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Where a proposal made by the Scottish Government requires it, the Member State notifies the European Commission of its terms.

On current evidence, the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) considers women with Poly Implant Prothese (PiP) silicone breast implants to be eligible to donate blood, provided that they meet all of SNBTS’s donor selection criteria.

The European Commission has confirmed that it is for Member States to decide if and at what stage to notify their proposals. We are clear that the bill itself does not require to be notified, and we are currently considering whether the subordinate legislation that sets the minimum price per unit of alcohol requires to be notified.

The total amount spent by NHSScotland on clinical negligence claims since 2007-08 is detailed in the following table:

Fluctuations in the sums paid from year to year are due to the number of high value settlements occurring in any one year. These tend to relate to birth cases where the sums paid can be substantial. In 2010-11 there were 25 claims paid that were in excess of £1m compared to 16 in 2009-10.

The amount spent for 2011-12 as at 31 January totalled £22.5 million.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-05564 on 6 March 2012. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

As I indicated to the Health and Sport Committee on 31 January, I hope to indicate a preferred minimum price per unit of alcohol at Stage 2, but certainly before Stage 3 of the Bill process.

I met the European Commissioner for Health and Consumer Policy, John Dalli on 7 February 2012. During the same visit I also met with senior officials from DG Enterprise and Industry. I was accompanied by Donald Henderson, Head of Public Health Division, Scottish Government.

The discussions I have had with relevant contacts in the European Commission as regards the Scottish Government’s proposal to introduce a minimum price per unit of alcohol were very constructive and positive. I have written to the Convenor of the Health and Sport Committee informing him of the content of these discussions.

COSLA recently issued it’s National Strategy and Guidance for Charges applying to Non-residential Social Care Services 2012-13 to all local authorities. The guidance will be made public on the COSLA website early in March.