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A sub-group of the Health Department's Advisory Group on Infection is currently working up proposals for a national surveillance system for hospital-acquired infection, including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The group is considering what standard criteria and definitions should be used by laboratories in Scotland, so that consistent and meaningful data are collected in the most effective way.

Preventing and controlling hospital-acquired infection (HAI), including infections attributable to methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is a key priority for the NHS in Scotland. The Scottish Health Plan, Our National Health: a plan for action, a plan for change, published on 14 December, makes clear that every local healthcare system will be expected to combat HAI by achieving service standards to be established by the Clinical Standards Board for Scotland on infection control, cleanliness, and other matters. To assist this process, the Advisory Group on Infection is developing, in consultation with the NHS in Scotland, recommendations for a system of surveillance of HAI. This will collect data to allow trends to be monitored and remedial action to be targeted effectively.As part of the drive to combat antimicrobial resistance, the Executive launched a national public education campaign in December 1999, which aimed to increase public awareness of the problem and to help health professionals reduce the prescribing of antibiotics where other approaches were available. The Executive also issued for consultation last August a three-year action plan for Scotland, which was linked to the UK Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy and set out a framework for minimising the development of antimicrobial resistance, including MRSA, and maintaining the effectiveness of antimicrobial agents in the treatment and prevention of microbial infections in humans and animals. Consultees included health boards and NHS Trusts. The implementation of the strategy and the action plan for Scotland is being overseen and reviewed by the Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy Steering Group, a multi-disciplinary group, which brings together experts from the fields of animal and human health as well as from the Executive. In line with commitments to keep the action plan under review, the plan is currently being updated and modified to take account of the results of the consultation and other developments.

I refer the Member to the answer given to question S1W-13381.

I refer to the answer to question S1W-13378. Until an application to transfer has been received from the council it is not possible to say what level of debt may remain outstanding, nor how long it might take to repay such debt.

As indicated in written evidence to the Social Inclusion Committee from the former Minister for Communities, Ms Wendy Alexander, (SP Paper 161, Session 1 (2000)) where a whole stock transfer proposal represents good value for money and is selected to proceed and where the local authority's housing debt exceeds the receipt raised from the disposal of the stock, assistance will be available as follows:The receipt would be used to repay part of the council's outstanding housing debt;

The cost of the premature repayment of debt (i.e. the breakage costs) would be met with resources provided by the Scottish Executive;The cost of servicing the remaining (i.e. residual) debt would also be met by resources provided by the Scottish Executive.The mechanisms for delivering on this commitment will be discussed with councils as part of the process of appraising applications for approval to transfer.

The current Export Development Strategy for Scotland recognised the need to widen the base of exporting industries in Scotland. Within this objective, a number of priority sectors were identified and in all these, initiatives to help grow international business have been undertaken.The Scottish Executive is committed to building on this, creating the necessary environment for Scottish business to succeed in the global economy. We will publish a Global Connections Strategy later this year, to further develop the vision set out in A Smart, Successful Scotland, of how the Executive and the Enterprise Networks can work in partnership to support further growth in global markets.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1O-2599 on 30 November.

In 1998, guidance on the use of Donepezil Hydrochloride in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease produced by the Standing Medical Advisory Committee in England and endorsed by the National Medical Advisory Committee in Scotland, was issued to all Health Boards and NHS Trusts. This guidance recommends that treatment with Donepezil should be initiated and supervised only by a specialist experienced in the management of dementia.

On 19 January 2001, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) published their Final Appraisal on the use of donepezil hydrochloride (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon) and galantamine (Reminyl) in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

The Health Technology Board for Scotland is currently working on a process to comment on all Final Appraisals from NICE. Treatments for Alzheimer's disease will be the first topic to go through this process in the spring.As an interim measure, the Scottish Executive has asked Drugs and Therapeutics Committees to review any advice they may have provided to their clinicians on the use of these treatments in Alzheimer's disease, taking into account the NICE guidance.

We have no evidence to suggest that local authorities are failing to carry out their statutory duties to assist homeless young people. We have commissioned research from York University into how authorities discharge their responsibilities for throughcare and after care of 16 and 17 year olds formerly looked after by them. The results are expected to be available in September.

The Scottish Executive does not forecast GDP growth rates. However, Scottish GDP growth strengthened in the most recent quarter and latest independent forecasts indicate growth in line with or above trend this year, with BSL and Cambridge Econometrics projecting that growth in Scotland will strengthen in 2001. The Scottish Executive is firmly focused on raising the long run sustainable growth rate of the Scottish economy by meeting the new international conditions for economic success - growing business, ensuring Scotland is globally connected, lifelong learning and skills development - through the framework provided by the Enterprise Strategy, A Smart, Successful Scotland.