Chamber and committees

Teaching NHS Trusts must account for all their expenditure, including the Additional Cost of Teaching expenditure. Each Trust produces an annual report and accounts, both of which are published.

A number of measures are already in place to improve the oral health of children. These include the payment of enhanced capitation fees to dentists for children in deprived areas who are registered with them on the NHS. Oral health promotion programmes are also in place in all health board areas and cover a diverse range of programmes including dental registration from birth, nursery toothbrushing schemes and dietary advice. In addition the Scottish Dental Access Initiative offers grants to NHS dentists setting up or expanding their practices in areas of high oral health need and unmet patient demand.

29 out of Scotland's 32 Maternity Hospitals participate in the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative with a further two planning to do so in the future. The initiative requires participating hospitals to implement 10 steps to successful breastfeeding. The ten steps are evidence based good practice standards and are part of a global initiative to enable mothers to breastfeed successfully. The initiative requires hospitals to have a written policy to ensure that staff receive training to enable them to implement that policy.

Six of these hospitals have received the Baby Friendly Initiative UK Award and a number of other units have been awarded the Certificate of Commitment that acknowledges the units' progress in implementing some of the steps and also commits the hospital to working towards full assessment within two years.

In addition the remit of the national breastfeeding advisor is to assist towards achieving breastfeeding targets, provide advice, training resources and support to NHS personnel and lay workers, to act as a facilitator to local Joint Breastfeeding Initiatives and to report and make recommendations to the Scottish Breastfeeding Group.

I refer Mary Scanlon to the answer I gave to question S1W-7476 earlier today.

Assessment, which includes the setting and marking of examinations, is within the remit of the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

I understand that an appeals procedure is in place to deal with any cases in which candidates fail to perform to their expected ability as set out in the estimated grades submitted for each candidate by centres. Results can be upgraded at two points in time. First there is an automatic appeal procedure carried out prior to the issue of results, where results will be adjusted if a centre's estimates of expected grades are generally accurate. Second, a candidate's centre can submit a formal appeal after the results have been published.

In the event of a formal appeal the Scottish Qualifications Authority will require centres to provide evidence of a candidate's ability before upgrading an award. Centres would have to submit a medical or other admissible reason for absence from an exam. Internal Assessment results may be submitted by the centre as part of this evidence.

Assessment and the content of examinations is within the remit of the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

I understand that Ron Tuck, Chief Executive of the Authority, is replying to all letters expressing concerns about the Higher Still maths exam. The Executive is concerned that any issues expressed by pupils, parents and others are addressed.

The UK National Screening Committee, an expert advisory body to all the UK Health Departments, is currently developing a programme of screening for diabetic retinopathy. The committee is considering actively how it might be possible to identify "at risk" groups for further targeted screening.

There are a substantial number of diabetes-related Scottish Executive projects in hand. In addition to the Working Group on Information Technology to Support Shared Care in Diabetes and the Priorities and Planning Guidance which I mentioned in my reply to S1W-7459.

Committed expenditure of £25,000 to pilot a Scottish Diabetes Survey

Committed expenditure of more than £200,000 to fund three Diabetes IT System Demonstrator Sites in Tayside, Grampian and Lanarkshire, which will show how IT can support clinicians and improve care to diabetic patients.Given a grant of £214,000 to a two-year project which started in January 1999 extending the Diabetes Audit and Research in Tayside Scotland (DARTS) project - "The clinical effectiveness of diabetes care in Scotland: Use of innovative IT designed to implement the SIGN guidelines and St Vincent Declaration".

Funded a three-year Royal College of General Practitioners programme to promote quality and clinical effectiveness in practice-based primary care. Funded a Clinical Network involving diabetes services in Tayside, Forth Valley and Fife, under the Children's Innovation Fund.

Are funding five projects connected with diabetes at a total cost of some £571,000, through SEHD's Chief Scientist Office.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-7457.

No. LHCCs are part of Primary Care Trusts. Their influence on the provision of secondary care is exercised through their involvement in the development of the health board's Health Improvement Programme which is the key health service planning document for the area.