Chamber and committees

Police forces' budgets are set by their respective police authorities. It is for chief constables to decide how to allocate resources on operational equipment such as the provision of stab proof vests.

The Scottish Executive announced on 7 March that we are providing the Scottish Ambulance Service with £100,000 to help them investigate whether a priority-based system for answering 999 calls would provide a better and more responsive service for patients. We expect to see the findings of the service's investigations later this year, which will include the estimated costs and timescales, associated with introducing such a system.

The Scottish Executive along with health boards and NHS Trusts work in partnership to ensure the delivery of a responsive, high quality ambulance service. A range of measures with the Scottish Ambulance Service have been or are being taken to improve the service given to patients including:

- changes to crew shift patterns and working practices

- new radio and communications and control system

- investment in ambulances and ambulance station and front line staff

For the future, the Ambulance Service's revenue allocation for 2000-01 provides new development funding, including an extra £500,000 to put 20 more frontline staff into Glasgow, £115,000 in further support of the improvements being made to the Air Ambulance Service, and £485,000 to enable the service to train an extra 75 paramedics in the coming year. This is in addition to the funding being provided to enable the service to investigate the case for introducing a priority-based dispatch system for emergency ambulances. Plans are also being progressed to provide new ambulance stations in Edinburgh.

An annual grant of £10,150 was awarded to the Disablement Income Group Scotland from 1995-96 until 1998-99. This funding ceased at the end of March 1999 because of the decision to establish a new disability information service, UPDATE. UPDATE will receive funding of £227k in 1999-2000, £238k in 2000-01 and £235k in 2001-02.

People with disabilities will also benefit from a wide range of policy initiatives including our Social Justice programme addressing the multiple causes of poverty and social exclusion.

I refer Mr Matheson to my answer to his question S1W-5172.

West of Scotland Water Authority did not hold a centenary launch on 31 October. But later this month the authority plan a centenary launch of the SS Sir Walter Scott, owned by the authority and which sails on Loch Katrine, which supplies Glasgow's drinking water. WoSWA estimate the average cost of one of the steamer's sailings with catering to be around £1,000-£1,500.There have been no events by the other water authorities of the type referred to above.

The Orlit house type was designated as defective under the Housing Defects Act 1984. The Act provided financial assistance for the owners of defective houses bought from a public sector authority before 26 April 1984. The assistance was well publicised and was available for a ten-year period ending on 30 November 1994. No further assistance is available.

It is for Scottish police forces to comply with the law, including any relevant provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights, from within the resources available to them.

Current Scottish Executive guidance to education authorities recommends that the assessment and recording process should not exceed 6 months.

NHS funding as a percentage of running costs compared to 1998-99 has increased for four hospices, remained the same for two hospices and decreased for six hospices.Total NHS funding for the 12 hospices has increased from £7,289,800 in 1998-99 to £7,921,800 in 1999-2000 which represents a cash increase of 9%.