To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the establishment of a separate database to assist in the collection of statistics on poverty, as recommended in the First Report 1999-2000, Poverty in Scotland, by the Select Committee on Scottish Affairs; what representations it has made to Her Majesty's Government on the development of such a database, and what the target date is for its implementation. The Scottish Executive made a bid to HM Treasury's Evidence Based Policy Fund to fund a research project to develop a database of Scottish household income and a modelling capacity to address the increased need for income and poverty related analysis.The bid was successful and following a tendering process, the research contract was awarded to Stirling University in July 2001.