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Scottish Trade International (STI) delivers all Trade Partners UK services to companies in Scotland, and is the sole organisation to do so. The Trade Division of the newly formed Scottish Development International, which will encompass all Scottish Enterprise's overseas international development activities, will retain this responsibility.

During 2000-01, STI delivered almost 400 TPUK services to firms in Scotland.

The Executive supports a number of organisations which aim to establish the needs of deaf people and develop strategies to meet identified local needs, including information access. The organisations work with other agencies to encourage development and arrange implementation of appropriate services.

The Programme for Government sets out our commitment to launch a new generation of walk-in/walk-out hospitals (also known as ambulatory care and diagnostic centres) by 2002. Various parts of NHSScotland are currently developing such initiatives.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18332.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18286.

The Scottish Executive set up an Advisory Group on Youth Crime and, following its report, accepted all the group's recommendations. Work has begun on implementing them. In particular, this includes the allocation of £20 million over three years, from April 2001, to local authorities for the development of community-based programmes to reduce offending by persistent young offenders. The Scottish Executive has consulted widely with key interests on the implementation of the report and will be circulating a strategic framework for local authority activities before the end of the year. Scottish ministers are also considering the terms of a feasibility study into pilot schemes to divert 16 and 17-year-old minor offenders away from the adult criminal justice system.

The level of unauthorised absence in both primary and secondary schools was stable between 1997-98 and 1999-2000.

It is too early to identify trends in exclusion as the annual survey of exclusions so far covers only two years. However, although the number of temporary exclusions increased slightly between 1998-99 and 1999-2000, the number of days lost has gone down as a result of a reduction in the average length of an exclusion. The number of removals from register has also increased slightly but nearly half of these have not resulted in any break in attendance.

The Discipline Task Group Report Better Behaviour - Better Learning makes recommendations which will assist local authorities in delivering year-on-year improvements in reducing exclusion and truancy. An action plan for implementation of the recommendations is being drawn up and I expect to publish it in a few weeks time.

The Scottish Executive, through Scottish Trade International (STI), is committed to helping all Scottish exporters. STI's activities have, over the past five years, been directed by "The International Challenge" Export Development Strategy for Scotland, with its focus on small- and medium-sized companies. During this period, the target of assisting 500 companies to export for the first time was exceeded by more than 20%. A network of 13 Export Partnerships, bringing together the Local Enterprise Company, local authorities and Chambers of Commerce, was also created across Scotland, to provide co-ordinated support to companies at a local level.

In 2000-01 alone, STI worked with over 1,100 companies in Scotland and as well as helping new exporters, also helped introduce existing exporters to 567 new markets. In addition, in the same year the Scottish Enterprise Network and Highlands & Islands Enterprise together engaged in around 2,500 export competitiveness projects.

The continuing need to ensure that companies in Scotland are able to realise the full benefits of trading in international markets is a key feature of the Global Connections Strategy launched today. This will provide a focus for future international economic development activity.

The Scottish Executive is committed to promoting social inclusion and citizenship for all young people. £20 million has been committed over the next three years to provide programmes to tackle persistent offending so that fewer young people will graduate to the adult criminal justice system. Drug use by children or their families has been identified as an important factor which affects offending behaviour. A further £18 million has therefore been allocated over the next three years to tackling drugs misuse by or affecting children, young people and families through the Changing Children's Services Fund.

In addition, over the next three years, some £87 million will be spent on facilities and programmes for sport in schools and outdoor adventure through the New Opportunities Fund, with a particular emphasis on offering positive alternatives to youth crime and anti-social behaviour.

The Committee on Overseas Promotion (COP) is the formal organisation for the partnership between Invest-UK and all the national and regional inward investment agencies in the United Kingdom, including Locate in Scotland (LiS).

COP has developed agreed procedures governing how the necessary degree of co-ordination, with regard to the handling of potential international mobile projects, is carried out on a day to day basis.

The Scottish Executive, through LiS, keeps in contact with the UK Government to discuss inward investment-related issues at the regular meetings of COP.

Additionally, LiS officials maintain regular contact with Invest-UK on a number of operational issues. For example, senior LiS officials will be attending the two day COP meeting in November to discuss likely forward trends and marketing strategy.