Plenary, 14 Dec 2006

Meeting date: Thursday, December 14, 2006

Official Report 804KB pdf

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Question Time

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SCOTTISH EXECUTIVE

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Enterprise, Lifelong Learning and Transport

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Speed Warning Signs (Trunk Roads)

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage the use of speed warning signs on trunk roads in towns and villages. (S2O-11429)

Transport Scotland is working with the police and other agencies to promote safety on the trunk road network. Portable vehicle-activated speed warning signs have been introduced at various locations throughout the trunk road network.

When I drive up and down the A702 every week from my constituency to Holyrood, I cannot fail to notice the considerable number of speed warning signs that have been installed, in particular over the past year, in almost every town and village that I pass through. The signs are bright and effective, and I believe that they have had a positive impact on reducing speed. In direct contrast, in Dumfries and Galloway all I see are two rather outdated "slow down" signs, which more often than not have run out of battery power. What more can the minister do to encourage the use of signs in Dumfries and Galloway, so that we can catch up with other local authority areas in installing modern and effective speed reduction signs?

I agree with Mr Fergusson's points about the effectiveness of the mechanism. I would be happy to have Transport Scotland discuss with Dumfries and Galloway Council the most appropriate way to bring forward such measures, assess their effectiveness and consider their roll-out. I will instruct that that happen, and I will ensure that Mr Fergusson is kept up to date.

I am also interested in examining the mechanisms that have worked in different parts of the trunk road network and in investigating whether they can be used at the sort of locations in which Alex Fergusson is interested. I undertake to keep him up to date with progress.

On the A90 from Dundee to Aberdeen, there is in my view a very effective speed warning sign just north of Laurencekirk. Has the minister considered the possibility of deploying a similar mechanism at the Lochlands junction at Forfar, which was the scene of a fatal accident a few weeks ago and another accident not long after that? Such mechanisms are extremely successful in identifying the speed at which drivers are driving and can influence driver behaviour.

I agree with that analysis. The location that Mr Swinney describes is an example of a mechanism that is working and assisting in tackling—let us be frank—driver behaviour. I am happy to consider the suggestion that such signs be used on different parts of the trunk road network, in particular at the junction that he mentioned.

I am sure that members would also want to bear it in mind that we ask Transport Scotland to regularly examine accident clusters across the trunk road network in order to make recommendations for future remedial actions and to address issues such as Mr Swinney and Mr Fergusson raised and the need for physical infrastructure improvements. We will continue to do that.

I am delighted that Mr Fergusson sees those signs when he drives through the part of the A702 that is in my constituency, but they are passive signs that are effective only with the active involvement of the police. Will the minister ask any new operator of the trunk road network in the south and south-west of Scotland to enhance road safety measures across the road network in that part of Scotland and to ensure that they work more closely with communities and the police on road safety issues?

We ensure that the contract for trunk road operators across Scotland includes a heavy burden in respect of road safety issues and therefore on working with communities and local police services. I would be happy to take up the points that Mr Purvis has raised, but I assure him that we take road safety very seriously in designing robust contracts for our trunk road network and the operators thereof.

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Scotland's Competitiveness

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning last met the Chancellor of the Exchequer or HM Treasury officials to discuss the Scottish economy; how many such meetings have taken place, and what information it has on what steps are being taken by HM Treasury to improve Scotland's IMD competitiveness rating relative to the United Kingdom as a whole. (S2O-11418)

The Scottish ministers regularly liaise with HM Treasury on a wide range of matters, including Scotland's economy and competitiveness. The Treasury publishes an extensive amount of supporting material on Scotland's economy and competitiveness, which I do not propose to read out—despite considerable encouragement to do so from Tavish Scott.

I wish that the minister's answer had been a little more illuminating. However, I will consider the subtext of his answer.

Last year, officials from Scottish Enterprise suggested to me that the IMD exercise is onerous and unhelpful. I disagreed. Now I hear that IMD has said that it will drop Scotland from the 2007 index on competitiveness, which will be published just before the election. Does the minister agree that that will be unhelpful? Will he ensure that steps are taken to reverse the decision so that comparative data on Scotland's competitiveness are available for potential investors and policy makers in Scotland?

