A large number of NHS patients in Scotland already receive treatment in hospitals outside their NHS board areas of residence. Arrangements are already in place for the planning and funding of these out of area treatments. The number of out of area treatments undertaken as a result of NHS boards ensuring that waiting guarantees are met is expected to represent a relatively small addition to existing patient flows. Individual NHS boards receive funding to enable them to meet their responsibility for forecasting and meeting the health care needs of their residents, including arranging and paying for treatment in neighbouring NHS board areas.The key objective is that the longest waiting times experienced by NHS patients in Scotland are reduced to meet the Executive's targets, as made clear in Partnership for Care published on 27 February.

Reliable information on the number of NHS patients treated in non-NHS institutions is not available centrally. However, the Information and Statistics Division, part of the Common Services Agency in NHSScotland, are currently working with the Scottish Executive, NHS boards, trusts and the independent sector to improve data coverage and data quality.

The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) will receive £47.5 million in 2003-04 to support research into health and health care needs in Scotland. The strategic direction of that research over the next five years, will be determined by CSO's new research strategy, which is currently the subject of public consultation.

The information requested is not held centrally.

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service does not screen blood donations for this virus because it is unaware of any evidence that it causes any illness in humans.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-34008 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on 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 answer given to question S1W-34008 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

NHSScotland Organisations receive a general allocation of funding each year and it is for them to decide how to allocate that funding in accordance with national and local priorities. Area partnership and local partnership forums should be involved in determining the funding process.

Information on the total number of all patients who experienced a delayed discharge over a period of time (for example, a year) is not centrally available. Information is only available on the number of patients experiencing a delayed discharge at given points in time, i.e. the quarterly census points. This information is published by the Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency on a quarterly basis, and is available at:http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/Joint_futures/delayed_discharges/ready_for_discharges.htm.

The information requested is not centrally available. The available information on delayed discharges is published on a quarterly basis by the Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency and is available at: http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/Joint_futures/delayed_discharges/ready_for_discharges.htm.