Chamber and committees

Care of the collections of the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) is a statutory function of the Board of Trustees. However, the Government has asked the UK national institutions to investigate their collections to establish whether any objects may have been looted during World War II and the Nazi period. This exercise is being led and co-ordinated by the UK National Museum Directors' ConferenceIn accordance with the Statement of Principles and Proposed Actions issued by the Conference, the NGS drew up an action plan for examining their collections. From the 150,000 works in the collections, some 40,000 were identified as having been acquired from 1933 onwards. Further investigation has identified a substantial number of items with incomplete provenance, but this does not necessarily mean that these items were spoliated during World War II and the Nazi period. Research into the provenance of these items is continuing as a matter of urgency and the NGS will publish the results as soon as possible. I understand that the Conference is satisfied with the NGS action plan and the progress being made in examining the collections.I appreciate the concerns of those with an interest in works of art which were looted during the Nazi period, but the responsible course is to investigate the provenance of objects as quickly and thoroughly as possible before publishing information on them.

Copies of the Annual Report will be made available to Members in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

I am satisfied that appropriate arrangements are already in place for Gulf War Veterans in Scotland.

The clinical needs of veterans in Scotland are assessed by their doctor. Should concerns exist that the patient's health may have been affected by service with the armed forces in the Gulf, he or she can be referred to the Ministry of Defence's Gulf Veterans' Medical Assessment Programme (MAP) for further investigation and diagnosis.

Patients referred to the MAP are given a full medical examination together with a range of physical tests; investigations routinely conducted for all patients include urinalysis, haematological, biochemical, biological and serological tests, ultrasound scan of the abdomen and electrocardiography. These tests are carried out on the day of the appointment and take approximately 4 hours. Additional investigations and /or referrals to other consultants or specialists may be required; this is decided either during the initial appointment or in follow-up consultations if deemed necessary.

The MAP itself does not provide treatment; its role is to assess patients and recommend treatment as appropriate. Any recommendations for treatment are passed on to the patient's GP; it is then for the individual doctor to arrange treatment through the National Health Service and to monitor the patient's health as he or she would for any other patient. In the case of a veteran who is still serving, recommendations for treatment would be passed to the unit medical officer and treatment arranged through the Defence Medical Services.The cost of the patient's travel to the MAP (within the UK) is met by the MOD as are accommodation costs where necessary.

There are currently no posts in the Scottish Parliament which have been identified as being "Gaelic essential". The SPCB looks to encourage all staff to develop their skills including languages and training in Gaelic is available for those with an interest. Should a post be identified in the future where knowledge of Gaelic is considered essential then it will be advertised accordingly.

There are currently 2 members of staff in the Scottish Parliament with a knowledge of Gaelic. There are also a number of staff in the process of undertaking training in the language. Training in Gaelic is available to all staff along with other world languages. The Parliament also has access to translation and interpretation services in Gaelic (among other languages) through contracts with language organisations.

It is appropriate that that there should be a gaelic element in the opening ceremony. That is why the Inverness Gaelic choir have been asked to sing in the courtyard of the Assembly Hall to welcome MSPs and The Queen to the ceremony in the Chamber.

I hope to be able to make a statement before the summer recess.