It is important that I emphasise that the decision not to include Scotland in the index was taken by IMD and not by Scottish Enterprise or the Scottish Executive. The reasons for the decision are not to do with Scotland but are based on IMD's consideration of Scotland and the other regional economies that it has assessed over a number of years. IMD thinks that it is proceeding appropriately.

I would, however, like a further update on the IMD figures because, as Jim Mather knows, we have moved up the table by five places, so our position is improving. On the key factors, recent figures show that our gross domestic product per head has overtaken that of Japan, Germany and France. That is encouraging news and I am sure that there will be more encouraging news. We are attracting international companies to bring new investment into Scotland, such as Barclays, which recently announced 500 new jobs, First Data, which announced 430 new jobs, Shell, which announced 100 new jobs, BSkyB, J P Morgan, and Terumo Vascutek. Everyone will remember that when we supported Barclays in bringing 500 jobs to Glasgow instead of locating them in Dublin or in one of the other parts of the world that the company was considering, the Scottish National Party said that it beggared belief that that support was given.

We have a strong record and I would like Scotland to continue to be in the index.

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Transport Scotland (Budget)

To ask the Scottish Executive what flexibility Transport Scotland has in the allocation of its budget. (S2O-11428)

Transport Scotland is an executive agency of the Scottish Executive and is therefore included with all other Scottish Executive bodies in the annual budgeting process, which is considered and approved by the Scottish Parliament.

I want to probe deeper into what that means in practice. The minister is aware of the controversy about the proposals for a £4 million scheme on the A68, outside Oxton. I do not want to comment on the specifics of the scheme, but if the scheme does not proceed for whatever reason, who will decide where the £4 million will be diverted and whether that money will remain in the Borders? Will Transport Scotland or the minister make that decision?

As I am sure Mr Brownlee would expect, ministers are ultimately accountable for every departmental spending decision and are collectively accountable for all Government spending decisions, which are rightly scrutinised by Parliament through the Finance Committee and, in respect of transport expenditure, by the Local Government and Transport Committee. Ministers are ultimately accountable, therefore they make the decisions.

In the light of the minister's response to the question about flexibility in the budget, will he give a commitment that the Scottish Executive will support the upgrading that is required at the Haudagain roundabout in Aberdeen, particularly given the publication today of the draft special road orders for the Aberdeen western peripheral route, which include detrunking orders?

I hope that Mr Adam will expect any Government to take decisions on the basis of evidence and, in the case to which he refers, to take decisions on the basis of a proper analysis of the traffic circumstances in the city and the multimodal implications of wider investments that Government makes. It is not right to make on-the-hoof commitments on transport or any other portfolio and Mr Adam should not expect us to do so.

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Public Transport

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has examined the free public transport scheme that operates in Hasselt in Belgium and whether it has considered replicating it in Scotland. (S2O-11435)

The Scottish Executive is aware of the free bus scheme in Hasselt, but has not carried out any detailed examination of its operation or outcomes. Our policies on improving public transport are clearly set out in our recently published national transport strategy.

I have a copy of the strategy and the Executive's bus action plan. I was astonished to find no reference to the evidence that was gathered in Hasselt, so I am willing to provide the minister with that documentation.

Even from the evidence that the Executive has set out in its bus action plan, it is clear that the problems in this regard stem from deregulation of the buses. The evidence from Hasselt shows that, as a result of the free transport policy, bus passenger journeys rose within a year by 870 per cent. The target that the Executive has set is for an annual increase in bus journeys of only 1 per cent, and 2 per cent in rail journeys. Is that not a pitiful vision?

Perhaps the minister can explain what the Executive proposes in its bus action plan. As well as a Scottish traffic commissioner, the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency and regional transport partnerships, we are now to have quality bus partnerships, bus forums, and punctuality improvement partnerships. There will be more quangos than buses.

Why does the Executive not do what its own evidence has overwhelmingly made the case for and regulate buses? Why does the Executive not follow Hasselt and do something that will work for the environment, workers, communities and the economy? Why not make public transport green and free?

Well, well. It is important to put on the record the conflicting evidence on the benefits that were achieved in the Hasselt scheme. Although it is fair to say that bus patronage increased tenfold, a large proportion of that modal shift was from walking and cycling to travelling by bus. Instead of being fully analytical, it is easy to be simplistic in one's analysis, as Carolyn Leckie was.

