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Orders have been laid to implement the right to buy provisions contained in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001. These should bring about the agreed changes to the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 with effect from 30 September 2002. Details of the changes being introduced are contained in SEDD Circular 5/2002, entitled Housing (Scotland) Act 2001: The Modernised Right to Buy, which was issued recently and copies of which have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.In addition, following a consultation exercise earlier this year, we are proposing a new cost floor determination to commence at the same time as these right to buy measures are introduced. This determination will make relatively minor changes to the cost floor rules, primarily allowing for all "initial works" conducted by a social rented landlord following acquisition to count towards the cost floor and to ensure that where costs could be covered by a landlord's insurance policy, they are not also added to the cost floor.

The size of the area around any nuclear accident or incident in which people might require medication would depend upon the nature, scale and circumstances of the accident or incident, together with actual and forecast meteorological conditions which might affect the behaviour of any emission of radioactive iodine from it.

No. The use of snares to control pest species of wild animal such as foxes and rabbits is legally permitted subject to certain conditions relating to their use. Snares set must be of an approved type and must, by law, be checked at least once a day.

No funding is planned for captive breeding programmes as part of the LIFE Project.

Distribution planning is a responsibility of NHS boards working with the operators of nuclear facilities, the police, local authorities and others who would be involved in the response to any nuclear accident or incident. Methods employed would depend on the nature, scale and circumstances of the accident or incident. In some circumstances distribution to people in their homes might be appropriate; in others, distribution might be effected at reception centres or other points at which people within an affected area would be collected.

Question S1W-25635 has been answered today.

The Scottish Executive is aware of advice from the Capercaillie Biodiversity Action Plan Steering Group, recommending release of captive-bred capercaillie, on condition that the trial site is south of the central belt. I understand that the purpose of this trial would be to assess the feasibility of a release project and to perfect methodologies and techniques. Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, any trial could only go ahead on the basis of a licence approved by Scottish Natural Heritage.

Social Inclusion Partnership Fund grant expenditure is audited at a number of levels. At project level the accounts are subject to an annual audit by a qualified accountant. Where the council is the nominated partner, the council's management is responsible for ensuring that its systems for handling grant and accounting for it are sound. These systems may be subject to scrutiny by the council's internal auditors. Non-local authority nominated partners are responsible for ensuring that their systems for handling grant and accounting for it are sound and for ensuring that their final grant claim is audited by professionally qualified external auditors. At the partnership level, partnerships' final claims are periodically certified by auditors appointed by Audit Scotland. The role of these external auditors is to ensure that expenditure is properly accounted for and used for the intended purposes. Communities Scotland is currently undertaking a review of financial procedures and practices in relation to the social inclusion partnership programme.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27875.

Overtime rates of pay are paid to ambulance frontline staff, paramedic technicians, operations room assistants, maintenance staff, driver/handymen and administrative and clerical staff within the Scottish Ambulance Service staff.