Chamber and committees

The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2000-01, which includes the Police Grant Aided Expenditure will be announced shortly. Police GAE is not hypothecated and it is for individual authorities and joint boards to determine their expenditure plans.

The Scottish Executive's assessment of the M74 Northern Extension is set out in the report on the Strategic Roads Review which was published and made available to Members on 4 November.

The Scottish Executive endorses the position taken by successive Governments for many years, that complementary or alternative therapies may offer relief to some people suffering from a wide variety of conditions. Legislation allows practitioners of such therapies to offer their services, subject only to some general restrictions such as those on prescribing and supplying medicines and giving injections. Members of the public are free to use these services privately if they choose, and a GP or hospital clinician may refer a patient for alternative treatment. The GP or hospital clinician would require to be satisfied of the value of the treatment and the competence of the practitioner, and would remain responsible for the patient's medical care. It is also open to Health Boards to provide alternative therapies.Many forms of alternative therapy are already available as NHS treatment. The Scottish Office Department of Health's National Medical Advisory Committee produced, in November 1996, a report on the current activity levels in acupuncture, homeopathy, osteopathy and chiropractic, which included guidelines for Health Boards on making purchasing arrangements for their provision. These guidelines, as the report made clear, might be applied to other forms of alternative therapy. Herbal medicine would come into that category. The guidelines do not, however, require Boards to purchase particular therapies, which is a matter for the Boards, based on assessment of need in their areas.

The Council confirmed in a letter to its tenants last week that November 2000 was the target date for the ballot.

Sexual health, including the reduction of teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, is a priority for the Scottish Executive. The White Paper Towards a Healthier Scotland emphasised the need for a comprehensive approach, which placed sexual values and relationships within a legal and ethical framework. The demonstration project "Healthy Respect", being funded by the Executive, will therefore develop best practice in the promotion of sexual health and the prevention of unwanted teenage pregnancies.An expert working group is reviewing the current HIV prevention strategy in the light of epidemiological trends. The Health Education Board for Scotland, too, has sexual health as a prominent aspect of its work.Schools have a crucial role to play, and tackle sex education within a comprehensive programme of health and social education. Funding is being provided by the Executive to enable the voluntary sector's expertise to be made available to many more schools in Scotland and so promote a more informed and responsible approach to sexual matters on the part of young people.

This would be a matter for decision by Ministers at the time, taking into account advice from the New Housing Partnerships Steering Group on the scope for re-allocating resources to other New Housing Partnerships projects.

The information requested is not available in the format requested. Available data are shown in the following tables:

Proportion of Scottish secondary school pupils who were regular smokers by sex and age; 1994 to 1998

Age	1994	1996	1998
Boys
Aged 12	2	5	3
Aged 13	11	8	9
Aged 14	15	21	14
Aged15	20	30	25
Total	11	14	11
Girls
Aged 12	3	4	4
Aged 13	10	10	11
Aged 14	21	21	19
Aged 15	23	30	27
Total	13	14	13

Notes:

1. Regular smoking is defined as smoking at least one cigarette a week.

2. Percentages are rounded to nearest whole figure.Source: Smoking, drinking and drug use among young teenagers in 1998, conducted by the Office for National Statistics on behalf of the Scottish Executive Health Department.

We have no present plans to review the school starting age.

Decisions on the disposal of school playing fields are matters for the education authority concerned, subject to the minimum area requirements for the provision of such playing fields set out in regulations. National Planning Policy Guideline 11 provides advice on the land use and planning implications of open space, including school playing fields. By Direction under the town and country planning legislation, the Scottish Ministers must be notified of any planning application which a planning authority is minded to approve which would involve the loss of a playing field where sportscotland, as a statutory consultee, has advised against the proposal.

We understand the importance of interest rates to Scottish businesses, but it is important to take account of the whole environment in which businesses operate. UK policy is set with a view to achieving the overall economic conditions for sustained growth and the avoidance of short-term instability.Competitiveness is determined by a variety of factors, including investment in skills, innovation and productivity. The Scottish Executive is determined to work in partnership with business and trade unions to ensure that Scotland is properly equipped to meet the challenges of a highly competitive global environment.