Chamber and committees

Guidance on Common Working Arrangements between the Scottish Executive and Her Majesty's Government and UK Agencies is being published today.The texts have been made available to the Parliament and are available in the Document Supply Centre and on the Executive's website.

Our proposals for the Census in Scotland on 29 April 2001 are contained in the draft Census (Scotland) Order 2000 which I have laid before Parliament today.

In deciding which topics to cover we have consulted widely, and taken full account of Scottish circumstances, the UK Government's proposals made in March in the White Paper (Cm 4253), and all representations made to us since the May elections. The draft Order balances the cases made for specific topics by Census users against the public acceptability of the questions, whether or not they can be asked in a way that gives reliable information, and alternative methods of collecting information.

In addition to the questions asked in the 1991 Census, we propose to ask new questions on carers, general health and the year of last employment. Other questions will be extended - for example the question on workplace and means of travel to work will not just cover those working but will also cover students and schoolchildren for their place of study. The question on ethnicity will be extended to cover mixed ethnic groups. The question on relationships within households will collect additional information beyond the relationship to the head of household which allows more detailed family and household classifications to be used in Census results.

A number of cases for questions have been rejected after careful consideration. We concluded that there is not a sufficiently strong case in Scotland to collect information on religion through the Census to supplement the proposed question on ethnic group. Nevertheless, we are alive to concerns expressed about religious discrimination. That is why in developing our Equality Strategy we will work to foster tolerance and promote understanding of religious beliefs and practices. As part of the wider research and information strategy on equality and social inclusion we will undertake further work such as sample surveys to provide better information about minority cultural sub-groups. In taking that forward we will consult with the Commission for Racial Equality, the Scottish Inter Faith Council and others.

We have also decided not to propose a question on personal income. Despite strong support for the question from a number of users, we have concluded that the inclusion of an income question would mean that the risk to the overall response to the Census was unacceptably high. There is also doubt about the quality of the information that could be collected. Recognising the strength of support for this topic we intend to pursue further the availability of DSS benefit data for small areas and other ways of producing estimates of income by area.The proposals for the 2001 Census laid before the Parliament today will provide a wealth of priority statistical information on Scotland, local and health authorities, and local communities which will underpin the development and monitoring of policies by the Scottish Parliament and other bodies in the new millennium.

As from 28 February, pet owners in Scotland will be able to travel with their cats or dogs to and from the designated countries in exactly the same way as owners from elsewhere in the UK. Entry during this pilot phase will be through a number of ports selected for their profile of passenger movement. This will ensure that the practical operation of the new arrangements planned as an alternative to the present six months quarantine requirements are fully tested before the full scheme comes into operation in 2001.

On 20 December I addressed a conference on modernising government. I set out the Scottish Executive's strategic vision for modernising government. The Executive is determined that Scotland has a 21st-century government to meet the challenges and the changing environment that it now faces. The Scottish Executive has a key role to play in taking this message to the wider public sector in Scotland. 21^st-Century Government in Scotland will be about, working in partnership; openness and accountability; inclusion; and, delivery. In taking this forward the Scottish Executive will encourage innovation and creativity in government; identify and remove blockages; share knowledge; and, put the citizen at the centre.A copy of the full speech is available in SPICe and on the Scottish Executive web site.

The traffic information requested is given in the table below:

Total Annual Traffic

	Total annual traffic (all vehicle types, two way) 1997 (millions)	Total annual traffic (all vehicle types, two way) 1998 (millions)
Forth Road Bridge	21.08m	20.78m*
Kincardine Bridge	9.04m	9.10m

Source: Scottish Executive and Forth Road Bridge Joint Board

*Forth Road Bridge traffic was affected by roadworks during 1998.It should be noted that design capacities are not expressed in terms of vehicles per year and therefore this information is not available.

I am pleased to announce that I launched the Report on 21 December. The Review reassessed the role, relationships and locus of public health medicine, to ensure the optimal use of all available resources in the drive to safeguard and improve Scotland's health. Following wide-ranging consultations, the Review makes a number of recommendations intended to result in a robust, well-supported public health function, able to secure and sustain health improvement and lead a co-ordinated effort to tackle the underlying cause of poor health and disease. A copy of the Report is available through the Scottish Executive web site - www.scotland.gov.uk/library2/doc09/rphf-00.asp and hard copies are available for reference from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

I am pleased that the Commission gave its approval on 22 December to the UK proposals for Objective 2 coverage from 2000-06. We now estimate that the Scottish Objective 2 programmes will be worth some €710 million (currently £452 million) over the next seven years - some €430 million (currently £270 million) in the West, some €215 million (currently £135 million) in the East and about €70 million (currently £44 million) in the South. I look forward to discussing the Plans for each area in the New Year to ensure that these funds are targeted on areas of need, whether they be in full or transition areas, so that they leave a lasting legacy.

The ambulatory care model has been successfully developed in various countries: the United States, Scandinavia and England. Such centres offer a day care service combining in one process consultation, diagnosis and intervention, usually by day surgery. They operate on an elective basis, that is they do not carry out emergency work.The concept is being taken forward in Scotland as part of the Scottish Executive's Programme for Government. The relationship between ambulatory and non-ambulatory care in a particular area is of fundamental importance, and was one of the themes explored in a national conference on ambulatory care which the Scottish Executive Health Department organised on 30 November. The guidelines which will then be produced will also address the relationship between the two types of care.

I understand that Fife Health Board now has in hand arrangements for the appointment of the general manager post, which is currently filled on a locum basis.

The Scottish Executive has commissioned research into the extent and effectiveness of local authority throughcare and aftercare arrangements, as governed by Sections 29 and 30 of the 1995 Act. The study is being conducted by the University of York and all local authorities have agreed to participate. It began in September and will take two years to complete.