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The proportion of NHS board members who are NHS employees and who are referred to as executive directors is approximately 41%.

Everything possible is being done to ensure a wide-spread response to the consultation. People can pick up copies of the consultation questionnaire, which take only a few minutes to complete, from doctor’s surgeries, libraries, local authority premises and other public outlets, including pubs. A free-phone number to receive copies of the consultation response form is being widely publicised in the press.Similarly, people can make their views known on the internet at www.smokingconsultation.com. Inaddition there are a number of regional seminars organised in conjunction withScottish Civic Forum, and focus group work with targeted groups to allow peopleto air their views. Young Scot is also undertaking a number of activities toinvolve young people in the consultation.

All NHS boards in Scotland receive an annual uplift in their unified budget allocations which are designed to cover both local and national inflationary pressures, as well as service developments. The unified budget for each board is based on the allocation formula which aims to give each board its fair share of the resources available nationally. It is for each NHS board to manage within their resources, allocating their uplift as determined locally.

There are a range of cost pressures which arise from national policies, primarily relating to pay, e.g. basic pay increase, Agenda for Change, the Consultant’s Contract and the new General Medical Services Contract. The Executive’s estimate of the increased cost of these policies is more than covered from the record uplift in allocations for 2003-04 and 2004-05, supplemented by additional allocations from the Executive.

NHS Argyll and Clyde have identified that the annual uplift to the unified budget allocation for 2004-05 does not cover all national and local cost pressures as identified by the board. As a result, the board are planning to take a number of measures to reduce expenditure and identify savings over the course of the year.

NHS Argyll and Clyde reported a financial deficit of £35.4 million in 2003-04. This position includes a brought forward deficit of £9.6 million from the previous financial year, 2002-03.

NHS Argyll and Clyde are currently forecasting in-year financial deficit of £25.4 million for 2004-05 which will result in a cumulative deficit of £60.8 million. This assumes that the board will make savings of £14 million during the course of the year.

The above figures have been derived by NHS Argyll and Clyde. The overall financial position is determined by the interrelationship between a number of factors, principally achievement of income assumptions, expenditure against budgets, and the impact of savings plans.

The Scottish Executive monitors the financial performance of NHS boards on a board wide basis. It is for each NHS board to allocate resources to operating divisions. This information is not held centrally in the format requested.

This is a matter for NHS Argyll and Clyde. The information is not collected centrally in the format requested.

I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-9818 on 25 August 2004. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-9818 on 25 August 2004. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility forwhich can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

I refer the member to the answergiven to question S2W-9818 on 25 August 2004. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility forwhich can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

This information is not held centrally but is available from NHS Argyll and Clyde.