Chamber and committees

The Children's Hearings must act in the best interests of the child. Legal advice is available prior to the hearing; during the hearing on an advice and assistance basis; and, at any appeal. However, this issue and other matters related to hearings are currently under consideration as part of the Executive's audit on ECHR compliance.

I have written to the Health Technology Board asking them to provide advice on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of beta interferon as a treatment for multiple sclerosis as an early priority.

The Executive recognises that there is no single easy solution to regeneration and it will take long-term concentrated action to tackle social injustice all across Scotland. We have a range of actions in place that West Dunbartonshire, like Glasgow, benefits from, including for example, the Special Deprivation Allowances made to certain local authorities and the Social Inclusion Partnership which targets those areas of particular disadvantage and which has also just received extra support for tackling drugs misuse. Parts of West Dunbartonshire have also been proposed for inclusion in the Assisted Area Map. Taken together our actions aim to achieve lasting change and improvements to the quality of life for the people in West Dunbartonshire, in Glasgow and elsewhere in Scotland where disadvantage exists.

Wider national economic performance is likely to be the main determinant of trends in small business creation, and employment opportunities, and the prospects for the Scottish economy remain good. However, we have a number of specific initiatives in hand to increase the number of start-up businesses assisted by the enterprise network, and to improve the quality and consistency of advice and support for small businesses across Scotland. We will announce details of these shortly.

In West Dunbartonshire itself, Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire Council and other partners have a number of local schemes in place to enhance business and employment creation. The current claimant unemployment rate in the area has dropped by 25% since April 1997.

The Scottish Compact sets out the principles underpinning the relationship between government and the voluntary sector in Scotland. The Executive has a commitment to work with other funders to create a more stable funding environment for the sector at both national and local level. This is shown in the Executive's own commitment to three-year funding. The Executive also recognises that funding is a key issue for voluntary organisations and is developing a more strategic approach to its own funding of the sector.

As part of the implementation of the Scottish Compact, good practice guidance on funding has been consulted on and will be published on 13 June.

The introduction of National Tests has improved the quality of attainment information for parents on pupil performance and information on S2 targets in reading, writing and mathematics, and the progress made against them, is provided to parents each year by education authorities and schools.

The Review of Assessment in Pre-school and 5-14 has however highlighted some weaknesses in the testing and reporting arrangements to parents at S1 and S2 levels. These will be considered together with the implementation of the recommendations in the report Achieving Success in S1 & S2, which will ensure that all secondary teachers have sufficient time to assess individual pupils' progress.

Suitable sites in Clydebank, designated in consultation with Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire, are included in Locate in Scotland's portfolio of sites suitable for inward investment. These are discussed with companies in appropriate circumstances, though particular discussions with individual potential investors are commercially confidential.

Scottish Homes total planned capital expenditure within its development programme for 2000-01 is £7 million higher than the equivalent figure for 1999-2000. This has allowed capital expenditure in the current year to be increased in both rural and urban areas. The same holds true for capital expenditure in Glasgow and North Clyde Region. The precise capital expenditure figures are as set out in the following table:

		1999-2000 £ million	2000-01 £ million	% change
Scotland	Urban	158.4	161.2	+1.7
	Rural	40.8	45.1	+10.5
	Total	199.3	206.3	+3.6
Glasgow and North Clyde Region	Urban	68.0	70.9	+4.3
	Rural	5.0	5.6	+12.0
	Total	73.0	76.5	+4.8

Decisions on investment priorities and the details of Scottish Homes' development programme for 2001-02 and 2002-03 will be announced in due course.

This information is not collected centrally.

Discussions are underway with the Department of Social Security and the Office for National Statistics to investigate the use of nationwide surveys (such as the Family Expenditure Survey, the Family Resources Survey and the General Household Survey) to provide information which will allow us to produce analysis of income, benefits claimed and household types (e.g. single parents, number of children etc.) at unitary authority level for Scotland. Discussions with the Department of Social Security about the availability of statistical information from their systems for the administration of benefits (which is a reserved matter) are also continuing.

The Scottish Household Survey will provide the average number of children per lone parent household in each local authority after the first full sweep of the survey (i.e. after two years). These results should be available by summer 2001. For the larger local authorities only, results will be available this summer.