But especially compared to urine testing, this has a longer span over which it can detect drug use," said Dr Robert Anderson, of the forensic science department at the University of Glasgow.Urine testing, commonly used to test athletes for the use of banned substances around competition, has the weakness that they only detect the breakdown products of drugs from a maximum of a few weeks beforehand. Athletics officials are convinced that abuse occurs but is often carried out before competition, in time for traces to vanish from the metabolism by the time of testing."We can actually detect heroin if someone has taken it ­ it gets deposited in the nail bed and carried out," said Dr Anderson.Only 10 milligrams of nail is required, not necessarily from the same nail, for these new tests. Fingernails take up to six months to grow, and toenails take between six months and a year to grow from the nail bed to the end.Random drug tests are already becoming commonplace in the workplace, where train drivers, prison officers and military personnel must face them as it is illegal for a company to allow intoxicated staff to endanger lives at work.The General Medical Council is also now believed to be considering the introduction of random drug testing. Some 15 per cent of doctors are believed to suffer from either a drink or drugs problem during their lives.One problem that the "nail test" might face is that for recent recruits, it could identify drug taking that occurred before they started employment ­ from which they would arguably be exempt.Hair testing can check for drugs taken some months before, which will be deposited in the collagen of the strand during the hair's growth But this is not such conclusive evidence. Dr Anderson pointed out: "If you're in a room with people who are smoking cannabis, then it will get deposited in your hair and could show up in a test."The same problem could occur with the nail test, he admitted, but with proper preparation any contaminants can be removed from the surface, leaving only the embedded drugs in the nail.. The panel responsible for distributing National Lottery money to fund Scottish films was accused yesterday of favouring colleagues' films. The panel responsible for distributing National Lottery money to fund Scottish films was accused yesterday of favouring colleagues' films. Scottish Screen has put £2.4m of its 2000-01 lottery budget into five major films, of which three are being produced by members of Scottish Screen's committees or their relatives.

The three have taken up £1.55m of the total.Scottish Screen's largest award, totalling £650,000 went to Magdalene, a film produced by Frances Higson. Her mother, the film maker Paddy Higson, was a member of Scottish Screen until recently. Scottish Screen also gave a £400,000 lottery grant to Late Night Shopping, produced by Angus Lamont, a member of Scottish Screen's development panel.Another £500,000 grant went to Morvern Callar, directed by the acclaimed Lynne Ramsay and produced by BBC Scotland's head of drama, Barbara McKissack. She is also on Scottish Screen's lottery panel.In addition, a National Lottery fund development loan was made to a small film project by Gabriel Films, owned by Catherine Aitken, who sits on the Scottish Screen projects committee. And £24,000 went to Unscrew, a short film directed by Clara Glynn, the wife of John Archer, the quango's chief executive.

Mr Archer declared his relationship and did not take part in the meeting at which the grant was approved.Scottish Screen denies bias in any of the lottery awards. Mr Archer says that Scottish Screen has now changed its procedures and committee members connected with a project applying for funding must now declare an interest at least three months in advance.The dispute over funding procedures has provoked an intervention by the Scottish culture minister, Allan Wilson.A spokesman at Mr Wilson's office said: "Scottish Screen's procedures should ensure those with an interest in a particular application do not participate in any discussion over its funding. These procedures were strengthened following the transfer of lottery funding from the Scottish Arts Council last year. The minister is seeking assurances that these procedures are followed in all cases."One Scottish film producer said, though: "There is a certain wine bar in Glasgow's West End where, I swear, all you have to do is open the door and throw in a tangerine and you are guaranteed to hit an aspiring screenwriter who has received funding from Scottish Screen. Should that tangerine then ricochet it would hit a relative who has also had funding.". Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern, the Irish Prime Minister, held talks in Sweden yesterday in a new attempt to save the faltering Northern Ireland peace process.

Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern, the Irish Prime Minister, held talks in Sweden yesterday in a new attempt to save the faltering Northern Ireland peace process. The two prime ministers discussed a plan by Mr Blair to launch another round of talks with the Northern Ireland political parties to prevent the resignation of David Trimble as the province's First Minister. He has said he will quit on 1 July unless the IRA acts to put its weapons beyond use.Mr Blair and Mr Ahern, who met at a summit of European Union leaders in Gothenburg, were expected to agree that negotiations should be launched in the week before 1 July. The talks, likely to take place in Belfast, would be delayed until after the annual general meeting of the Ulster Unionist Party's ruling council on 23 June, at which Mr Trimble's leadership may be challenged by one of his hardline critics.Sinn Fein is expected to insist that discussions include reforms to the police in Northern Ireland and a scaling down of the British military presence.Yesterday British officials played down suggestions that the Good Friday Agreement was on the brink of collapse and that the power-sharing executive may be suspended.However, Mr Trimble left Mr Blair in no doubt about the extent of the crisis when he visited Downing Street on Tuesday. He urged the Prime Minister not to be sucked into "bogus" negotiation with republicans over arms, and blamed the Government for last week's electoral gains by hardline parties on both sides of the religious divide ­ Sinn Fein and the Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party.. The fight has been long and bitter.