The study is due to report in 2005.

Comprehensive national and local information will now be published in November. This is later than the intended publication date given the absence from one health board of complete national data within the first quarter census returns.

I refer Mrs Scanlon to the answer I gave to S1W-8826 on 14 August.

I refer Mary Scanlon to the answer I have given today to question S1W-8849.

The number of Specialist and Senior Registrars expected to be awarded a Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST) in the specialty of cardiology for the years requested is given in the attached table.

I also refer Mary Scanlon to the answer I have given today to question S1W-8849.

Expected CCST Dates of Current Specialist and Senior Registrars in Cardiology

	Year
	2000	2001	2002
Number	7	8	4

I refer Mary Scanlon to the answer I have given today to question S1W-8849.