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The average waiting time for a cardiac operation under the NHS in the Greater Glasgow Health Board area for the year to 30 September 1999 was 122 days, the most up-to-date figure available based on the health board's waiting list for that period. This covers all kinds of cardiac operation: individual types of operation have different average waiting times. Waiting times are not broken down into urgent and non-urgent categories: the service is responsive to clinical need and this means that a number of emergency and urgent cases are treated almost immediately and, therefore, do not appear on a waiting list.

Information on waiting times for private cardiac treatment is a matter for those who provide such treatment.

In 1998 no one was prosecuted in Scottish courts where the main offence was under the Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991. The corresponding figure for prosecutions in England and Wales was 173.

The table below sets out an initial analysis of the estimated construction employment arising from a housing transfer in Glasgow. A further 1,400 additional workers are estimated to be required in associated supplier and service industries.

Trade	Number	Proportion
Joiners	260	15%
Bricklayers	100	6%
Plumbers	180	11%
Electricians	150	9%
Plasterers	105	6%
Roughcasters	80	5%
Painters	290	17%
Roofers	50	3%
Wall Tilers	75	4%
Scaffolders	110	7%
Labourers	300	18%
Total	1,700	100%

While the March/April 1999 snapshot survey of waiting times in A&E Departments in Scotland showed a decline in performance, a subsequent, independent survey undertaken by the Scottish Association of Health Councils in January this year indicated an improvement in waiting times in Accident and Emergency Departments across Scotland in comparison with their previous survey in January 1999.On 20 March 2000, the First Minister announced an additional £11 million to provide new and upgraded accident and emergency services across Scotland. These additional funds will be used to support innovative projects, which will improve the patient's journey through Accident and Emergency Departments and ensure that patients receive the best possible treatment in the quickest possible time.

The Executive is aware of the report. There are some longstanding recruitment difficulties within the construction industry which will clearly take time to rectify. Young people are able to train in the construction industry through the Scottish Executive's youth training programme, Skillseekers, which includes Modern Apprenticeships. Most Skillseekers are employed while training and Local Enterprise Companies make a contribution to the cost of training.

The percentages of local authority revenue expenditure from council tax, non-domestic rate income, specific grants, revenue support grant and other sources from 1996-97 to 2000-01 inclusive are shown in the following table:

	1996-97	1997-98	1998-99	1999-001	2000-012
	Percentages
Council Tax	13.3	14.6	15.8	16.0	16.9
Non-Domestic Rates	20.0	20.2	20.7	20.4	23.2
Specific Grants	5.7	6.1	6.0	7.0	7.4
Revenue Support Grant	55.3	53.0	51.1	50.1	47.5
Expenditure sourced by other income	5.7	6.2	6.4	6.5	5.1
Total Expenditure (£m)	6,577.8	6,567.6	6,730.41	7,044.41	7,175.52

Notes:

1. Based on councils' provisional outturn figures.

2. Based on councils' budgeted expenditure.

The table below shows the change in the full-time number of staff reported by each council.

Council	Change December 1996 to September 1999
Argyll & Bute	+55 (+1.45%)
Glasgow City	-2,327 (-7.0%)
Inverclyde	-79 (-2.0%)
North Lanarkshire	-267 (-2.0%)
South Lanarkshire	-120 (-1.0%)
West Dunbartonshire	-32 (-0.7%)

Source: Drawn from local authority staffing surveys compiled jointly by the Scottish Executive and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

Notes:

1. Figures for full time equivalent staff exclude staff in fire services, police services, Bridge Joint Boards and Valuation Joint Boards.

2. The data for 1996 is taken from December as earlier figures for that year are considered less reliable due to classification problems encountered by some local authorities in the period immediately following local government reorganisation.

We are committed to ensuring that every child who might benefit from fostering has equal access to it, no matter where they are in Scotland. A range of initiatives is in place or planned to help achieve this goal.

This includes £4.7 million additional funding for community placements through the Children's Services Development Fund; improving national standards in foster care; work on a Scottish Code of Practice for local authorities on recruitment, selection and assessment of foster carers; reviewing the regulation of payment of foster carers and commissioning advice on salaried payments for foster carers. We are also funding a research evaluation of the National Children's Homes Action for Children project on Community Alternative Placement Schemes which provide foster placements for young people aged 12-16 years who are at imminent or long-term risk of entry to secure accommodation. The final report should be available by the end of this year and will provide an opportunity to share good practice with local authorities, many of whom are developing their own specialist fostering services.

The total number of adoption applications granted for the last three years and the average age of children is as follows:

Calendar Year	Total no of applications which were granted (a)	Average age of child when application granted (b)
1997	369	7 years 5 months
1998	400	7 years 6 months
1999	388	7 years 2 months1

Sources:

a). Scottish Executive Courts Group CJ&ID.

b). Scottish Executive, Education Statistics Division (A2 statistical return completed by Sheriff Courts).

Notes:

1. Figures for 1999 are as yet unpublished and should therefore be regarded as provisional.

Information on the number of couples currently on the waiting list to adopt and on the average age of adoptive parents is not held centrally.

We aim to improve and standardise adoption procedure through the establishment of a Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care. The Commission will be responsible for regulating all care services, including local authority adoption services, which are not currently open to independent scrutiny. Voluntary adoption agencies are currently approved by Scottish Ministers but will be regulated by the Commission in the future.

We will also be watching closely the adoption review currently being undertaken in England and Wales for any lessons which may be learned.

I am pleased to say that there is a strong history of apprenticeships in the construction industry in Glasgow and there are currently 985 Modern Apprentices training in construction-related trades in Glasgow. I can assure you that the Scottish Executive is committed to promoting training at craft, technician and junior management level through the Modern Apprenticeship programme and, as you are aware, in Programme for Government we set a target of 20,000 Modern Apprenticeships by 2003.

Modern Apprenticeships are delivered through the wider Skillseekers programme by the Enterprise Network. Scottish Enterprise Glasgow is responsible for assessing the skills requirements of the local economy and providing a contribution to funding of Modern Apprentices, including those in construction.