Chamber and committees

Glasgow City Council Community Learning Strategy Partnership has been allocated £3.7 million over three years to 2004 to help raise levels of adult literacy and numeracy. The partnership has submitted an action plan, which estimates that over 21,000 adults will be helped during this time.

Publication of these details is a matter for the Glasgow Science Centre and its funders. The Scottish Executive has not provided any funding to the centre.

The revised guidelines are not due to be published until December 2002. The implementation of SIGN guidelines is a matter for NHS boards, in consultation with other authorities as appropriate. SIGN guidelines are best practice clinical guidelines and are not intended to be construed or to serve as standards of medical care. The ultimate judgement on a particular procedure or treatment plan is for the clinician treating the patient to make on the basis of individual circumstances and available options.

The information requested is not available centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

The funding of Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority is intended to allow it to meet its responsibilities, and is kept under review.

The Executive proposes to consult on the terms of regulations which will allow local authorities to license taxi and private hire car booking offices over the next few months.

The Executive is very concerned about attacks on emergency service personnel and I am sure that this Parliament joins me in condemning this totally unacceptable behaviour. We want those involved to be detected and apprehended by the police and dealt with firmly by the courts. The Executive is arranging a seminar this autumn which will bring together a wide range of professionals to identify how we might impact on those "hard to reach" groups who indulge in this kind of behaviour.

The Executive's plans are set out in the Action Plan for the Social Services Workforce, which was published on 18 April 2002.Since then significant progress has been made towards introducing the new honours degree course by 2004. We have set up two project groups whose membership is drawn from the Scottish Social Services Council, institutes of higher education, employers, the independent sector, user interests and professional associations to consider the structure and viability of the new degree and the role of practice learning. Both groups will regularly report on progress to ministers.

The Directions and Guidance to the Strategic Rail Authority relate to the next Scottish passenger rail franchise. The franchise will be for the provision of services only and will not include the provision of new infrastructure. Where new infrastructure is required, this will be provided outwith the scope of the franchise.

Local authorities, in collaboration with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and others, have prepared 11 draft Area Waste Plans (AWPs) which outline how municipal waste will be dealt with in each area over the next 20 years. The AWPs indicate the level of recycling which will be carried out to meet the objectives of the National Waste Strategy. The Executive has consulted on their intention to amend the forthcoming local government bill to include a requirement for local authorities to prepare Integrated Waste Management Plans. These plans will have to demonstrate effective steps to meet targets for recycling which will be set by the Executive. In addition, the Executive distributed £3 million in March 2001 to allow local authorities to establish or expand recycling schemes including the collection of paper. A further £50.4 million has been identified in the Strategic Waste Fund for local authorities to implement the Area Waste Plans.