Seòmar agus comataidhean

The taskforce will consider:

Howto optimise and shape the contribution which the Scottish university sector canmake during the next 20 years to the Scottish economy, to Scottish culture and societyand to the political priorities of the Scottish Government.

Whatopportunities can be created and what barriers will need to be overcome to achievethat.

What resources will be neededand how they will be provided.

Yes. The taskforce will consider university funding.

There are currently no plansto publish minutes of the meetings of the Taskforce. The taskforce is making communicationof progress a high priority and will consider how best to achieve this as the exercisemoves forward.

The new concordat betweenthe Scottish Government and local government provides total funding of £34.8 billionto local authorities 2008-11, an increase of 12.9% across the three yearperiod. It will remove much of the ring-fencing which previously constrainedlocal funding arrangements and will provide much greater financial freedom forlocal government, as well as significantly reducing related bureaucracy. Weexpect local authorities will apply these principles when allocating budgets toeach school.

Provided a local authority signsa single outcome agreement with the Scottish Government they will be able to retainefficiency savings. The local government finance settlement provides sufficientfunding for local authorities to broadly maintain current teacher numbers.

The staffing of schools is amatter for individual local authorities but the terms of the concordat and the localgovernment finance settlement will allow local authorities to broadly retain teachernumbers at current levels.

The terms of the concordat andthe local government finance settlement will allow local authorities to broadlyretain teacher numbers at current levels.

The Scottish Government is committedto constantly improving care provision, and the Framework for Maternity Servicesin Scotland and Expert Group on Acute Maternity Services (EGAMS)set out clear ways for this to be achieved. Principle 3 of the Framework statesthere should be specific services for women with complications in early pregnancy.

In addition, NHS Quality ImprovementScotland (QIS) provided standards relating to Maternity Services in 2005, standard2b states essential criteria that it is expected will be met in relation to earlypregnancy complications. QIS have inspected every board against the maternity standardsand published the results.

NHS boards are responsible fordetermining maternity services in their area in the context of their own servicestrategies, provided these strategies are consistent with national policy and guidance.

The Scottish Government is committedto constantly improving care provision, and the Framework for Maternity Servicesin Scotland and Expert Group on Acute Maternity Services (EGAMS)set out clear ways for this to be achieved. Principle 3 of the framework states:there should be specific services for women with complications in early pregnancy.

In addition, NHS Quality ImprovementScotland produced standards relating to Maternity Services in 2005. Standard 2bsets out essential criteria that it is expected will be met wherever this serviceis provided. Part of the criteria state that women who experience early pregnancycomplications should be cared for in a dedicated area distinct from the generalgynaecology or antenatal ward.

NHS boards are responsible fordetermining maternity services in their area in the context of their own servicestrategies, provided these strategies are consistent with national policy and guidance.

We expect NHS boards to considerthe needs of this client group and plan/manage their care accordingly. Additionally,we expect NHS boards to have pathways of care in place which integrate physiologicaland physical care.

In answering the manyparliamentary questions about upgrading the A9 in this parliamentary session wehave made it clear that we are committed to investing progressively in the A9 ona continuing and long-term basis. During 2008-09 work is scheduled to start on thefollowing schemes: Crubenmore (dualling); Bankfoot (junction improvements), andLoch Moy (WS2+1 overtaking lane). We plan to continue delivering further improvementsduring subsequent years of the current programme to 2012 with future investmentfor the next investment period, from 2012 to 2022, emerging from the Strategic TransportProjects Review which is due to report to ministers this summer (2008). Thegovernment is committed to plan for dualling the A9.