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We recognise the acute shortageof affordable homes that exists in many areas of Scotland and are committed to improvingthe supply and affordability of housing. We are developing a range of initiativesto achieve this objective and will be pursuing these over the coming months.

The Executive has been workingwith Irvine Bay Urban Regeneration Company and local partners, including North AyrshireCouncil, Communities Scotland and Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire, to assist in thedevelopment of comprehensive proposals for the regeneration of the Irvine Bay areaof North Ayrshire. These proposals will focus on both retaining the existing populationand also attracting new people to the area, by creating a vibrant area with a strongeconomy, a high quality of life and an enhanced environment.

The distribution of NationalLottery funds is a matter for the lottery distribution bodies: Scottish Arts Council,Scottish Screen, sportscotland, the Big Lottery Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund.The information requested is not held centrally by the Scottish Executive.The Department for Culture, Mediaand Sport (DCMS) maintains an electronic database of national lottery awards. Detailsof the total awarded to each country, each constituency area and each local authorityarea for each lottery good cause can be obtained through the DCMS website at http://www.lottery.culture.gov.uk/search.asp.

It is estimated that lotterydistributors in Scotland will lose approximately one year’s worth of income overthe period to 2012.

The previous Scottish Executivewrote to the UK Government asking that they look seriously at alternative fundingstreams to the National Lottery to fund the additional cost of the 2012 Olympics.Having reviewed the position, I would fully endorse this and will be working tovigorously pursue this.

Any proposal to build a new nuclearpower station in Scotland would require consent from Scottish ministers. Given our position on energy policy, our generating capacity,our multiplicity of energy sources and our strong alternative strategies, such anapplication would be unlikely to find favour with this administration.

The information requested isgiven in the following table. The table also presents data on deaths from pulmonaryembolism as the overwhelming majority of these are likely to be the consequenceof venous thromboembolism.

Deaths in Hospital bySelected Cause, Scotland, 2003-05

Cause of Death	2003	2004	2005
All deaths in hospital	34,159	32,722	32,772
of which as a result of
(a) venous thromboembolism1	97	101	89
(b) pulmonary embolism2	327	268	276

Notes:

1. ICD 10 codes: I80, I82(excl. I82.0), O22.3, O22.9, O87.1, O87.9.

2. ICD 10 codes: I26, O88.2.

Where clinically possible, cliniciansare encouraged to prescribe generically. In2006, the cost of prescribed branded drugs for which a generic equivalent was usuallyavailable was £10,843,438. This figure does not include the cost of modified releasepreparations or antiepileptic drugs where generic substitution might not be clinicallyappropriate. In some instances, branded drugs will need to be dispensed where thegeneric equivalent is temporarily in short supply.

The cost shown relates to prescribeditems dispensed in the community by community pharmacists and dispensing doctorsand excludes medicines dispensed by hospitals and hospital-based clinics. The costgiven is that before the addition of any pharmacy fees and deduction of any drugmanufacturers discount and patient charges.

We recognise the acute shortageof affordable homes that exists in many communities, whether urban, rural or island,and are committed to improving the supply and affordability of housing through targetedinvestment and by removing barriers to provision. We are taking stock of the widerange of action needed to achieve this objective and in so doing will take fullaccount of the varying needs of different types of community.

The information requested isnot available. Estimates and projections of the economic benefits of the schemehave been made based on new jobs created to the area during the construction andfollowing completion of the M74 and benefits to users of the road network.I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-64 on 1 June 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

We are investing £40 millionin the trunk road infrastructure in North Ayrshire including the completed A78“Three Towns Bypass” (Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenson), four improvements schemeson the A737 and a study of the traffic problems affecting Dalry which will feedinto the Strategic Transport Projects Review.

On rail we have an aspirationto lengthen trains to Ayrshire, including Prestwick Airport and to operate an additional hourly service on the Ayr route.

Future options for investmentin the trunk road and rail network will be considered as part of the Strategic TransportProjects Review which is examining the needs of the national strategic transportcorridors throughout Scotland. The review is due to report in summer 2008.

The current investment programme to 2012 will see the delivery of £7.25 million investment in the A737. The Strategic Transport Projects Review will also examine the longer term needs of Scotland''s nationally strategic transport network to develop the investment plan necessary for 2012 to 2022.

Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted if required.