Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-28329 on 6 October 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Transport Scotland didnot receive the letter of 27 July 2006. A faxed copy was received on 22 September and the Chief Executive will reply within the next two weeks.

The Strategic TransportProjects Review is expected to conclude by summer 2008. The Scottish Executivewill announce its response thereafter.

At 31 March 2006, there were39 dentists providing NHS general dental services in the North Taysideparliamentary constituency. This figure comprises non-salaried and salariedprincipals, assistants and vocational dental practitioners, and is based on thelocation of the dental practice. Information on the total number of NHSdentists (General Dental Services, Community Dental Services and HospitalDental Services) is available at NHS board level, and is published on www.isdscotland.org/dentist_numbers.

Source: MIDAS (ManagementInformation and Dental Accounting System).

There is a general expectationthat the substantial rises over the last two spending reviews are unlikely to berepeated. Therefore, ministers may need tomake some careful choices and the outcome of this review, which was submitted tome in July, will assist with this. Later publication of this information providesministers time to explore and think through all the implications of particular optionsin private.

The report will be publishedas background information that informed spending review decisions when the Executive announces the outcome of the next spending review in September 2007.

The information requested isnot held centrally.

Any relevant national standardswhich are developed and approved through the appropriate bodies, that provide Fireand Rescue Services (FRS) with guidance in such areas as person specifications,job descriptions and individual selection criteria, would as a matter of course,be promulgated through existing channels to all FRS including those in Scotland.

However, any decision on selectionof their staff for any specific role is the discretion and responsibility of eachindividual FRS and not the Scottish Executive.

The Fire and Rescue Service (FRS)national New Dimension Co-ordinating Centre located at West Yorkshire FRS was establishedto co-ordinate the availability of the English fleet of vehicles and to co-ordinaterequests for cross regional and national mobilisation.

It does not maintain any recordsor details of specific skills of personnel from any FRS across the UK. Current dedicatedScottish co-ordination arrangements are being led by the Chief Fire Officers AssociationScotland which will provide a dynamic link of all Scottish resources into the co-ordinationcentre at West Yorkshire.

However, as detailed in the responseto the answer to S2W-27595 on 25 August 2006, the training and development of personnel across theUKis to the same set of core standards.

As the Scottish strategy is predicatedaround an enhanced capability being available across all eight Fire and Rescue Services(FRS), the original planning assumptions for travel and time of deployment are determinedby the nature of the risk and location of the specialist resources in each of theFRS. The deployment arrangements for the specialist resources such as Mass Decontaminationand Major Incident Units are in line with the current UK assumptionsbut tailored to the geography and risk across Scotland.

These planning assumptions includingtime and travel predictions are currently being reviewed in line with theon-going work being developed by the Home Office as part of the national ChemicalBiological Radiological and Nuclear Model Response options.