Chamber and committees

At 30 September 2000, there were 26 consultant orthodontists employed by NHS Scotland and working in hospitals. Some orthodontic treatment may also be provided by staff employed within the Community Dental Service, but details on the number of those who offer this treatment are not available. In addition, two salaried dentist posts have been approved by Scottish ministers to provide orthodontic treatment under general dental services.Information on how many of these staff take only NHS patients, how many practise privately alongside their NHS work and how many take only private patients is not collected.

Local authority staff, including managers, working in residential childcare hold a variety of qualifications. Social care staff may have for example Diploma in Social Work, SVQs, relevant HNCs or the Certificate in Residential Care of Children and Young People. In addition staff might have teaching, nursing or nursery nursing, play or youth work qualifications. Some staff have no formal qualifications. Decisions about the right mix of skills and qualifications are based on the needs of the children in the different types of residential units. In future the Scottish Social Services Council will lay down such qualifications as part of its work to register staff.The Scottish Executive has made the training of staff working in residential childcare a priority for development. In addition to establishing the new Scottish Social Services Council, the Executive has established the Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care to improve the training and qualification of staff and to work with the residential units to promote effective organisational development.

This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The information requested is not held centrally.

We have not made formal representations to the Home Secretary on this issue, which is reserved to the UK Government. However, Scottish interests are well represented on the statutory Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, which has been asked by the Home Secretary to review the classification of cannabis. A recommendation from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to the Home Secretary is expected in the next few months and may lead to reclassification. Any advice to Scottish Police Forces from the Scottish Executive would reflect the Home Secretary's decision.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20755.

As a result of the agreement between the Scottish Executive and HM Treasury, if local authorities transfer their entire housing stock into community ownership, the Treasury will contribute to the costs of debt repayment. This will enable Scottish Executive funds to be freed up for further investment. If the transfer does not proceed these funds will not be available.

Five former Scottish ministers and junior ministers who left office prior to 27 November 2001 have been paid the lump sum grant to which they are entitled on ceasing to hold office. Ministers and junior ministers who left office on 27 November will be paid their entitlements once the required three week period from ceasing to hold office has elapsed.The previous First Minister is in receipt of a pension payable immediately on his ceasing to be First Minister. Pensions payable under the Scottish Parliamentary Pension Scheme are not a matter for Scottish ministers.

The pyre ash generated by the three mass burn sites used during the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders is material resultant from the cremation of animals which did not have foot-and-mouth disease but were on farms contiguous to an infected premises.The pyres achieved an extremely efficient burn rate and analysis of the ash has shown that the material poses no environmental or public health risk if disposed of at a suitably licensed engineered landfill site.

The pyre ash being transported from the three mass burn sites used during the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Dumfries and Galloway and the Borders is material resultant from the cremation of animals which did not have foot-and-mouth disease but were on farms contiguous to an infected premises. The ash is being disposed of at a suitably licensed engineered landfill site in accordance with advice from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.Although the material presents no foot-and-mouth disease risk, as a precaution, the loaded vehicles are washed and disinfected as they leave the burn sites and are again washed and disinfected as they leave the landfill site once they have been emptied.

NHS trusts and boards are expected to fully examine all procurement options in developing capital projects. Such options include the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) which is a form of Public/Private Partnership (PPP). However, the only projects which will succeed as PPP/PFI, will be those that are both affordable to the NHS trust or board and deliver better value for money than an equivalent publicly funded solution.