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Paramedics and technicians areemployed by the Scottish Ambulance Service, which is a special health board.

Informationheld by ISD Scotland on numbers of paramedics and technicians employed by the ScottishAmbulance Service across NHSScotland as a whole is published in Section F of the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statistics, at www.isdscotland.org/workforce.

This information is not brokendown by NHS board area.

We have no plans to allow GPsto sell practice goodwill in respect of primary medical services provided to a listof registered patients. This is essentially a continuation of the current positionand is given effect by the Primary Medical Services (Sale of Goodwill and Restrictionson Sub-contracting) (Scotland) Regulations 2004 which came into force on 1 April2004. In line with the arrangements in England and Wales it is open to subcontractors, not providing primary medicalservices to a list of registered patients, to maintain the ability to sell goodwill.

We are committed to introducing regulation of the private security industry at the earliest opportunity. We plan to achieve this by extending the remit of the Security Industry Authority to include Scotland and this will require amendments to be made to the Private Security Industry Act 2001 in the UK Parliament.

I have been in contact with the Home Secretary to find a suitable legislative vehicle in the UK Parliament to allow this legislation to be brought forward.

It is hoped to let a contractfor the research “Review of Urban Gulls and their Management in Scotland” bythe end of May. Work is likely to begin in June and should be completed by early2005. I expect the report will lead to new guidance on best practice to local authorities.

As ministers have specificallyasked the independent task group reviewing the licensing provisions contained inthe Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 to consider the regulation of lapdancing clubs,it is expected that this matter will be incorporated in its report. The issue ofpremises used for adult entertainment is also being considered by the Executivein relation to its consideration of The Nicholson Committee Report, Review ofLiquor Licensing Law in Scotland.

I understand that the independenttask group expects to submit its report to ministers by the end of June.

It is not yet known how manyNHS boards will carry forward a financial deficit into the new financial year(2004-05). This will only be confirmed once audited accounts for the financialyear 2003-04 are submitted to the Scottish Executive by 31 July 2004.

It is difficult to predicthow many NHS boards will incur a financial deficit in 2003-04 as projectedfigures are continually changing, and indeed improving.

Consultations on planningissues are sent to a wide range of interested organisations and individuals,and they are also placed on the Executive’s website. A typical consultationwill involve us sending out 600 printed copies and 635 email alerts, though forthe forthcoming consultation on appeals we intend to send out about 2,000 printedcopies. In line with the Executive’s best practice on consultations, a list of the organisations to whom the consultation paper has been sent is included inthe paper.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-7096 on 31 March 2004.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/search_wa.

We have already consulted onseveral major issues which are likely to be included in a Planning Bill laterthis session. These include the modernisation of the development planningsystem as set out in our 2002 document Review of Strategic Planning –Conclusions and Next Steps and public involvement in planning as set out inthe 2003 White Paper Your Place, Your Plan.

We will shortly beconsulting on appeals in planning and the implementation of changes to thedevelopment planning system, and further consultations are likely to be held onother issues which may be included in a Planning bill.