The local government financesettlement provides resources to fund universal services, which all councilsneed to provide. Some of these services are more expensive to deliver todeprived populations and the system recognises this. It is up to each councilto decide how best to direct its resources according to local needs andpriorities. Glasgow City Council will receive an above inflation increase in revenuegrant this year (6.6%, or £65 million) and further above inflation increasesfor the next two years (2004-05 and 2005-06).

In addition, the Executive providesspecific resources to directly address deprivation including the £90 millionfor Better Neighbourhood Services Fund, of which Glasgow received 30%, or £27 million,over 2001-04, and social inclusion partnerships funding of £60 million for2003-04 (Glasgow will receive 41%, or £25 million).

The Scottish Executive has commissionedASH (Scotland) and NHS Health Scotland to undertake a reviewof tobacco control policies and produce recommendations on what further actionshould be taken in Scotland. The joint report will be published in conjunctionwith a Scottish Executive Tobacco Control Action Plan later this autumn.

The action plan will includecommitments to work with NHS Health Scotland to increase public awareness of the risks associatedwith passive smoking and conduct a wide-ranging public debate on the measuresthat should be taken to reduce these risks and increase smoke-free provision inpublic places. It would be premature to commit to a legislative approach inadvance of this consultation.

Statistics relating to the numbersof NHS hospital auxiliary staff can be found on the ISD website at www.isdscotland.org/isd.

All NHSScotland trusts and privatecompanies operating within them have adopted the provisions set out in the NHSScotlandLow Pay Agreement, whereby no member of staff should earn less than £5.18 per hour.The two trusts who have most recently adopted these provisions are Lanarkshire AcuteHospitals Trust and Lothian Primary Care Trust. Both trusts have agreed to fundthe shortfall in wages paid by their private contractors and are currently in theprocess of implementing this agreement.

The number of eviction actionsraised in each court in each of the last three years is not available. Accordingly,nor is the number of individuals who were (a) affected by and (b) became homelessas a result of such actions.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W–2874 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

Thirteen new direct routes fromairports in Scotland have been subject to investment from the Route DevelopmentFund. These are:

Edinburgh to Cologne

Edinburgh to Jersey

Glasgow Prestwick to Skavsta (Stockholm)

Glasgow Prestwick to Girona (Barcelona)

Edinburgh to Oslo

Edinburgh to Milan

Edinburgh to Geneva

Edinburgh to Zurich

Glasgow Prestwick to Berlin

Glasgow Prestwick to Gothenburg

Kirkwall to Bergen

Edinburgh to New York (Newark)

Inverness to Birmingham.

The fund can only be used tosupport, and not distort, the market.

The Scottish Executive will continueto actively promote Glasgow Airport through engagement with airlines on potential new routesfrom Scotland which would enhance business links and encourage in-boundtourism.

Scottish ministers meet regularlywith Home Office ministers and have discussed matters relating to Dungavel, includingthe provision of education. Since the publication of the HM Chief Inspector of Prisonsand HM Inspectorate of Education reports, discussions have focused on how theirrecommendations can be taken forward, particularly in relation to children who mayexceptionally be in Dungavel for more than six weeks. Discussions between the Scottish Executive and South Lanarkshire Council have focused on the support offered by thecouncil to the contractors at Dungavel.

We do not intend to initiatean inquiry. The available evidence does not suggest that those involved at the timeacted wrongly in the light of the facts that were available to them.

We have indicated that we arewilling to consider any new evidence which emerged.

I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-2537 on 25 September 2003. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for whichcan be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

As the First Minister previouslystated in his answer, this is a matter for local authorities. The information requestedis not held centrally.