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I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-2240 today. All answers towritten parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, thesearch facility for can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

The Scottish Executive undertook an overall review of the Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licensing scheme, which took into account:

the findings of the research report, A review of the first year of the mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation in Scotland,commissioned by the Executive from Heriot Watt University;

the responses to the consultation paper on possible changes to exemptions from the scheme;

the report of the Social Justice Committee into HMO licensing, and

other correspondence and representations received by the Scottish Executive.

The outcome of this review was announced by the Minister for Social Justice on 19 March 2003, accompanied by an official letter to all local authorities, respondents to the consultation paper and other interested bodies and correspondents. The Scottish Executive provided its response to the report of the Social Justice Committee on 24 March. A summary of responses to the consultation paper is available on the Scottish Executive website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/DD/H2/00016501/page634519723.pdf.

The Scottish Executive does not intend to report separately on the results of the consultationpaper. The recommendations of the research will be further taken into account bythe working group which is being convened to produce revised guidance for localauthorities, and to devise a self-certification scheme for publicly accountableHMO landlords.

The term “domesticity licence” is not recognised in relation to housing matters. It is not used in either the consultation paper or the research on houses in multiple occupation.

The£2 million which the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) have allocated for 2003-04 to encourage articulation between further education andhigher education has a number of aims. It will help institutions themselves to improve articulation arrangements, help to address problems that students faceduring transition between the sectors and will aim to enhance and develop linksbetween the sectors.Decisionsaround the actual allocation of resources will be informed by early results ofa study into mapping, tracking and bridging between further and highereducation. This is being undertaken on behalf of SHEFC by the Scottish AdvisoryCommittee on Credit and Access and the Wider Access Regional Forums.

A working group is currently being convened to consider a number of issues arising from the review of mandatory licensing of houses in multiple occupation(HMOs), including the development of a self-certification framework for publicly accountable HMO landlords. The group is expected to start work in September.

The Scottish Executive will continue to work in partnership with individual local authorities, the COSLA and the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency to implement the National Waste Plan.We have allocated £230 million over this and the next two financial years to the Strategic Waste Fund to assist local authorities in achieving the national recycling and composting target of 25 per cent of municipal solid waste by 2006.

The Executive provides funding to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP)and REMADE Scotland that aim todevelop and expand markets for recycled products and materials. We will work in partnership with these bodies and the Enterprise Network to ensure that opportunities to make new products manufactured from waste are maximised.

The level of fixed penalty fine for littering was increased from £25 to £50 on 1 July 2003. We are currently consulting in Putting our communities first: A Strategyfor tackling Anti-Social Behaviour on means of improving the enforcement ofpenalties for littering.

We are determined to address rising out-patient waiting times which are a stubborn problem for a number of reasons, including implementation of the New Deal for Junior Doctors and the European Working Time Directive. The Executive has included a commitment in the White Paper, Partnership for Care, and the Partnership Agreement, Partnership for a Better Scotland, that no patient will wait longer than 26 weeks for a first out-patient appointment following GP referral, by 2005.

The National Waiting Times Unit is currently discussing and agreeing plans and local out-patient waiting times targets with NHS Greater Glasgow which will demonstrate the progress they are expected to make towards delivery of the 26weeks target.

To help NHS Scotland achieve the 26 weeks target, I launched the Out-patientAction plan on 13 June 2003. The Centre for Change and Innovation will drive forward the implementation of this plan through a co-ordinated programme of service redesign and the promotion and dissemination of good practice across NHS Scotland.

Our strategy for ensuring that sustained reductions in waiting times are delivered for patients across Scotland was set out in Partnership for Care - Scotland's Health White Paper, which was published on 27 February 2003. We have made clear in our Partnership Agreement that reducing NHS waiting times is our key priority for the health service for the next four years.

Challenging national maximum waiting times targets have been set for out-patient consultations and for hospital in-patient and day case treatment. In addition, specific maximum waiting targets have been set for the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and cancer, and for access to a member of a primary healthcare team. The targets in relation to waiting for in-patient and day case treatment have been guaranteed to patients: if boards are unable to provide treatment within the maximum waiting times themselves, they will be obliged to arrange treatment elsewhere - either within NHS Scotland or with other providers. Each NHS board has agreed local targets with the National Waiting Times Unit which demonstrate the progress they are expected to make towards delivery of the national targets and guarantees in 2003-04.

Increased support is being provided to NHS boards and trusts to reduce waiting times, by my department, and in particular the National Waiting Times Unit and the Centrefor Change and Innovation, by for example:

- introducing a new, national programme of service improvement and redesign;

-leading work on capacity planning;

- ensuring the Golden Jubilee National Hospital supports NHS boards by contributing appropriately to reducing waiting times for out-patient, diagnostic, day caseand in-patient services;

- booking spare capacity in the private sector to reduce the longest waiting times, where such action complements NHS boards’ strategies for developing sustainable local solutions to tackle long waits, and

-sharing examples of good practice across NHS Scotland.