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Although adjustments for deprivationwithin the local government finance distribution methodology are made to 25 servicesor sub-services, linked to allocations of over £2 billion out of a total currentprovision of £8.7 billion, it is not possible to give an exact proportion specificallyrelated to deprivation levels.

The Scottish Executive is working closely with the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority, as well as with VisitScotland, VisitBritain, the local enterprise companies, the local authorities and the local business community to ensure that the park is effectively promoted.

TheLoch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority is expectedto fund all its activities within its overall budget allocation. The Executive hasindicated that, to the extent that the park authority faced additional and previouslyunforeseen costs, associated with byelaw enforcement and with bringing forward thebyelaw review process, and which could not be contained within their budget allocationfor the current year, additional funds would be made available. Whether thepark authority will require additional funds will not be clear until the end of the financial year.

The Executive have supplied the following corrected answer:

Rhona Brankin: The Loch Lomondand the Trossachs National Park Authority is expected to fund all itsactivities from within its overall budget. The Executive has indicated that, tothe extent that the park authority faced additional and previously unforeseencosts, associated with enforcement and bringing forward the byelaw reviewprocess, that could not be contained within this year’s budget, additionalfunds would be made available.

Following ministers’consideration of the allocation of end year flexibility resources, officialswrote to the Park Authority to indicate that additional resources were beingmade available to support various projects. This included £71,000 to assist indelivering the byelaw review and to help with enforcement activity.

I announced on 19 May the Executive’s decision to dissolve NHS Argyll and Clyde and consult on the boundaries of the boards – namely, NHS Greater Glasgow and NHS Highland – that will assume responsibility for the planning and provision of healthcare services in the area.

The matter of the boundaries of the successor boards has been subject to formal public consultation which was launched on 8 August and ran until 11 November.

I have carefully considered all representations and the results of the consultation and concluded that the healthcare interests of patients and local people would be best served by adopting option one; that is: incorporating the Argyll and Bute council area within NHS Highland, and the rest of the Argyll and Clyde area within NHS Greater Glasgow.

I genuinely believe that by redrawing the boundaries of NHS Greater Glasgow and NHS Highland in this way we will have a basis for the more rational and effective planning and provision of services; an opportunity to better reflect and respond to patient flows; the chance to reduce overheads by sharing services, and, in line with Delivering for Health, a real opportunity to explore all options for providing high quality, safe and sustainable healthcare services as close to people’s homes as possible.

This decision will be the subject of an Executive debate at 14:55 this afternoon in Parliament.

There is no national guidance for the timing of a response from public bodies to correspondence from MSPs and other elected members. However, the Scottish Executive would expect all public bodies to have agreed and published standards to responding to letters from the public, or their representatives.

In the case of complaints about NHS services, we would expect NHS boards to reply within the 20 working day limit as prescribed by the NHS Complaints Procedures.

Following the outcome of the Spending Review in 2004, officials wrote to the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority to indicate that its grant in aid allocation would rise from approximately £6.6 million in 2005-06 to approximately £6.9 million in 2007-08. In addition, ministers have indicated that capital funding of £8.973 million will be made available for the construction of a new headquarters building for the park authority. The authority is expected to meet its objectives including the enforcement of byelaws from within the resources available.

My predecessor Lewis Macdonald indicated to the Convener of the Park Authority that ministers would make additional funds available to the extent that there were additional and previously unforeseen enforcement costs falling on the authority which could not be contained within the approved budget for 2005-06.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-20191 on 10 November 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

All stakeholders were given the opportunity to comment on the 2004 Mott MacDonald report The Future of Fire Service Control Rooms in Scotland commissioned by the Scottish Executive. We have indicated our intention to consult further with stakeholders following our consideration of the issues raised in response to the report.

There are currently 27 local authorities that have introduced byelaws prohibiting the consumption of alcohol in designated public places. The local authorities are:

Aberdeen City Council

Angus Council

Argyll and Bute Council

Clackmannanshire Council

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

Dumfries and Galloway Council

Dundee City Council

East Ayrshire Council

East Dunbartonshire Council

East Lothian Council

East Renfrewshire Council

Falkirk Council

Fife Council

Glasgow City Council

Highland Council

Inverclyde Council

Midlothian Council

Moray Council

North Ayrshire Council

North Lanarkshire Council

Perth and Kinross Council

Renfrewshire Council

South Ayrshire Council

South Lanarkshire Council

Stirling Council

West Dunbartonshire Council

West Lothian Council.