SECTION 1 - BUSINESS THIS WEEK

Parliament is in recess.

SECTION 2 – NEWS

Launch of organ donation campaign
A national organ donation advertising campaign, aimed at encouraging people to talk to their families and loved ones about their wishes, was launched today.

The campaign Organ Donation, Have You Talked About It? consists of radio, newspaper and milk carton advertising and implements a key recommendation of the Scottish Transplant's Group's Organ Donation Strategy for Scotland.

It aims to encourage people, not just to carry an organ donation card or put their name on the NHS Organ Donor Register, but to talk to their loved ones to make sure they are aware of their wishes.

Information leaflets containing donor cards will also be available in pharmacies, health centres and dental surgeries.

The organ donation campaign comes against a background of a severe shortage of donor's organs.  At the end of 2003, there were 450 people in Scotland on the waiting list for a transplant, 418 of whom were waiting for a kidney.  Some 40 people die each year while waiting for a new organ. To address the shortage of donors, the Scottish Executive published an organ donation strategy in July 2002.  More details can be found online at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2002/07/SEhd134.aspx.

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Procurator fiscal reporting event
The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) hosted an event on Friday for over 50 specialist agencies who report crimes to the Procurator Fiscal.

The event – which was attended by 110 investigators from environmental health departments, trading standards and bodies like the Health and Safety Executive and the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency – aimed to:

·         Improve awareness of the Scottish legal system and provide a better understanding of investigating and reporting offences to the Procurator Fiscal;

·         Provide an update on recent changes and developments within COPFS especially relating to the increased use of technology for decision-making and the reporting of cases; and

·         Develop knowledge and understanding of the court process and the role of the expert witness in a trial.

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SECTION 3 - NOTES ON THIS WEEK’S CHAMBER BUSINESS

Parliament is in recess.

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