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None.

Each council's expenditure guideline figure is calculated on the basis of its increase in Grant-Aided Expenditure and loan charge support. The distribution of GAE, as stated in my reply to Mr Gibson's earlier question (S1W-3398), is based on a formula assessment of councils' relative expenditure needs agreed with CoSLA. Although Glasgow City Council's increase in loan charges support for 2000-01 was above average, its increase in GAE was below average, largely because of the continuing phasing in of revised Social work GAE indicators and the normal redistributive effects on a number of other service assessments within the agreed formula approach. As Glasgow's GAE increase was the most significant component in the calculation of its guideline, this resulted in Glasgow having a correspondingly lower than average guideline increase.

We received the report It Pays to Pay, a joint CoSLA/Scottish Executive paper, on 22 December 1999 and are currently considering its recommendations, including those which refer to community charge debt.

I would refer Mr Gibson to the reply given to Mr Harding on 13 January in response to question S1W-3488.

Information on the number of assaults is not held centrally. As part of the recently published Occupational Health and Safety Service strategy for NHSiS staff, employers are required to implement policies based on risk assessment aimed at reducing violent incidents in the workplace. Linked to this Strategy, £0.5 million has been made available to NHSiS employers to introduce new measures to support this initiative. To assist employers to develop policies, Guideline Development Groups have been set up under the NHS in Scotland Partnership Forum to provide guidelines and model policies for use across Scotland on personal safety and harassment.

The report, It Pays to Pay, was jointly prepared by a CoSLA/Scottish Executive officials working group. It was published on 22December 1999 and we are considering the recommendations.

The report, It Pays to Pay, is a joint CoSLA/Scottish Executive paper. It was published on 22 December 1999, and we are considering these and other recommendations.

In the year ending 31 March 1999, the provisional figure for the number of people who died while on a waiting list for cardiac surgery is 67. Because the data do not include cause of death, it cannot be assumed that death was due in every case to coronary heart disease. The Coronary Heart Disease Task Force is satisfied that arrangements are in place for the active management of patients on cardiac surgery waiting lists.The issue of deaths on the waiting list for cardiac surgery was highlighted in the report of the Acute Services Review, which took it as an indication that the aim should be to treat disease at a less advanced stage and minimise delays that were leading to avoidable illness and death. That is why the Scottish Executive considers it important to establish national waiting times for this clinical priority.

Had Glasgow received the average increase in Aggregate External Finance in the provisional allocations announced on 15 December its allocation would have increased by £21.0m over the current year. The final AEF figures for 2000-01, including the allocation of £15 million additional for policy priorities, will be announced in the Local Government Finance (Scotland) Order 2000 next month.Had Glasgow's expenditure guideline for 2000-01 increased compared with its current guideline in line with the Scottish average, it would have increased by £34.5 million. The City Council's actual guideline allows for it to increase spending over its budgeted expenditure for the current year by £41.4 million. Allocations from the Special Deprivation Payment (from which Glasgow will receive £3 million) and the £15 million still to be allocated have been disregarded for the purposes of calculating councils' spending guidelines.

Responsibility for traffic management on local roads and for local road traffic reduction measures rests with the relevant local authority.