Chamber and committees

In Scotland, the introduction of neonatal hearing screening will be taken forward in two steps. The first involves the establishment of two pathfinder sites with screening beginning in these areas by April 2002 Thereafter, the screening programme will be rolled out across Scotland from April 2003.

A review of the implications of implementing a phased neonatal hearing screening programme was placed on the SHOW website on 27 June and is available on the SHOW website at www.show.scot.nhs.uk.

The International Adult Literacy Survey suggested that 23% of adults in Scotland may have low literacy and numeracy skills.On 2 July I published the Adult Literacy Team's report, Adult Literacy and Numeracy in Scotland. I am now considering the report's 21 key recommendations.The Scottish Executive has already committed £22.5 million over the next three years to the task of raising literacy and numeracy levels. £18.5 million of this will be channelled through local authorities to community learning strategy learning partnerships to raise to around 80,000 the number of Scottish learners who will be assisted over the next three years.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16321.

Latest published figures in Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland 1998-99 suggest that Scotland had a deficit of £4.9 billion, excluding North Sea revenues, in 1998-99. In the same year, the UK Government's fiscal position, excluding North Sea revenues, was broadly in balance.

We are currently discussing with local authority representatives school building needs in order to clarify the level of need for improvement, and establish strategic priorities for future funding.

The Scottish Executive is fully committed to the promotion of breastfeeding, which is uniformly accepted as the best form of nutrition for infants.The provisions and restrictions on information, including advertising, relating to infant formula and follow-on formula by manufacturers and distributors are controlled in the UK by the Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula Regulations 1995 (as amended). The Food Standards Agency, Scotland is responsible for advising the Scottish Executive in relation to these regulations. I am advised by the agency that these regulations embrace the principles of the World Health Organisation Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes 1981.

The Scottish Executive is constantly in touch with the UK Government on a range of matters, including taxation.

The settlement announcements will fit with the Spending Review cycle. The next Spending Review, scheduled for 2002, will allow us to roll forward the settlement for a further three-year period.

The Scottish Executive has already made considerable progress in providing extra resources to Greater Glasgow Health Board in line with the recommendations in the Final Report of the Arbuthnott Committee. In 2000-01 every health board in Scotland has received a substantial increase in its funding of at least 5.5%. Health boards whose share of resources should increase under the Arbuthnott formula have received larger increases in funding. Greater Glasgow Health Board's resources have increased by 7.7%, and this means that in the current financial year this board has received an additional £17.45 million as a result of Arbuthnott.The indicative allocations which have been issued for 2002-03 and 2003-04 will also provide Greater Glasgow Health Board with additional resources over and above the general increase in funding. In 2002-03, all health boards will receive an increase of at least 6.5%, while Greater Glasgow Health Board will receive an increase of 7.3%. In 2003-04 every board will receive an increase of at least 7.4% while Greater Glasgow Health Board will receive 8.2%. This means that in 2002-03 and 2003-04 Greater Glasgow Health Board will receive an extra £6.769 million and £7.263 million respectively as a result of Arbuthnott.By the end of this three-year period, therefore, the total annual increase in healthcare resources for Greater Glasgow Health Board as a result of Arbuthnott will be over £30 million. This is a very substantial additional sum and it reflects our commitment to target resources on areas of need, to improve health and to tackle inequalities in health.

Levels of collection of non-domestic rates are generally high. Nevertheless, the Scottish Executive is currently in discussion with Audit Scotland about assembling detailed information on collection rates and the possible introduction of a performance indicator for non-domestic rates collection.