Chamber and committees

No direction is required. When consultation begins on proposals for Special Areas of Conservation, Scottish Natural Heritage has agreed to provide MSPs and MPs with details of individual areas within their constituencies.

I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1O-3109 on 15 March 2001.

No. I explained the Executive’s position on this matter in my reply to Mike Watson on 19 November 1999.

The same as you? sets out a programme of change for the next 10 years.Guidance on the preparation of Partnership in Practice agreements was issued to local authorities and health boards on 19 March.I can announce today that the grant to establish the Scottish Centre for Learning Disabilities has been awarded to a Consortium of 13 organisations led by ENABLE. The new centre will have a key role in offering training and advice to agencies, staff and others concerned in putting in place the recommendations of the review.In addition, officials wrote last week to the Scottish Society for Autism with an offer of a grant of £16,400 to carry out a mapping exercise to prepare for the national service network for people with autistic spectrum disorder.

I can announce today that the grant to establish the Scottish Centre for Learning Disabilities has been awarded to a Consortium of 13 organisations led by ENABLE.

We announced in September that change funds of £8 million, £12 million and £16 million would be provided to local authorities over the next three years to assist with implementing the review's recommendations.I can announce today that a grant of £1.5 million over five years has been awarded to a Consortium of 13 organisations led by ENABLE to establish the Scottish Centre for Learning Disabilities.£16,400 has been offered to the Scottish Society for Autism to carry out a mapping exercise to prepare for the national service network for people with autistic spectrum disorder.Using new and existing resources together is a vital part of the Executive's strategy. We are also expecting agencies to act on the report's suggestion that better outcomes are possible by making better use of existing resources.

Cryptosporidiosis can be passed on by person to person contact, direct contact with animals, or in water, if treatment is inadequate or compromised.In addition to the issue of general advice on hygiene matters, the Executive issued the Cryptosporidium Direction to Scottish water authorities in February 2000. The Direction requires water authorities to implement the recommendations of the UK Group of Experts on Cryptosporidium in Water, which include monitoring for the presence of the parasite in water.

The Scottish Executive has not commissioned research specifically into the abuse of adults with learning difficulties. As part of the review of services for people with learning disabilities, The same as you?, the Scottish Executive carried out the following research which includes reference to types of abuse:If you don't ask you don't get, a survey of people with learning disabilities and their families about social and healthcare services. A copy is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. no. 2300)Changing Public attitudes to People with Learning disabilities in Scotland, a report on public attitudes towards people with a learning disability, comprising a review of literature, an opinion poll, a round table discussion and a policy paper. These papers are available on the Internet at: www.scotland.gov.uk/ldsr/progress.htm.

The Scottish Executive, in liaison with representatives from Grampian Health Board, Grampian Primary Care Trust, Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education and Dundee Dental School, are continuing to encourage dental practitioners into Grampian. This year there will be 10 vocational trainees (one year) places in Grampian. A general professional training scheme (two years) is being developed in Grampian with an extra four places identified to start in August 2002. Outreach dental student education from Dundee Dental School has been established as a pilot in Tayside and once arrangements are in place this initiative will be extended to Grampian and Highland.

There are no plans for this information to be collected centrally.