In six out of the past seven years, bus passenger figures have risen across Scotland. I would have thought that Carolyn Leckie would have supported and applauded that—obviously she does not. Rail passenger numbers have increased by 28 per cent in the past two years. Carolyn Leckie may shake her head, but those are the facts of the matter. Facts are something that her party—whatever it is called these days—has great difficulty with. Would not it be great if everything could be free? However, the rest of us have to live in the real world.

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National Nuclear Archive

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the United Kingdom Government and the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority regarding the location of the UK national nuclear archive. (S2O-11449)

The location of a proposed national nuclear archive, which is intended to consolidate all information relating to the development of the UK's nuclear energy programme, is a matter for the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority—the NDA.

The NDA has raised the possibility of locating the archive in Caithness with officials in the Executive. Formal discussion on the proposal will be taken forward in the new year, but it should be noted that Caithness is only one of a number of locations across the UK that are being considered by the NDA.

I understand that Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise and local partners, including the Highland Council, are actively supporting Caithness as the optimum site for the archive.

I am delighted to hear that the NDA has strongly suggested Caithness. It will come as no surprise to the minister that that position is exactly where I am coming from. Caithness is where one of the first power stations that put energy into the grid was built. Will the minister assure me that he will work closely with colleagues in advocating the case for Caithness? Will he also work closely with the Highland Council and the enterprise network? I believe that we have a win-win situation with this—bringing the archive to Caithness could mean a great deal to the economy of the far north of Scotland in my constituency.

I am happy to give the member that assurance. To date, our department has not been involved in discussions with the NDA. The NDA's initial approach was made to the Scottish Executive Environment and Rural Affairs Department in October. However, we expect to meet with the NDA in early January. On that occasion, I expect that we will have a full discussion of the project. I hope to be able to work with the partners that I mentioned—HIE, CASE, and the Highland Council—as well as with Jamie Stone and others in exploring all the available options in bringing the archive to Caithness. That statement has to be tempered by recognition that it is not yet clear whether the proposal is predicated on Executive funding support.

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Ring 'n' Ride Service

To ask the Scottish Executive at what point the cost to the provider of a one-person journey negates the value of the ring 'n' ride service. (S2O-11489)

This is a matter for the ring 'n' ride provider.

I thought that the minister might say that, but I also thought that he ought to know that in Westerton in my constituency there are people who have lost their post office and the bus service and who depend on the ring 'n' ride service but sometimes cannot book a ride on it. They feel that their quality of life has diminished. When is the Scottish Executive going to try to restore the previous level of quality of life to those people—who have free bus passes but cannot use them—by restoring scheduled bus services to their area?

I appreciate the issues that people in Jean Turner's constituency confront. The problems that she describes are, of course, serious to those who are affected.

A number of mechanisms and funding streams are used to support the Strathclyde partnership for transport, particularly with regard to demand-responsive transport, of which the ring 'n' ride service is an example, and other helpful services. However, on the design of those services and the decisions about budget allocations for their funding, I hope that Jean Turner will accept the principle that I believe in strongly, which is that it is better that such decisions be made at local level rather than their being imposed from Edinburgh. Local delivery agents are much better placed to assess what will work in their areas. We will, of course, be happy to consider some wider examples, but it is important that, when attaching budgets, we let local delivery agents make the right choices about what will work in their areas of Scotland.

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Raith Interchange (Upgrade)

To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates that the upgrade to the Raith interchange will take place. (S2O-11420)

I expect the upgrade of the Raith junction to start in 2009 and be complete by 2012.

Is there any way of bringing that date forward, given the tremendous problems at the Raith interchange? Has the minister undertaken an economic impact evaluation of the upgrade? Has he calculated how many additional jobs it would bring to Lanarkshire and the surrounding area?

I cannot, off the top of my head, give an answer about the economic impact of the project. However, the economics of the junction have been considered as part of the appraisal that was done under the Scottish transport appraisal guidance. I will look closely into the matter and try to provide Mr Neil with a more detailed answer.

On Mr Neil's first point, I accept that there is considerable disruption in the area. Many of my colleagues talk about it in many moments in many days, so I take the point seriously. We are doing everything we can with regard to the situation, but unfortunately the nature of road design, road construction and the formal processes that must be gone through—with which most members are all too familiar—mean that we must have the kind of timescale that, at this time, we judge to be the right one.

