Chamber and committees

The Scottish Executive does not operate any specific policies to influence the overall size or age structure of the population. Long-term planning aims to be sufficiently flexible to cope with change in these. However, our Framework for Economic Development in Scotland (laid before the Parliament in June 2000) is focused on instilling a greater economic dynamism that should attract skilled people to stay, return or settle here.

Without a consent from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, private sewage discharges, like any other discharge of "poisonous, noxious or polluting matter", would in all but exceptional cases - such as, in an emergency, to avoid danger to life and health - be illegal under the terms of the Control of Pollution Act 1974. It is for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency to determine whether any individual private sewage discharge may be consented and, if so, what conditions should be placed on the consent under the terms of the 1974 Act to protect the environmental quality of the receiving waters.Where a private sewage discharge has no consent, or fails to comply with the conditions of its consent, any prosecution is a matter for the Procurator Fiscal.

A breakdown of this information by local authority area is not available.

The information is not available in the form requested. Allocations of resources have been made for 2001-02, and allocations for future years will be made at the appropriate time, taking account of progress towards the target.

The information is not available at this time, but the numbers will depend upon the approaches taken by Glasgow City Council in respect of council stock and the Managing Agent in respect of stock in the private sector.

Yes, further applications for grant will be accepted providing the applicant is using the house as their only or main residence.

We estimate that the package on offer can be installed at an average cost of £2,500 per dwelling. It will be for the managing agent, the local authorities and housing associations to ensure that this is achieved for their respective sectors. We estimate that 40,000 pensioners in the private sector do not have a central heating system or have a system which is wholly broken down and beyond repair.

The Executive is taking forward a range of measures to reduce smoking levels and the appeal of smoking among young people.These include health education and promotion of a holistic approach to healthy lifestyles, for example the "Confidence to Learn" training package being developed by HEBS for primary school teachers in order to help younger children to develop decision-making skills and the ability to cope with peer pressure. In addition "Young Scot" have produced a pack aimed at teenagersteenagers to encourage healthy lifestyles including advice on smoking.HEBS has undertaken mass media advertising, including the highly acclaimed STINX advertisment, aimed at teenagers, which promotes the message that smoking is neither healthy nor "cool".A new advert and competition will be launched at the beginning of the school year. An element of the £26 million Health Improvement Fund, which was announced last August, will be used for a major education drive to cut the number of young people smoking.The new "Aliens" advert and competition, which was launched on 16 August, builds on the success of STiNX by continuing the continues the anti-smoking driveanti-smoking drive.Other measures to reduce smoking among young people, including a major education drive, are being developed, backed by additional investment from the Health Improvement Fund.

Reducing the incidence and impact of smoking requires action on a number of fronts. The UK Government estimates that a ban on tobacco advertising and promotion might lead eventually to a 2.5% reduction in the number of smokers. If this was achieved in Scotland it could lead to an annual reduction of some 830 hospital admissions. It could also save around 150 lives in the short term, building to 300 lives each year.

The Scottish Executive remains committed to achieving a ban on tobacco advertising and promotion. We recognise, however, that such a ban is just one element of a wide range of measures that together, will help reduce the incidence and impact of smoking. The Scottish Executive is continuing to take forward action to implement the 1998 White Paper Smoking Kills and is working with a range of organisations to make progress on several fronts:

• NRT and Zyban are now available on prescription.
• Additional funding to improve and expand smoking cessation services and health education.
• A Scottish Voluntary Charter for the introduction of non-smoking areas in public places.
• The Lord Advocate is currently undertaking a review of test purchasing policy, linked to enforcement procedures for a range of age-restricted goods including tobacco.

The Scottish Executive is working with the UK Government in taking forward the implementation of the recent EU Directive on additives and labelling of tobacco.