Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-19631 on 31 October 2005. 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/webapp/wa.search.

Following extensive discussions, the Scottish Law Commission (SLC) has agreed to review and report to ministers on the law of prescription in relation to personal injury claims. The SLC will conduct that review in parallel with its existing review of limitation, and the intention is that the discussion paper and final report to be produced by that review will now cover both subjects.

The SLC had been aiming to publish a discussion paper on limitation by the end of this year for public consultation, and to report to ministers with recommendations by the end of 2006. In view of the extra work that will be required to carry out the additional review there may need to be some adjustment to that timescale, although the SLC has said that it will do all it can to minimise any delay. I am continuing to keep in touch with the SLC on this point.

The helpline advertisement carried on the Scottish Executive website and a press release was issued to national and local media. In addition, we funded a mailshot to members of the In Care Abuse Survivors (INCAS) support group drawing attention to this resource.

As indicated in my response to question S2W-15681, all relevant files held by the Scottish Executive are now available for public inspection.

Officials have met with representatives of other organisations to discuss the records they hold. We are not aware of any organisation that does not allow individuals to access their own personal records, although these personal records are not available for public inspection.

The report made recommendations about training for staff on the issue of refusal notices under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and about improving the procedures for searching and providing access to records.

Mandatory training in the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act has now taken place for all Scottish Executive staff.

We have also improved the search function on the Scottish Executive internet site to ensure that those seeking advice on how to access relevant files held by the Executive can find the relevant webpage more easily.

My officials have met with representatives of Barnardos, Quarriers, local authorities, the Church of Scotland, the Catholic Church and the Sisters of Nazareth. All agreed to provide details of a single point of contact for each organisation that could be published on the Scottish Executive website to assist those seeking to access their personal files.

The National Reference Group on Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse, which has been created to help implement the strategy for Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse, is made up of survivors, representatives from survivor agencies, a range of health and social care professionals working in this field, and officials from across the Scottish Executive. There are 27 members on the group, four of whom participate as survivors. The group first met on 6 September 2005 and is in the early stages of developing a working plan spanning 18 months to two years. The remit was drafted at this first meeting and will be finalised at the next one.

The Scottish Executive is not currently funding any projects into the pathologies of spongiform encephalopathies. The Chief Scientists Office would be happy to look at any proposals for research.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-19555 on 27 October 2005. 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/webapp/wa.search.

An article in The Lancet last month stated that cholesterol reducing statins may be useful in delaying or preventing the onset of dementia. I am also aware of the research (published by Dr. Thomas D. Rea et al at the University of Washington in July 2005 in the Archives of Neurology) which did not find sufficient evidence that statin use reduced the risk of dementia. The abstract of this research can be found at http://archneur.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/62/7/1047.

High cholesterol is one of the key risk factors for chronic heart disease (CHD). Statins are widely used to reduce cholesterol for patients who are at particularly high risk of developing heart disease. Evidence based guidelines on lipids and the primary prevention of CHD were issued by the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network in September 1999.