Chamber and committees

All the objections lodged against the draft orders were considered to be valid.

The consideration given by the Scottish ministers' was contained in their decision letter of 13 June 2001, copies of which have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

At present, any proposals for new railways in Scotland require parliamentary approval at Westminster using either a "light railways Order" under the Light Railways Acts 1896 and 1912 or the powers of the Private Legislation Procedure (Scotland) Act 1936. As part of the package of measures for railways devolution, it was agreed that the Scottish Parliament should have legislative competence over the approval of the promotion and construction of new railways in Scotland. To achieve this, the Scottish ministers and the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions have instructed the preparation of a draft Order under section 30 of the Scotland Act 1998. This will involve creating an exception to the reservation of rail transport in the Scotland Act.Once the Scottish Parliament has legislative competence over the promotion and construction of new railways in Scotland, parliamentary permissions will be granted using the Parliament's Private Bill procedure. Guidance for promoters wishing to bring a Private Bill before the Scottish Parliament has been issued and can be viewed at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/official_report/cttee/private-01/gprb-c.htm.Arrangements for cross-border projects are already provided for under section 24 of the Transport and Works Act 1992. In these circumstances, railway projects which cross the border are likely to be subject to Private Bill procedure before Westminster.

The issue of seat belt legislation is a reserved matter.The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including legislation on seat belts.

Circular 2/98 Guidance on Issues Concerning Exclusion from School, provides comprehensive guidance on the issues surrounding exclusions from school, including the continuing obligation on local authorities in respect of excluded children, and the need to arrange alternative education provision.We are currently updating the guidance contained in Circular 2/98 in the light of recent legislation and the recommendations of the Discipline Task Group.

The figures are as follows:

1998	(a)	3	(b)	None
1999	(a)	3	(b)	None
2000	(a)	4	(b)	None

Such vehicles are subject to the safety and other requirements set out in road vehicle legislation. It is open to authorities to specify further requirements in school transport contracts if that seems appropriate to them according to particular local circumstances.

There is already provision for such concerns to be addressed, in the first instance by discussion with the prescribing clinician. If parents are still not satisfied it is open to them to seek resolution through the NHS complaints procedure.

Section 1.4 of the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline 52 on Attention Deficit and Hyperkinetic Disorders in Children and Young People makes it clear that its good practice guidance should not be construed as including all proper methods of care or excluding all other acceptable methods of care aimed at the same results. Doctors may use their own clinical judgement in any given case, though they are advised to ensure that any significant departures from the guideline are fully documented in the case notes.

Services aimed at supporting young people with mental health problems are primarily provided through NHSScotland and local authority mental health services, for which the Scottish Executive is providing record levels of resources. Such services are provided directly or through voluntary sector bodies. In addition, Mental Illness Specific Grant goes to many projects at local level, that benefit people with mental health problems. These are not categorised according to client age.

Mental Illness Specific Grant supports many small projects in the community which benefit people with mental illness. Most of these projects provide a continuing service, and are not completed. Mainstreaming of projects into individual local authority budgets is a matter for local authorities.