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The Executive actively seeks the views of business, local enterprise companies and other interests as part of the on-going process of consulting on major road projects. Recently there were public exhibitions of proposals for the Eastern Relief Road at Kincardine and the Fochabers- Mosstodloch Bypass on the A96. Business, industry, local enterprise companies and community interests are also closely involved in the transport corridor studies on the A8/M8, A80/M80 and the M74.

The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including European Union proposals.

The Scottish Executive is keen to offer as many New Deal opportunities as possible and it meets with the Employment Service on a regular basis to promote its New Deal jobs. Recently the Executive held a very successful New Deal recruitment campaign in Edinburgh and Glasgow. The competition attracted 164 applications and 47 of those individuals were selected for appointment, (19 from the 18-24 element of the programme).

The research programme suggested by the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones will cost some £7 million, with £3.5 million coming from Government being matched by £3.5 million from the mobile phone industry. The Scottish Executive has agreed to contribute £150,000. The selection of projects has been in the hands of the independent Programme Management Committee (PMC) chaired by Sir William Stewart. No representations on membership of the PMC have been made. I understand an announcement of the results of projects to be funded under the first call for research proposals will be made soon. A second call has also recently been announced. The current membership of the PMC and other useful information can be found at website http://www.doh.gov.uk/mobilephones/research/index.htm.

The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Strategic Rail Authority on a wide range of issues, including the Strategic Plan in so far as it relates to rail services for Scotland.

The SEED annual School Census, conducted in September each year, is used to collect statistical information from schools. Class size information was collected from primary schools every two years until 1997. Since 1997, class size figures have been collected every year. Average class sizes in publicly funded schools by education authority are published in the annual School Census Summary Results bulletin, copies of which are available from the Parliament's Reference Centre.

The Scottish Executive provides funding to the Scottish Road Safety Campaign for the production of key road safety education materials and publicity campaigns. In the current financial year the campaign expects to spend about £180,000 on drug driving publicity.

Information provided by local NHS management indicates that there have been five expressions of interest in the six posts advertised.

Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, set out the intention to establish an expert group supporting and advising local NHS Boards in managing changes in the configuration of services and advising the Health Department of the appropriateness of local reconfiguration.The expert group, details of which will be announced early in the New Year, will have representatives who cover a wide range of community, clinical and public service experience.

Our National Health set out the intention to establish an expert group supporting and advising local NHS Boards in managing changes in the configuration of services and advising the Health Department of the appropriateness of local reconfiguration.The expert group, details of which will be announced early in the New Year, will have representatives who have a wide range of community, clinical and public service experience from across Scotland.