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There are no plans to place Milestone House under the auspices of the National Services Division. The future of Milestone House is a matter for Lothian Health Board, the City of Edinburgh Council and the Waverley Care Trust to decide.

The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the United Kingdom Government on a wide range of issues, including Budget-related issues. The Budget is, of course, the appropriate time to set spending policy, not on an ad hoc basis in response to short-term fluctuations in the price of a commodity such as oil.

No new guidance has been issued. In 1995, guidance about new drugs for multiple sclerosis and clinical advice from the Scottish Medical Advisory Committee was issued to all health boards and this guidance continues to apply.

The Health Technology Board for Scotland is at present carrying out an assessment of Beta Interferon and Copaxone in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

Our plans for the development of home care were announced by the Minister for Health and Community Care on 5 October.

The most recent information available does not indicate an overall shortfall in the number of residential and nursing home places for older people. As announced, we are making considerable additional resources available to local authorities. It is for these authorities to determine whether they require to purchase additional places rather than some other forms of care.

Reducing the number of delayed discharges is a high priority for the Scottish Executive. £60 million has been made available to the NHS - on top of the existing record levels of funding, to accelerate delivery of a number of priorities, including a reduction in the number of delayed discharges.

In addition, £10 million is being distributed this year to local authorities to help tackle the problems arising from delays in the discharge of patients from hospital. Scotland's 32 local authorities have been asked to submit plans outlining how they will use the additional amounts available to them. The use of these resources will be planned in partnership with health boards so that they can complement the activity funded by the record additional resources available to the NHS.

Any resource implications that arise from Scottish Executive policies on suicide prevention will be identified and acted upon. Indeed, the Framework for Mental Health Services in Scotland, published in 1997, which offers best practice in the organisation of care and preventative measures, already recognises the isolation that can lead to suicide attempts and encourages health boards and their partner care agencies to organise appropriate services to match needs, for example, programmes of assertive outreach that ensure continuing contact with those considered at risk. We remain determined to tackle suicide through both specific and general measures.However, health boards and social work departments are not the only agents involved in achieving a reduction in the number of suicides in Scotland. An individual's decision to commit suicide is dependent on a large number of social, economic, personal, and psychological factors. The Scottish Executive agenda to improve the health and wellbeing of the people of Scotland is intended to tackle such factors and to reduce this tragic loss of life.

I understand from Lothian University Hospitals NHS Trust that there are unacceptably high waiting times for ENT outpatient appointments. These are attributable to a consultant vacancy, and to other staffing changes, which are being addressed urgently.

As a result of recent initiatives by the Trust, the average waiting time for CT scans at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh now stands at four weeks, a reduction of nine weeks. The Scottish Executive is funding the NHS in Scotland at higher levels than ever before (£5.4 billion this year). Recurring funding of £44.5 million per annum has been allocated to the NHS in Scotland since 1998-99 to reduce waiting times and lists. In addition, a further £60 million was allocated to health boards in June to address specific priorities, including waiting times. The Executive is clear, however, that sustained improvements in waiting times can only be achieved by both investment and reform. That is why our work on the modernisation of the NHS in Scotland places particular emphasis on the redesign of services and the provision of innovative patient centred services, such as one-stop clinics.

John Spencely’s report to the SPCB on the Holyrood Project was produced on 24 March 2000, five days prior to Mr Miralles’ surgery in America. The SPCB learned of Mr Miralles’ ill health on 4 April and therefore had no information to offer Mr Spencely about Mr Miralles’ medical condition or expected recovery time while he was compiling his report.

The Holyrood Progress Group is currently leading discussions on the contract between EMBT/RMJM and the SPCB. An announcement will be made as soon as these discussions are concluded.