Chamber and committees

The report will be published following receipt, expected by the end of May 2001.The report is also to be made available on the Task Force website:http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk/scotland/ecoli

As with all initiatives to improve health, the operational arrangements for those supported by the Health Improvement Fund depend on their nature. The bulk of the fund's resources are being channelled through health boards. Boards have been advised to give a full public account of how the resources are being invested, including an account of what they have helped local people to achieve, through their annual reports and the accountability review process. Boards have also been asked to provide a brief interim report to Ministers on how Health Improvement Fund resources are being applied in their local areas.

A range of media exist which facilitate the dissemination and utilisation of best practice. At national level, these media include the Healthy Scotland Convention (which is next to meet on 1 June), HEBSWeb (www.hebs.scot.nhs.uk) and SHOW (www.show.scot.nhs.uk) with the FORUM newsletter.Health boards have been advised that, in determining how to invest their Health Improvement Fund allocations, they should give a high priority to tobacco-related initiatives. However, in order to best reflect local priorities, Boards have also been given considerable flexibility in making investment decisions and at this stage, therefore, it is not possible to detail the tobacco-related initiatives that are being undertaken.In addition to work being undertaken by the health boards, the Health Improvement Fund is also enabling tobacco-related initiatives to be undertaken by the Health Education Board for Scotland.The initiatives supported by the Health Improvement Fund are additional to the range of work already being undertaken. For example, in addition to the Health Improvement Fund monies, health boards were allocated an additional £1 million in each of the three years from April 1999 to spend on smoking cessation services.

I announced on 14 March that nicotine replacement therapy will be available on NHS prescription from April 2001. This requires an amendment to Schedule 10 to the NHS (General Medical Services) (Scotland) Regulations 1995.

We shall lay today regulations to increase prescription and other National Health Service charges in Scotland from 1 April 2001. There will be a 1.67% increase in the prescription charge of 10p, from £6.00 to £6.10 per item dispensed.This is well within our commitment that NHS charges will rise by no more than the rate of inflation and means that prescription charges will again fall in real terms. This is the third successive year that the increase has been held to 10p.Prescription pre-payment certificates will go up from £31.40 to £31.90 (1.59%) for four months and from £86.20 to £87.60 (1.62%) for 12 months. The arrangements under which refunds can be obtained on the unused portion of certificates will be extended under the new regulations.Prescription charges are expected to raise around £45 million for the NHS in Scotland in 2001-02.Charges for elastic stockings and tights, wigs and most fabric supports supplied through the Hospital Service will be increased similarly.The maximum patient charge for a single course of dental treatment begun on or after 1 April 2001 will increase from £354 to £360. Only about one in every 1,000 courses of treatment will attract the new maximum charge.

From 1 March, insulin pen needles and certain re-usable insulin pens have been prescribable by GPs on the NHS.

The Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS) have agreed to my request that they provide advice on the clinical and cost effectiveness of the use of Beta Interferon and Copaxone in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

As the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) was carrying out a similar assessment for England and Wales, the board had hoped to obtain access to the evidence submitted to NICE but that has not proved possible.

As the NICE process is ongoing, it is not possible to say with precision when the Health Technology Board's advice will be available. However, to minimise delay, the board have established a group comprising experts in relevant specialties and people who suffer from multiple sclerosis. This group have met to prepare the ground and be ready to start the assessment as soon as the evidence is forthcoming. The HTBS process will include consultation and clarification phases to ensure a robust and inclusive evaluation of the evidence in relation to Scotland.

Cancer is one of three clinical priorities for the NHS in Scotland. We have pledged to tackle the root causes of ill health and work over the next 10 years to promote healthier living and reduce the incidence of cancer by 20% in the under 75's. Our strategy is set out in Towards a Healthier Scotland and in The Programme for Government.

We have made clear our continuing commitment to the Scottish breast and cervical screening programmes, a pilot programme of colorectal screening, the introduction of Managed Clinical Networks underpinned by robust programmes of audit and quality assurance, the development and monitoring of standards through the Clinical Standards Board and the establishment of one-stop clinics to reduce waiting times for cancer diagnosis and treatment.

I am determined to face the challenges posed by cancer and in August I announced a £16 million capital investment programme for imaging equipment to provide faster, better diagnosis and faster, better treatment for people with cancer.

I announced on 30 June that an additional £60 million had been issued to the NHS in Scotland following a careful evaluation of plans submitted by health boards. These set out how the additional resources would be used to address priority areas and to bring real benefits to patients. I also made it clear that the progress of boards and Trusts in implementing their plans would be monitored closely for the rest of the year. I have therefore arranged to receive regular progress reports from an expert team drawn from the Health Department and the NHS in Scotland.

The Chief Scientist Office is not currently contributing to such studies, but would consider doing so in research projects worthy of support.

There are a large number of projects on multiple sclerosis currently taking place in the UK and details of these are available from the National Research Register (NRR), a copy of which is in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

Child and maternal health are high on our priorities and this is reflected in the planning guidance to the NHS in Scotland. The Executive is actively supporting a range of measures to encourage and support breastfeeding and has recently published a Code of Practice for Employers. Further information is available on http://www.nhsis.uk/breastfeed/.