Chamber and committees

We are taking advice on formation of an expert advisory grouping to discuss evaluation of the National Healthy Eating Campaign, as well as the wider Scottish Diet Action Plan.

There is a long-standing agreement between Scotland and Finland to exchange information on medicine and public health. The Executive is therefore aware of Finnish initiatives to improve healthy eating, such as the diet component of the North Karelia Project. The Scottish Berry Project was informed by the experience of this project.

Resources for healthy eating in Scotland are allocated across a wide range of sectors and settings including the Food Standards Agency, the NHS, Health Education Board for Scotland, local government and the voluntary sector.Healthy Eating is a key element of the drive to improve the health of the people of Scotland. The National Healthy Eating Campaign will spearhead this drive and take forward the further implementation of the Scottish Diet Action Plan.The National Campaign will be supported by funding from the Scottish Diet Action Plan and will augment the Scottish Executive's anticipated allocation of £1 million each year for implementation of this plan. Diet is also prioritised within the £26 million Health Improvement Fund and forms an important part of the £6 million National Health Demonstration Project, Have a Heart Paisley.

Industrial relations and employment issues within further education colleges, which are autonomous bodies in terms of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992, are for the colleges themselves to address. I do of course expect college managers to foster good industrial relations, which are crucial to the delivery of an efficient and effective service to the public.

The link between Scotland's poor diet and its poor record on health are clear, which is why we are actively promoting healthy eating in our drive to improve the health of people in Scotland.

Alastair Darling, Secretary of State for Transport launched the consultation process for a UK white paper The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom by a statement to the House of Commons on 23 July. The consultation period runs until the end of November. The white paper is to be published next year and will provide a sustainable long-term policy framework for the future of aviation across the UK.Aviation matters are partly reserved and partly devolved. The UK Government and the Scottish Executive are working closely together to ensure that the white paper meets Scotland's needs. The Scottish consultation document was issued jointly by the Department for Transport and the Executive. Officials from the Department for Transport and the Executive's Development Department are organising a programme of consultative events that will engage stakeholders in a detailed debate regarding the key issues highlighted in the consultation document.

The Executive is in regular contact with both the Department for Transport and the Scotland Office regarding the air transport industry in Scotland. Such contacts occur at both official and ministerial levels.

To help inform the final design of the station and determine the necessary funding required to develop it, much technical investigative work has to be undertaken to assess, among other things, site conditions and new track and platform layouts. The Scottish Executive announced that it was making available up to £1 million to facilitate this work on 20 May 2002.

Until more detailed plans for the re-development of Waverley Station have been developed, it is too early to determine what funding will be required.

The Clyde Shipyards Task Force report highlighted nine regeneration projects in the Scotstoun area. Scottish Enterprise Glasgow is currently in the process of seeking options for funding these.