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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.

The Executive has no plans to investigate the prescribing of steroid creams on the NHS.It is not possible to monitor repeated use of steroid creams in children from data collected centrally. These data relate to prescribed items dispensed in the community and are not patient-specific. Guidance on the use of these products is available to doctors from a number of sources. Importantly, the British National Formulary, issued free to doctors, provides prescribing advice, which includes advice on topical corticosteroid use in children. The use of these treatments depends on the clinical judgement of the doctor concerned, informed by advice and evidence about their use.

The review of the management of waiting lists in NHSScotland, which is currently being undertaken by Audit Scotland, includes all NHS trusts. Audit Scotland expects to publish its report by the end of June 2002.

Figures for the in-patient/day case waiting list on 31 March 2002, by NHS board and trust, will be published by ISD Scotland on its NHSScotland Acute Activity, Waiting Times And Waiting Lists website on 30 May 2002.

I understand that the Chief Executive of West Lothian NHS Trust asked the Information and Services Division (ISD) of the NHS Common Services Agency to review decisions taken by the trust on waiting list classifications, including those in the specialty of plastic surgery, and to advise on whether these decisions were in line with ISD's National Definitions. I further understand that ISD's report was submitted to the trust at the end of April. The conclusions of the report will be published and its recommendations implemented. In particular, any patients identified as having been inappropriately removed from the waiting list will be immediately reinstated by the trust, and included in its waiting list figures for 31 March 2002.