Chamber and committees

I fully recognise the particular difficulties being faced by the wider Ayrshire economy, and am confident that local agencies will meet these challenges by working up a shared economic development strategy to boost the local economy and create jobs for local people. This strategy is currently being finalised by the Local Economic Forum and focuses on the key objectives of boosting the economy, developing the workforce and reducing unemployment.

The planning application for the Westfield site was refused by Fife Council in September. The applicant has since lodged an appeal against the council's decision and this will be heard by the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit in due course.The Killoch proposal has not been notified to the Scottish ministers. Should it be referred under planning legislation, the Scottish ministers will take all relevant factors into account before deciding on whether or not to call in the application.

The Scottish Executive provides funding to two recycling market groups, Recycling Market Development Scotland (Remade) and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). Through the support of Remade and WRAP the Scottish Executive has helped identify markets for recycled materials. Markets have already been identified for several new uses for recycled materials. For instance glass is now being used as an abrasive, a filtration medium, an aggregate and a fluxing agent in tiles and bricks. More information can be found on the WRAP and Remade websites, http://www.wrap.org.uk/ and http://www.remade.org.uk/.The organisations are also working to further develop these and other markets. This work includes, appointing a WRAP Liaison Officer for Scotland, advising industry on the use of the materials and encouraging potential users to use them.

The Scottish Executive has not received any application for funding from Alba Resource Recovery Ltd for their plans for a waste management scheme in Killoch, Ayrshire.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:This information is not available in the form requested.While prisoners with a mental illness may be receiving treatment through groupwork, individual cognitive behavioural therapy or drugs acting on the central nervous system, no central records are maintained. Some prisoners are under the care of a consultant psychiatrist, as is the case in the community, while others are cared for by prison medical and nursing staff locally.

From a sample of Scottish General Practices, estimates of the numbers seen by GPs in Scotland for depression are as follows. Also shown are confidence intervals that indicate the range within which the actual number is expected to lie.Estimated Number of Patients Seen for Depression, Year Ending 31 December 2001 (with 95% Confidence Intervals)

Age Group (Years)	Males	Females
0 to 4	125 (61 to 252)	100 (32 to 191)
5 to 14	225 (127 to 361)	650 (491 to 884)

Source: ISD Scotland Continuous Morbidity Recording system.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-29835 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

An external evaluation of Mental Illness Specific Grant (MISG) was conducted in 1997 by the Nuffield Centre of the University of Glasgow. It reported favourably on the Grant's continuing value in providing mental health services which meet needs locally. We acknowledge MISG's importance and remain committed to its continuance.

We last increased Mental Illness Specific Grant with effect from April 2001, when we increased it from £18 million a year to £19 million a year. We have just announced that we are increasing the grant by a further £1 million, to £20 million with effect from April 2003, as part of the outcome of the recent Spending Review. These increases reflect the priority we give to the grant in supporting around 400 small-scale projects in local communities throughout Scotland that assist people with mental health problems.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30388 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.