Chamber and committees

A range of impacts from confusion to misunderstanding can apply. The role of carers, family and practitioners is key to helping the patient reduce this additional stress where it occurs. The aim of all concerned is to provide appropriate support and care to meet the assessed needs of individuals.

There is no specific timescale attached to the completion of a Scottish Vocational Qualification at any of the five levels available. SVQs demonstrate a candidate's ability to undertake a particular job to national standards of occupational competence rather than record the completion of a particular course of study or training.

Completion of an SVQ reflects the gathering of evidence to demonstrate that a candidate meets defined performance outcomes. The length of time this will take will depend upon a number of factors, including the number of outcomes, the complexity of the job, the extent of evidence required and the needs and ability of the candidate.

This information is not held centrally.

A Modern Apprenticeship in construction follows a framework designed by the Construction Industry Training Board. It includes an SVQ Level 3 and core skills. The SVQ is competency-based and as such there is no prescribed period of training. However, in practice, the MA in construction takes around four years to complete.

The level of grant Glasgow City Council will receive from the Scottish Executive for 2001-02 has yet to be determined. I expect to announce the provisional local government settlement for that year in December. The assumption used by the council in its forward-looking strategy can only be speculative at this stage.

The Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland encourages all care agencies to promote mental health and engage actively in health promotion, including action to de-stigmatise mental illness.

General Practitioners (GPs) do not specialise in the sense that hospital doctors do. For information on the training of GPs in the area of mental health, I refer to my answer to question S1W-8024

The content of vocational training for general practitioners (GPs) in the UK is a matter for the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice (JCPTGP). The JCPTGP works in close collaboration with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) to set high quality standards in the training of GPs. During their training vocational trainees will spend time learning about mental health. We would expect all GPs to keep up to date with current practice in a key clinical priority such as mental health as part of their Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

The Scottish Executive is determined to improve both the range and quality of information provided to the business community, and to increase electronic access where appropriate. For example, we are currently working with Scottish Enterprise to improve the consistency and quality of support provided to small businesses in the SEn area, and this will include an enhanced web-based information system. I hope to announce details shortly.

The Executive is committed to three-year core funding for voluntary organisations, and to working with other funders to promote a stable funding environment for the sector. The Executive published Good Practice Guidance on funding of voluntary organisations on 13 June. The guidance will assist the promotion of a standard approach to funding practices.