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Radiotherapy is a highly specialised form of cancer treatment which is available only in cancer centres. Linear accelerators are the equipment through which radiotherapy is delivered. These are sited in each of Scotland's five cancer centres in Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow (NHS boards Highland, Grampian, Tayside, Lothian and Glasgow respectively). There are currently 18 linear accelerators, as follows:

Inverness	1
Aberdeen	2
Dundee	2
Edinburgh	5
Glasgow	8
Total	18

Two additional linear accelerators are being installed in the Beatson Oncology Centre in Glasgow during the course of this year, bringing the total there to 10 and the national total to 20.The Royal College of Radiologists recommends that there should be five linear accelerators per million population. Scotland's current total is equivalent to 3.5 per million population. With the additional two machines in Glasgow this will rise to 3.9 per million population by the end of 2002.A further wave of central purchasing (Wave 4) is currently being planned that, subject to the required investment appraisal process by NHS boards, will see a further six machines being commissioned. Two of these would be replacements but the other four are additional to current numbers.

We did not invite, nor have we received, any responses to the Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) report mentioned.The Executive funds SNAP as a co-operative programme of work undertaken by staff from Scotland's Public Health Departments under the auspices of the Public Health Institute. SNAP reports review practice and service provision across Scotland, identified gaps and local effective practice, and make recommendations on how local services can improve their response to a particular condition. SNAP reports are therefore developed by Scottish Public Health staff to support their local work and it is local Public Health Departments, working in co-operation with their local partners, who are responsible for their implementation. We also continue to support a wide range of voluntary organisations committed to raising awareness, and offering support, care and information, to the care groups mentioned in the report.

The latest available information on the number of midwifery vacancies is shown in the following table:Midwifery Vacancies by Health Board Whole Time Equivalent: at March 2001

	WTE
	Total Vacancies	Became vacant in:			Vacancies as a percentage of establishment
		Less than 3 months	3 months or more	Unknown	Total	3 months or more
Scotland	31.3	26.6	1.2	3.5	1.3%	0.0%
Argyll and Clyde	50.0	1.5	-	3.5	2.1%	-
Ayrshire and Arran	-	-	-	-	-	-
Borders	-	-	-	-	-	-
Dumfries and Galloway	-	-	-	-	-	-
Fife	1.5	1.0	0.5	-	1.0%	0.3%
Forth Valley	0.5	0.5	-	-	0.3%	-
Grampian	3.3	2.6	0.7	-	1.3%	0.3%
Greater Glasgow	9.1	9.1	-	-	1.9%	-
Highland	0.8	0.8	-		0.6%	-
Lanarkshire	-	-	-		-	-
Lothian	11.1	11.1	-	-	3.5%	-
Orkney	-	-	-	-	-	-
Shetland	-	-	-	-	-	-
Tayside	-	-	-	-	-	-
Western Isles	-	-	-	-	-	-

Source: ISD(M)36 ISD Scotland.Notes:1. Excludes midwives in training.2. Lanarkshire Primary Care NHS Trust have not submitted a return and data for Lomond and Argyll Primary Care NHS Trust and North Glasgow Hospitals NHS Trust were incomplete3. Establishment is the sum of staff in posts under review and total vacancies.4. The vacancy figures relate to posts vacant at 31 March 2001, irrespective of when the vacancy arose.

The Scottish Needs Assessment Programme (SNAP) review offers a benchmark of expectations for a good, quality-based, service of care and attention for these important care groups. It is for the local statutory agencies to work together with the voluntary sector to respond to the standards set out and implied in the report, and I look for early change and improvement as a result.The performance of NHSScotland is effectively monitored by the health department on an on-going basis, and through escalating intervention to improve identified unacceptable performance.The information requested on the local implementation of the recommendations of the SNAP report will be available from local Public Health Departments, but is not held centrally.

In the case of an NHS board, only the Board Chief Executive may grant authorisations under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000. The persons entitled to grant authorisations are specified in the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Prescription of Offices, Ranks and Positions) (Scotland) Order 2000 (S.S.I. 2000 No.343).

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000 requires public authorities to have appropriate arrangements in place for authorising, renewing and cancelling authorisations for the use of covert surveillance or covert human intelligence sources granted under the act. We do not envisage any significant expenditure by NHS bodies arising from the legislation but any expenditure would be met from within their general allocation.

The Regulation of Investigatory Powers (Scotland) Act 2000 strengthens the rights of individuals by providing a statutory framework specifying the circumstances in which certain covert investigative techniques may be used, their authorisation, oversight and complaints procedures.The legislation requires the appointment of surveillance commissioners to keep under review the performance of functions under the act. The Chief Surveillance Commissioner is required to prepare an annual report and to lay it before the UK and Scottish Parliaments. The annual report for 2001-02 was laid before both Parliaments on 17 January 2002.In addition, the act makes provision for complaints by members of the public to be made to an independent tribunal.

The Executive has made unprecedented levels of funding available to support the cost of residential care as part of an overall package of over £1.3 billion for social services for 2002-03. There are no plans at present to raise the capital limits used in assessing a person's ability to contribute towards the cost of their residential care but these limits are reviewed on a regular basis.Currently, care home residents with capital above the lower limit of £11,500 are required to contribute from their capital toward the cost of their care and those with capital above the upper limit of £18,500 are required to pay their fees in full. After 1 July those residents will still be required to pay accommodation charges but all in need of nursing care will be able to benefit by £65 per week and all older people will be able to benefit by up to £145 per week towards the cost of personal care.

The provision of financial support for off-site childcare is a matter for individual health boards and trusts to decide. The Scottish Executive is committed to family friendly policies and encourages all NHSScotland employers to adopt and support appropriate childcare policies.

Facing the Future, the report of the 19 November 2001 convention on recruitment and retention in nursing and midwifery gave a commitment that every nurse and midwife in training will be guaranteed a year's employment on qualification from autumn 2002 if they wish.Work is currently under way to put in place the processes to support the delivery of this guarantee.