Copies not posted out arebeing used by the Scottish Executive as part of its programme of communicationand discussion on regeneration in Scotland, as foreshadowed in the statement itself.

Two thousand, one hundredand fifty-five copies of the Regeneration Policy Statement: People and Placeand the Summary document were posted to a wide range of organisations inthe public, private and voluntary sectors involved in regeneration in additionto distribution by hand to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre on theday of publication. These include local authorities, the enterprise networks,academics and researchers, financial institutions, construction and other tradeorganisations, professional bodies and housing associations.

No copies of the RegenerationPolicy Statement: People and Place and the Summary document are uncollected.Copies not posted out are being used by the Scottish Executive as part of itsprogramme of communication and discussion on regeneration in Scotland, asforeshadowed in the Statement itself.

I am advised by the Food StandardsAgency that affected farms are subject to statutory controls under the terms of the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 and the current restrictions are specifiedin the Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Radioactivity in Sheep) Order 1991(SI 1991/20), as amended.

In order to ensure food safety,a monitoring system known as “Mark and Release” is operated to ensure that sheepexceeding the 1,000 Becquerel per kilogram (Bq/kg) control level do not enter thefood chain. Sheep from restricted areas are live-monitored for radioactivity usingportable radiation monitors prior to being moved. Sheep exceeding the control levelmay either be kept on-farm and subsequently re-monitored; or marked with an indeliblepaint and moved under licence. Marked sheep are prohibited from slaughter forthree months and a set rotation of colours under “Mark and Release” allows sheepto be automatically released from slaughter controls three months after the useof a particular colour ceases.

The total cost of producing,printing and distributing the Regeneration Policy Statement: People and Placeand the Summary document was £32,088.

Postage costs for thedistribution of the Regeneration Policy Statement: People and Place andthe Summary document were £2,744.

Three thousand, five hundredand five copies of the Regeneration Policy Statement: People and Placewere produced. Six thousand, one hundred and two copies of the Summary documentwere produced.

The roles andresponsibilities of the Communities portfolio have altered several times since1999 and the information requested is not readily available and could only beobtained at disproportionate cost.

The Scottish Executive has noplans to commission an independent study into the determinants of child poverty.Extensive independent research already exists, such as the annual Joseph RowntreeFoundation/New Policy Institute report on Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusionin Scotland.

Poverty is a complex social issuethat has no simple remedy and the Executive considers research from many differentsources in determining how its policies can best tackle poverty in Scottish society.Our Closing the Opportunity Gap (CtOG) approach focuses the efforts of all Departmentson tackling poverty and is consistent with, and complementary to, the UK Government’starget for eradicating child poverty within a generation.

The Scottish Executive remainsin regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues, including theeradication of child poverty. As and when contact on any issue results in agreedproposals for amending the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament orthe executive competence of the Scottish ministers, these are put to the Scottishand UK Parliaments in the normal way (i.e. either through Orders in Council underthe Scotland Act 1998, or through Legislative Consent Motions in the Scottish Parliament associated with bills before the UK Parliament).