We are currently working with Scottish Enterprise to enhance the quality and consistency of support provided to businesses in the SEn area. This will include improved support arrangements for high growth start-ups. The new arrangements will provide greater consistency in core support for such companies, while ensuring that detailed assistance continues to reflect the specific needs of the businesses involved. I hope to announce details shortly.

I refer Mr Kenneth Gibson to the answer I gave to question S1W-8052 on 29 June 2000.

We are monitoring the distribution of lottery funds and are addressing with distributors measures to encourage applications from areas of social and economic need.

The SPCB's "Policy on Smoking in the Workplace" (Personnel Policy: No 1/1999) was issued by the Personnel Office on 19 November 1999. It was placed in the public folders and all members and staff were advised of this at the time. The policy is currently available in the Personnel pages of SPEIR.

The policy includes the provision of smoking cessation group sessions and nicotine patches at a cost. The Personnel Office will shortly issue a reminder drawing the availability of this service to the attention of those covered by the policy.

NHS Trusts are responsible for the operation of staff disciplinary procedures. The Scottish Executive has worked with Trusts and others to put in place a range of measures to improve and streamline the disciplinary process for medical staff. Trusts have been encouraged to consider alternatives to avoid unnecessary suspensions. Where suspension is considered necessary, the new measures will shorten the time that individuals spend on suspension and therefore reduce costs.

We are currently aware of two NHS hospital doctors suspended on full pay. The doctors have been suspended since April and May 2000 respectively. One other doctor, an honorary consultant employed by a University, has been suspended for three years. This suspension pre-dates the recent work to improve the disciplinary process. The circumstances surrounding this case would not have occurred under the revised arrangements but these arrangements cannot be applied retrospectively. We expect those concerned to bring the matter to a satisfactory conclusion.

We know that local authorities share our vision of a modern, adaptive education service. We are pleased to be working in partnership with them to address the McCrone recommendations and on other issues. We do not envisage any change in the role education authorities play in working towards an education service fit for the 21^st century.

Social security benefits including housing and council tax benefit are reserved matters and are the responsibility of the DSS.

We have no plans to change the role of education authorities from that currently set out in the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 and the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Bill.

Locate in Scotland (LiS) is keen to market Glasgow as a location for inward investment projects in suitable cases. In the last financial year (1999-2000) LiS attracted 19 projects to Glasgow which, if fully developed, will provide 2,915 new jobs and safeguard a further 261 jobs. Of these, 190 new jobs will be in manufacturing and a further 113 manufacturing jobs will be safeguarded.

Information on the proportion of schoolchildren who receive free school milk in schools is not collected centrally.