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Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, set out the intention to establish an expert group to support and advise NHS Boards in managing the changes in the configuration of services and advising the Health Department of the appropriateness of local reconfiguration.Details of the expert group will be announced early in the New Year.

The Scottish Executive is providing funding of over £27 million for study support and out of school hours learning over the period 1999-2002. In addition the New Opportunities Fund is investing £23.6 million of lottery resources over the same period for out of school hours learning projects. As well as support for homework, coursework and the development of key skills, the programmes provide for creative ventures in the arts field and a full range of sports, including football, shinty, badminton and swimming, and adventurous outdoor activities such as sailing, canoeing, orienteering, abseiling, hill walking and cycling. Many of these activity programmes are provided on a residential basis at weekends and during the Easter and summer breaks. A further £8 million is being made available over 2001-04 to local authorities to enable them to support the most fragile existing out of school childcare provision in disadvantaged areas. This is additional to £49 million already allocated to local authorities in the last comprehensive spending review for childcare support. The New Opportunities Fund is also making £25.3 million available for out of school childcare projects over 1999-2003, which is being enhanced by up to £7 million to provide further support in disadvantaged areas. An additional £14 million will be made available by the New Opportunities Fund over 2002-06 for a range of childcare provision, including out of school care.In addition, Community Learning Strategy Partnerships are required to analyse the needs of local communities in planning provision of community-based education facilities. This analysis of local needs should include consideration of the requirements and appropriate provision of community-based resources for all young people.

My answer to question S1W-20184 set out the support we provide for activity programmes and residential breaks for children and young people. We also provide a range of support for teenage mothers and babies through Sure Start Scotland. There is no single model of support as the needs of children and parents will vary. Sure Start Scotland supports a range of activities which provide opportunities for parents to acquire skills; to promote self-esteem and personal confidence and to enable parents to assist the development of their children.

The answer given to question S1W-20179 gives details of our Sure Start Scotland initiative, which provides support to teenage mothers and their babies, among others.In addition, we have also awarded a project grant of £50,000 for 2001-02 to Big Brothers and Sisters to assist them in developing a network of mentoring projects throughout Scotland. Big Brothers and Sisters provides mentors for children or young people from one-parent families.

The answer given to question S1W-20184 sets out the resources being made available for out of school hours childcare and learning and study support, including activity programmes and residential breaks. Study support can be particularly helpful to disadvantaged pupils, particularly from older age groups, in providing them with access to facilities for study and challenging activities that might not otherwise be available to them. Similarly, the distribution formula for allocating childcare resources to local authorities takes account of comparative deprivation.

Information is not held centrally in the format requested. To provide a proxy indicator of activity, the table shows, by cancer centre, the number of referrals per consultant oncologist (whole-time equivalent) in NHSScotland for the years ending March 1995 to 2001.

Years ending	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	20011
Scotland	166	189	210	221	218	237
Aberdeen	92	163	161	184	158	170
Dundee	320	336	278	311	345	289
Edinburgh	273	271	266	232	213	239
Glasgow	109	121	172	197	211	243
Inverness	262	313	260	284	269	277

Notes:1. The number of oncologists as at September 2000 is provisional.These data most likely under-estimate the total activity and should not be taken as an accurate reflection of new patient referrals per whole-time consultant oncologist per centre as, for example, they do not include inter- or intra-hospital referrals. The number of first out-patient appointments per consultant oncologist (wte) has been calculated by dividing the numbers of first out-patient appointments in the year ending March by the number of consultant oncologists employed in the previous September (i.e. the mid point of the year).

The Scottish Cancer Group (SCG) membership includes two oncologists as well as Dr Anna Gregor, Chairman and Lead Clinician for Cancer Services in Scotland who is also a practising oncologist. To advise and inform the development of the strategic agenda, all SCG members are expected to communicate freely with their colleagues across cancer networks, the voluntary sector and among patients and to ensure appropriate feedback to the group.In addition, I understand that regional planning processes included input from oncologists and other specialities with an interest in cancer services, as evidenced by the broad range of investment plans announced last month.

Apart from recent staffing changes in Greater Glasgow NHS Boards, we are not aware of any other consultant oncology vacancies in NHSScotland.I also refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-19753.

For too long decisions had been made in apparent isolation from those responsible for delivering cancer services and, as indicated on 3 July 2001, at the launch of Cancer in Scotland: Action for Change, it was confirmed that the Scottish Executive would in future be guided by NHSScotland in planning and investment decisions required for these services. The Scottish Cancer Group was tasked to bring forward investment plans to support implementation of Cancer in Scotland by end September 2001.Proposed implementation/investment plans were prepared within each of the north, south east and west of Scotland regional cancer advisory group areas. They were subsequently endorsed by the Scottish Cancer Group first in draft form at their meeting on 14 September and subsequently in their final form on 19 October 2001.

NHS Glasgow has confirmed that it will use all means necessary to secure the appropriate professionals to fill cancer posts. The Executive has not received any information or reports from North Glasgow University Hospitals NHS Trust or Greater Glasgow NHS Board regarding the use of medical recruitment agencies at this stage.