In answering the manyparliamentary questions about upgrading the A9 in this parliamentary session wehave made it clear that we are committed to investing progressively in the A9 ona continuing and long-term basis. During 2008-09 work is scheduled to start on thefollowing schemes: Crubenmore (dualling); Bankfoot (junction improvements), andLoch Moy (WS2+1 overtaking lane). We plan to continue delivering further improvementsduring subsequent years of the current programme to 2012 with future investmentfor the next investment period, from 2012 to 2022, emerging from the Strategic TransportProjects Review which is due to report to ministers this summer (2008). Thegovernment is committed to plan for dualling the A9.

The amount of “fixed capitalformation” by the Scottish Executive is published annually in notes 5 and 6 of theConsolidated Accounts. Expenditure on other fixed capital formation in Scotlandis undertaken by a wide range of bodies including local authorities who will publishthis information in their own annual accounts. This information is not collatedby the Scottish Government and comparative data with England, Walesand Northern Ireland is not readily available.

However, it may be of interestthat HM Government published The National Asset Register in January2007 which provides details of Total Fixed Asset Acquisitions and Disposals forthe five year period 2000-05 by government department and includes Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales as separate entities.

Table 1 shows the annual GDPgrowth rates for Scotland and the United Kingdom as a whole from 1970 onwards. Nocomparable figures exist for England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Table 1: Gross Domestic Productat Constant Basic Prices for Scotland and the UK (1970-2006)

	GDP Growth Rate (%)
	Scotland	UK
1970	1.8	3.0
1971	1.1	1.7
1972	3.6	4.7
1973	7.1	4.5
1974	0.0	-0.4
1975	-1.5	0.0
1976	1.8	3.4
1977	1.7	1.6
1978	2.4	2.7
1979	1.0	1.6
1980	-1.9	-4.0
1981	-1.4	1.1
1982	1.5	2.0
1983	1.4	4.3
1984	3.8	1.5
1985	2.8	3.8
1986	0.4	4.7
1987	2.0	4.5
1988	4.0	4.3
1989	2.7	1.2
1990	2.2	-0.1
1991	0.1	-0.3
1992	1.4	1.0
1993	2.5	3.0
1994	3.4	4.5
1995	1.8	1.6
1996	2.9	3.0
1997	2.8	3.4
1998	1.9	3.4
1999	1.9	3.5
2000	2.7	3.2
2001	2.3	1.6
2002	0.8	2.2
2003	2.0	3.6
2004	2.6	2.6
2005	1.7	1.9
2006	2.6	3.1

Source: Scottish Government;Office for National Statistics.

No specific budgethas been allocated to NHS boards for occupational therapy services. All NHSboards receive an annual allocation of funds. It is for each board to decide howbest to utilise these funds to meet the health care needs of its resident population,including occupational therapy services, taking account of national and local priorities.

All NHS boards receivean annual allocation of funds. Each board’s allocation will be increased in eachyear of the spending review period. It is for each NHS board to decide how bestto utilise these funds to meet the health care needs of its resident populationtaking account of national and local priorities, including occupational therapyservices. No specific additional funding is being provided for occupational therapyservices. It will be for boards to decide whether any of the additional fundingbeing made available to them is used for this purpose.

Board workforce planspublished in April 2007 have predicted that the overall number of qualified occupationaltherapists is projected to increase by almost 3.6% over the next three years from1,536.3 in 2006 to 1,592.3 in 2009.

Information on staffemployed in NHSScotland is published on the Scottish Health Statistics website underWorkforce Statistics at www.isdscotland.org/workforce.

Section F gives detailsof therapeutic, health care science, technical, pharmacy and ambulance staff. Inparticular, tables F1 and F2 show the whole-time equivalent and head count of occupationaltherapists employed in NHSScotland by year and by NHS board and region. Whole-timeequivalent adjusts head count to take account of part-time working. Latest availabledata is at 30 September 2006.

NHS boards are responsiblefor designing the models of service they require and ensuring the staffing resourceto deliver that and meet the needs of their population.

Occupationaltherapy recruitment is a matter for individual health boards.

Board workforce plans,published in April 2007, have predicted that the overall number of qualified occupationaltherapists is projected to increase by almost 3.6% over the next three years from1,536.3 in 2006 to 1,592.3 in 2009.

Each NHS board holdsemployment details for its own staff. Information is collected by ISD Scotland andis published on the Scottish Health Statistics website under Workforce Statisticsat:

www.isdscotland.org/workforce.

The questionraises two different concepts: spend on school education and how this spend isfunded. The following table outlines (a) gross revenue expenditure on schooleducation by local authorities and (b) central government grants for schooleducation (which excludes Revenue Support Grant, the main route education isfunded by the Scottish Government).

Centralgovernment grants for school education represents funding for both localauthorities and other organisations which support the school education system(for example Scottish Qualifications Authority and HM Inspectorate of Education).Therefore, elements of central government grants will have funded local authoritygross revenue expenditure on school education. Consequently, the two sets offigures should not be aggregated as there is an element of overlap. It is notpossible to identify the exact overlap as some central government grants arenot ring-fenced for school education.

Year	Gross Revenue Expenditure by Local Authorities on School Education	Total Central Government Grants for School Education
1990-91	£1,645 million	£32 million
1991-92	£1,770 million	£42 million
1992-93	£1,893 million	£46 million
1993-94	£1,929 million	£48 million
1994-95	£1,965 million	£51 million
1995-96	£1,967 million	£52 million
1996-97	£1,981 million	£57 million
1997-98	£2,003 million	£56 million
1998-99	£2,107 million	£75 million
1999-2000	£2,268 million	£175 million
2000-01	£2,424 million	£252 million
2001-02	£2,636 million	£360 million
2002-03	£3,128 million	£329 million
2003-04	£3,437 million	£315 million
2004-05	£3,691 million	£387 million
2005-06	£3,887 million	£441 million
2006-07	*	£590 million

Notes:

1. Figures arerounded to the nearest £ million.

2. Gross RevenueExpenditure for 1990-91 to 1994-95 includes pre-school education.

3. Due to changesin the way the data is recorded, Gross Revenue Expenditure figures prior to2002-03 are not directly comparable.

* Figures notpublished yet.

The information isavailable on the government website at the following link http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/PupilTeacherHistoric.

The Scottish Executivehas not given core funding to Equality Network, nor does it fund campaigning activity.Grant Funding awarded to Equality Network has been time limited project fundingfor specific pieces of work relating mainly to consultation and engagement withthe LGBT community

The grant fundingawarded to Equality Network in each year since 1999 is as follows:

Year	Equality Network
1999-2000	Nil
2000-01	Nil
2001-2	Nil
2002-03	£46,097.00
2003-04	£60,009.00
2004-05	£202,472.00
2005-06	£199,300.62
2006-07	£184,541.60
Total	£692,420.22