(1) Whether, with reference to his reply to question 2684 in the National Assembly on 14 November 2011, the National Core Standards (NCS) (a) have been scientifically validated and (b) were found to be effective; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, how does these standards measure up to international standards; (2) whether public health establishments have been properly and adequately trained to assess themselves against the NCS; if not, why not; if so, what study has been carried out to evaluate the accuracy of the self-assessments conducted by each province; (3) whether the user-friendliness of the NCS has been assessed; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what feedback has been received from the facilities that are using the NCS?