Chamber and committees

Figures on Scottish seizures are only available for the last three financial years and are as follows:

	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02 (to date)
Total seized	47 kilos	92 kilos	94 kilos

Routine tonsil and adenoid surgery, performed with single-use instruments, re-commenced with effect from 11 March 2002.

The Scottish Executive, in partnership with the Enterprise Networks, VisitScotland and airport operators, continues to look at how best more direct air services serving all parts of Scotland, including Aberdeen, can be developed for the benefit of the travelling public and the Scottish economy. It is for airport operators in conjunction with local stakeholders and, where appropriate, the Executive's agencies to market the facilities at all airports to airlines, but the decision to develop new international routes is a matter for the commercial judgement of the airlines themselves.

A research programme to be led by Scottish Enterprise and due to be completed in March 2003 will identify and recommend actions which will be communicated to those bodies involved in genealogy to help them build their marketing and product development strategies. There are no plans to fund voluntary organisations.

The major series of records about Scotland's people, including statutory registers of births, deaths and marriages, the open census records 1841-1901, and the old parish registers of the Church of Scotland, are held by the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) in New Register House, Edinburgh. GROS do not, at their own hand, undertake family history research, and it is not within their remit to monitor or to quality-assure those private individuals or companies who do provide this type of service. Neither the Scottish ministers nor the Registrar General have any current plans to introduce a public sector quality-assurance scheme for family history research. I understand that the relevant professional body, the Association of Scottish Genealogists and Record Agents, have entry requirements for membership, and have a Code of Practice to which members are required to subscribe.

On 24 January, I launched the genealogy tourism website ancestralscotland.com. This website will assist users from around the world to research their ancestry and also encourage them to visit those parts of Scotland where their ancestors lived. VisitScotland has allocated £320,000 for the development and marketing of genealogy tourism in the current financial year.

The Scottish Executive works in partnership with the Enterprise Networks, VisitScotland and the airport operators on how best any available funding can be deployed for the greatest benefit of the Scottish economy and tourism. The Executive continues to encourage the development of more commercial and cost effective air services from Scotland for the benefit of the travelling public and the Scottish economy.

VisitScotland will lead area tourist boards and enterprise networks in the development of genealogy tourism.

The Scottish Executive works in partnership with the Enterprise Networks, VisitScotland and the airport operators to look at how best more direct air services serving all parts of Scotland can be developed for the benefit of the travelling public and the Scottish economy. Any development needs to be structured to ensure that new routes are in the best interests of Scotland.A Scottish Air Transport Consultation Document will be produced in the spring. This is part of an on-going review of aviation/airports policy leading to the development of an aviation policy for the next 30 years. The development of international routes to and from Scotland, including Aberdeen and Inverness, is being addressed as part of that consultation process.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21338.