Chamber and committees

We will not be able to provide this information until we receive the returns from local authorities which give details of their budget estimates for 2000-01.

The guideline system reflects each council's historic spending pattern which is the reason for the variation between guideline and Grant Aided Expenditure and loan and leasing charge support. The guideline system is designed to promote gradual convergence by scaling back the annual guideline increases of those councils that spend above their GAE levels.

The Scottish Executive provides support to the engineering sector through a wide variety of general schemes and programmes for industry, administered through the Executive and the Enterprise Network. These support investment and job creation by companies in new projects. Support is also provided for innovation in developing new products and processes. I also refer Mr Gibson to S1W-4864 in the Official Report of 2 March, which announced the publication of Created in Scotland - the Way Forward for Scottish Manufacturing in the 21^st Century. This outlines our strong commitment to support the manufacturing sector through a variety of initiatives.

Local authorities are distinct corporate bodies whose powers and duties are set out in statute. They are responsible for ensuring that they fulfil their statutory obligations, including those under the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987.

I have asked my officials to investigate the reasons for the apparent increase in unemployment among school leavers in Glasgow and I will write to you in due course.I can, however, reassure you that the Scottish Executive has a range of measures in place to assist young people who are unemployed in Glasgow.

Grant aided expenditure for school transport was allocated in 1999-00 on the basis of school age population adjusted by a secondary indicator of rural settlement pattern. For 2000-01 COSLA agreed the use of a new secondary indicator, population dispersion as a more plausible measure of councils' relative school transport costs, which has resulted in a different distribution. "Damping" arrangements have been introduced to give extra support to councils facing a reduction in GAE as a result of the change in indicator.

Indicators used for GAE distribution are set out in the Grant Aided Expenditure 2000-01 Green Book, copies of which are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

The GAE allowances for individual services are not spending targets or limits, but contribute towards the calculation of councils' total grant allocations. The factors determining that calculation in respect of school transport did not change between 1999-2000 and 2000-01. In 2000-01 Government Supported Expenditure will rise by 3.7% to £6,746 million. Within that, provision for education will increase by 4.3%. It is a matter for local authorities to determine their spending priorities and allocate resources accordingly.

The variations between Health Boards in waiting times for coronary artery bypass surgery and other cardiac surgery are the result of a number of different factors, of which the severity of disease in individual patients is a key factor.

It is for clinicians to determine the priority to be assigned in any given case. Those who need surgery on an emergency or urgent basis may never be on the waiting list at all. The Coronary Heart Disease Task Force has drawn up standard criteria for the management of patients awaiting cardiac surgery, based on clinical need. These will ensure that patients on the waiting list are managed actively and the system will respond appropriately, especially if there is any deterioration in a patient's condition.The Task Force is working with cardiologists throughout Scotland to draw up common referral practices and is developing the concept of a national Managed Clinical Network for cardiac surgery. These initiatives, together with the work to establish national maximum waiting times for cardiac surgery, will help to overcome any geographical bias, while enhancing equity of access to services.

The specific grant allocations for local government in 1999-2000 and 2000-01, expressed in real terms using the September 1999 Retail Prices Index, are £500.552m and £530.420m respectively.