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We are discussing with the dental profession, increased continuing professional development allowances and a remote allowance for dentists in such areas. We are also at present considering other measures to improve recruitment and retention of dental practitioners. The first priority will be to retain dental practitioners in Scotland and especially to attract practitioners to practices outwith the central belt. More specific measures are being considered for remote areas.

In Rivers, Lochs, Coasts: The Future for Scotland's Waters (Parliament's Reference Centre Bib. number 14576), our consultation paper on the proposed Water Environment and Water Services Bill, which will give effect to the Directive in Scots Law, we said that we believed that the key to tackling diffuse pollution was to ensure the implementation of good practice across the board. We envisaged that this might be done by means of statutory codes of good practice, backed up by powers for a regulator to enforce specific pollution control measures where necessary. We also said that non-regulatory approaches such as voluntary and educational initiatives would have an important role to play.The issue of timing will be discussed in our second consultation paper on our legislative intentions for the bill. We will publish that paper shortly.

Although the euro is not legal tender in the UK, some retailers have indicated that they are prepared to accept it as a method of payment. This reflects the commercial choices of businesses. VisitScotland are distributing material, on request, regarding the euro. In conjunction with the Treasury, Scotland Europa have implemented a detailed programme to provide advice and raise awareness of the need by all businesses - including in the tourist industry - to make appropriate preparations for the introduction of the currency. This includes the Trading in Euro symbol which indicates that an organisation is willing and able to deal with the euro currency. The Executive has undertaken two surveys of businesses in Scotland, assessing usage and expected usage of the euro. The first survey took place in the summer of 2000 and was repeated in 2001. The surveys did not include specific results from the tourism sector.

A review of medical workforce planning is currently under way. This review is looking at the many issues surrounding the supply of trained doctors for Scotland, and is specifically looking at provision of services in rural and remote areas. The advisory group for the review is expected to produce an interim report for the Minister for Health and Community Care by the end of February.The Executive also supports the use of salaried general medical practitioners as a way of improving access to healthcare in rural areas.

Assessment of economic impacts of UK taxation measures is the responsibility of Her Majesty's Treasury. No separate assessment has been undertaken by the Scottish Executive of the impact in Shetland.

The following table lists information on gross expenditure for general dental services by health board area for 1999-2000 and 2000-01. In addition, it lists the general dental services indicative allocation figures for 2001-02 and 2002-03 for each health board area since gross expenditure figures for 2001-02 are not yet available.General Dental Services (£ million):

Health Board	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03
Argyll & Clyde	14.205	14.088	15.835	16.704
Ayrshire & Arran	11.955	12.352	13.736	14.489
Borders	3.394	3.408	3.691	3.893
Dumfries & Galloway	3.903	3.653	4.253	4.486
Fife	10.368	10.860	11.637	12.275
Forth Valley	8.819	9.475	9.932	10.477
Grampian	15.402	16.801	17.840	18.819
Greater Glasgow	35.737	34.721	38.098	40.188
Highland	5.759	6.174	6.408	6.759
Lanarkshire	17.909	18.462	18.833	19.866
Lothian	26.607	27.803	29.740	31.372
Orkney	0.457	0.497	0.562	0.596
Shetland	0.555	0.536	0.468	0.497
Tayside	13.667	14.283	15.572	16.426
Western Isles	0.821	0.872	0.786	0.829
Scotland	169.558	173.985	187.391	197.676

We see no need to amend the Occupiers' Liability (Scotland) Act 1960 which essentially enshrined in legislation the relevant common law principles relating to liability. Under the 1960 Act, the occupier of land has a duty to take such care, as in all the circumstances of the case is reasonable, to see that any person entering on the land will not suffer injury or damage by reason of any dangers due to the state of the premises or to anything done or omitted to be done on them.Part 1 of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill provides for a right of responsible access to land for recreation and passage. Section 5(2) of the bill effectively provides that Part 1 of the bill, or its operation, will not affect the duty of care owed by an occupier to any person present on the land. This means, for example, that the fact that someone was exercising access rights when injured has no bearing on the extent of any duty of care owed by the occupier of land to that person in terms of the 1960 Act.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21848, which explained that we see no need to amend the Occupier's Liability (Scotland) Act 1960, given the terms of section 5(2) of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill. Section 2(3) of the 1960 Act also provides that nothing in that act imposes on occupiers any obligations to persons entering their land in respect of risks which such persons have willingly accepted, as determined by reference to the same principles as in other cases in which one person owes to another a duty of care. This ensures the application of the relevant common law rules concerning assumption of risk. However, since the issue of assumption of risk is so tied up with the question of the extent of the occupier's duty of care and since section 5(2) makes it clear that nothing in Part 1 of the bill will affect that duty, we do not consider that any further provision is necessary concerning this issue in the bill.

The Scottish Executive's policy is outlined in A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture; the aim is to introduce Land Management Contracts in two to three years' time. As part of that policy, a steering group to assist in the development of Land Management Contracts will be announced in due course.Officials have also been in contact with the European Commission and with the French Ministry of Agriculture. A further fact-finding visit to France will take place over the next few months.

A site visit was carried out on 2 November 2001 and was attended by representatives of Fisheries Research Services Marine Laboratory and Scottish Natural Heritage, both of whom provided advice.