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Wider national economic performance is likely to be the main determinant of trends in small business creation, and its employment opportunities, and the prospects for the Scottish economy remain good. However, we have a number of specific initiatives in hand to increase the number of start-up businesses assisted by the enterprise network, and to improve the quality and consistency of advice and support for small businesses across Scotland. We will announce details of these improvements shortly.In Glasgow itself, Glasgow Development Agency, Glasgow City Council and other partners have a number of local schemes in place to enhance business and employment creation.

Figures for 1998-99 confirm that almost 75% of all written complaints to Trusts are responded to within the 20-day period.We constantly urge Trusts to handle complaints as quickly as possible. With the support of the Health Service Commissioner for Scotland, who is independent of both the NHS and the Scottish Executive, training events are held regularly for staff and lay volunteers involved in the NHS complaints procedure. These events also serve to identify areas where changes in the Directions and Guidance issued in 1996 are needed. Revised and simplified guidance to the NHSiS was issued last June, and the Directions upon which the Guidance is drawn are now currently under review.A review of the current complaints process is underway, with a UK-wide evaluation which began in January 1999. The researchers are aiming to issue an interim report by March 2000 and a completed report by February 2001. This is intended to be a practical and realistic analysis based as far as possible on the actual experiences of those using and operating the procedure. The report will be used as a tool to further refine the process so that it better meets its original aims and principles.

The issue of extended coverage of the Nurses, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine Pay Review Body (NPRB) is being considered in discussions on Agenda for Change: Modernising the NHS Pay System.

The Scottish Executive has no plans to set up an external working party. However, the Advisory Committee on Scotland's Travelling People is at present completing its end-of-term report in which it will be making recommendations to Scottish Ministers.The Committee has also been asked to make recommendations on how the interests of the Travelling People Community can be taken forward in the future. The report will be made available to the recently established Race Equality Advisory Forum (REAF), as previously agreed with Ministers.

Glasgow City Council has statutory powers to make grants and loans towards the cost of repair or maintenance of historic buildings from the total funds allocated to it by the Scottish Executive. Partnership funding can be provided by Historic Scotland, an agency within the Scottish Executive, for the repair of buildings within outstanding conservation areas which are the subject of a Town Scheme agreement between Historic Scotland and the local authority. Assistance is also available in the form of grants for the repair of properties of outstanding architectural or historic interest, or key priorities within outstanding conservation areas, in the ownership of local authorities under the Historic Buildings and Repair Grants Scheme administered by Historic Scotland.

It is for local authorities to set their own budgets for improvement and repairs grants from within their general services allocation. The forthcoming Housing Bill will include provisions to reform the grant system, including the introduction of a test of applicants' resources to ensure that help goes to those in greatest need.

Our primary care system is based on the model of a "registered patient list", where a named doctor serves a list of patients identified by their place of residence. However, everyone has a right to be on a doctor's list and Primary Care NHS Trusts have a responsibility to ensure that all patients are assigned to a suitable practitioner if they have been unable to secure services themselves.Greater Glasgow Primary Care NHS Trust have a number of specific initiatives in place which are designed to improve access to primary health care services for the homeless. They include:

• The Medical and Nursing Health Service City Mission which provides a range of general medical interventions and treatment to homeless adults (including the elderly) who have difficulty in obtaining treatment in the General Medical Service.
• The Homeless Families Health Care Service which tracks homeless families through their period of homelessness. A key element of the service is the establishment of a link between previous and new primary care services for those who move area due to homelessness and become lost to existing mainstream services.
• The Mental Health Hostel Service which is designed to prevent patients falling through the net of community mental health services and provides a comprehensive specialist Mental Health Service to the homeless.
• The Community Dental Service to the City Mission which provides a full range of treatment to homeless adults (including the elderly) who have difficulty in obtaining treatment in the General Dental Service.
• The Podiatry Service City Mission which provides assessment, diagnosis and treatment of lower limb pathologies enabling clients to attain optimum mobility. Access to the community chiropody services for the homeless is through direct attendance at one of the service delivery sites.
• A Nutrition and Dietetic Service which plans a programme on food safety/hygiene, budgeting, and information on nutrition and healthy eating for young single homeless and for homeless families.

• A Physiotherapy Service relieves acute conditions and provides advice on chronic conditions leading to improved quality of life and improved general health for homeless people.

Further details of these services are available from Greater Glasgow Primary Care Trust.

Breakfast club facilities are already available in a number of schools in Glasgow and other parts of Scotland, and this will provide valuable experience which can be drawn on where further clubs are to be established. The Scottish Community Diet Project, funded by the Scottish Executive, will be developing a toolkit to assist those schools who wish to set up breakfast clubs.

No systematic information on this is available centrally, although anecdotal information suggests that children who eat breakfast regularly are healthier and do better at school than those who arrive for lessons hungry.

There are 34 local authority sites for travellers in Scotland with over 520 pitches.