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All proposed timetable changes have to be presented for consideration to the Passenger Transport Executives, User Representatives, local authorities and the shadow Strategic Rail Authority before they can be adopted. This process has been applied to changes on summer services between Inverness and Edinburgh/Glasgow, including stops at Kingussie, and agreed to by the relevant bodies. Changes to the winter timetable, including the 17:40 from Edinburgh to Inverness, are currently under consideration.

Information on the incidence of littering is not held centrally. Responsibility for enforcing litter law in public places generally lies with local authorities and it is for them to decide what priority to accord to keeping their areas free of litter. We expect them to follow the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse, statutory guidance published jointly by The Scottish and Welsh Offices, Department of the Environment Transport and the Regions and Department for Education and Employment in 1999.

We consider that existing legislation is adequate to deal with offenders. We acknowledge that littering is a social problem which we believe is best tackled by educating the public as a whole. We pay core grant to Keep Scotland Beautiful (amounting to £234,000 for 2000-01) in recognition of the anti-litter and other community environment campaigns which it runs and to assist it in providing practical training to local authority personnel on combating litter and fly-tipping.

The Department of Health issued a statement on 1 July 1999 providing guidance on the action to be taken in cases of complaint of organophosphate poisoning. A copy of this statement was sent to health boards, NHS Trusts and general practitioners in Scotland on 1 July 1999 under cover of a letter from the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland. The statement suggested that where a patient presented with symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, doctors might refer to a consultant neurologist or discuss the case with the National Poisons Information Service (NPIS). In Scotland, the NPIS in Edinburgh has agreed to consider such cases.

As indicated in my answer to question S1W-6780, the Chief Medical Officer wrote last year to health boards, NHS Trusts and general practitioners to provide guidance on responding to patients suffering from, or claiming to suffer from organophosphate poisoning. The need for further guidance is kept under continuing review.

There are no current plans to develop a national strategy for osteoporosis. It is for local health boards to determine the services which are required to meet the needs of their local population within available resources. Guidance to help health boards devise their strategies was issued by the Health Department in 1997, in the form of a Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) report on osteoporosis. This gave the conclusions of a group of experts drawn from within the NHS on the current situation in Scotland, a review of recent research, and options for the prevention, detection and management of osteoporosis.

This SNAP report concluded that the only measures known to prevent the development of osteoporosis are weight-bearing exercise, the reduction of alcohol consumption to moderate levels, the reduction of tobacco consumption and a balanced diet with a higher consumption of calcium and vitamin D and lowered consumption of sodium, protein and caffeine. These are measures which are actively promoted by the Executive, because they reduce the risks of developing many other conditions as well as osteoporosis.

Strategies for the care of patients with a wide variety of conditions, including osteoporosis, are the responsibility of health boards and their associated NHS Trusts, who are best suited to assess local needs. If the Scottish Executive required detailed reports on every aspect of patient care for every condition from boards and Trusts it would be a very time-consuming and therefore costly exercise. I am not convinced that this would be a good use of NHS funds.

Guidance to help health boards devise their strategies was issued by the Health Department in 1997, in the form of a Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) on osteoporosis. This gave the conclusions of a group of experts drawn from within the NHS on the current situation in Scotland, a review of recent research, and options for the prevention, detection and management of osteoporosis.

Scottish Ministers are expected to behave in accordance with the provisions of the Scottish Ministerial Code. One of the provisions is that they are expected to order their affairs so that no conflict arises or is thought to arise between their private interests (financial or otherwise) and their public duties.

The Executive is highly supportive of the work of Young Enterprise Scotland in its efforts to promote enterprise in schools and support the development of "core" skills. We are particularly encouraged by the degree of private sector involvement in the organisation. Education for Work and Enterprise in schools is delivered in a variety of ways and by a wide range of bodies. The agenda includes programmes offering practical work experience for secondary school pupils, curriculum guidelines on delivering enterprise education and support for the National Centre: Education for Work and Enterprise which provides strategic direction to the agenda.

The Digital Scotland Task Force published its report on the Internet on 22 May, and invited public comments on its recommendations. The public consultation period lasts until 30 June. The Scottish Executive will respond to the task force report as soon as possible thereafter, in the light of the results of the consultation.Full details of the task force report, relevant links, and arrangements for public consultation can be found on the Digital Scotland website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/digitalscotland/.

We have a number of positive measures in hand to encourage and increase the level of entrepreneurship in Scotland, including initiatives targeted at school pupils. The Education for Work and Enterprise agenda covers a wide range of school-based and other activities which are designed to raise awareness of the role of enterprise and entrepreneurship. For example, Scottish Enterprise Lanarkshire Business Partnership has supported a range of enterprise activities designed to support the 5-14 curriculum. These include a "Mini Enterprise" programme for primary schools in Lanarkshire. In addition, the Achievers International programme supports the development of entrepreneurial skills through the innovative use of information technology.

Scottish Enterprise has also published a discussion paper detailing the progress made under the Business Birth Rate Strategy since its launch in 1993, and we are continuing to work with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise in improving their support for enterprise and business creation.