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Road Safety

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made on assessing safety improvements on roads. (S2O-11452)

Transport Scotland implements an annual programme of road safety improvements as well as a number of larger schemes, most of which bring road safety benefits.

The assessment of road safety schemes, prior to implementation, is undertaken in conjunction with a number of agencies, including the police. All schemes are subject to a road safety audit following implementation.

As the minister will recall, a number of weeks ago I took him to see the dangerous junction on the A6901 that leads to the Borders general hospital, which is the regional hospital in the area. A number of days ago, there was another serious accident at that junction. At our meeting, he promised that Transport Scotland would make progress on the issue. Is the minister able to update Parliament on that progress, given the urgency of the situation and the dangerous nature of the junction?

I understand the points that Mr Purvis makes. I gather that vehicle-activated signs are being installed at the junction to improve driver awareness. I hope that that will be a step forward.

On 12 December, Transport Scotland received a detailed letter on this matter from the chairman of NHS Borders. We are looking closely into that and will see what further measures can be taken in conjunction with NHS Borders.

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Maybole Bypass

To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale is for the provision of a Maybole bypass. (S2O-11433)

An assessment of options in taking forward the Maybole bypass is currently under way. The study will be complete by spring 2007 and the priority for the preferred route will be considered as part of the strategic projects review.

I was slightly concerned to see no mention of bypasses in "Scotland's National Transport Strategy". Is there any intention to report on bypasses in the trunk road asset management plan to which the strategy refers and, if so, will the Maybole bypass be mentioned specifically?

I assure Mr Gallie that bypasses are mentioned in the national transport strategy. I had a spirited discussion on this very subject with my friend and colleague Mr Wilson some weeks ago, in which he put persuasive arguments about tackling journey times and congestion and improving the accessibility of our transport network. Mr Wilson and others have made compelling arguments on why we must still consider in the future the appropriateness of a bypass as a particular solution in a particular part of Scotland.

Mr Gallie is right that the Maybole bypass was not mentioned in the national transport strategy—of course, it was not the purpose of that policy document to do so. I assure him that the bypass is being considered as part of the projects review, on which I will keep him and Parliament up to date.

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Justice and Law Officers

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Young Offenders

To ask the Scottish Executive which policies it intends to re-evaluate, in light of the 15 per cent increase in the number of persistent young offenders. (S2O-11493)

The vast majority of Scotland's young people play an active and positive role in our communities, but a small number—around one in 500—are involved in persistent offending. That is still too many and represents a hard-core minority of youths who continue to reoffend and disrupt many of our communities.

We all want to see youth crime prevented and its damage minimised where it happens. It has been possible to achieve a reduction in some areas, and I want that to be reflected throughout the country.

A team of professional advisers is now working with each local authority area to ensure that all agencies are working together to reduce youth crime.

I thank the minister for that reply, as far as it went. The Executive's ambition was to reduce the number of persistent young offenders by 10 per cent, but it has gone up by 15 per cent. People must be deeply disappointed by the difference.

I put to the minister the specific criticism contained in the report, "The Politicization of Youth Crime in Scotland and the Rise of the ‘Burberry Court'" from the University of Stirling, which states that the Scottish Executive has manipulated the evidence on youth courts—in the words of the authors, youth courts are a "politically motivated project". Is it not the case that the Executive has been more concerned with pandering to the calls to be tough on crime than with pursuing the rather more effective approach of being tough on the causes of crime, which is why the figures are heading in the wrong direction?

I refute any suggestion that the Executive tampered with evidence in any way. It is important that we are able to publish research reports as they stand.

We would do young people no favours if we did not deal with offending behaviour. That is why all our policies are based on trying to prevent and divert young people from crime in the first place, intervening when offending begins to become a problem and enforcing sometimes strict measures when it becomes a significant problem. If we do not do something about persistent young offenders, they are likely to go on to enter adult prisons later. I do not think that it is acceptable to simply write them off, and I am not prepared to do so.

I welcome the minister's concluding remarks, which show why the ending of the Airborne Initiative was shameful and its restoration is imperative—a future Scottish National Party Administration will restore it.

Mr MacAskill can put forward his party's views, but the rationale for the ending of the Airborne Initiative was that it dealt with a small number of young people overall. It was not linked to the children's hearings system, but dealt with a different group of young people from those whom we are talking about. It is important that we consider what works. Seven local authorities have been able to meet the targets. I want to do further work on how they can meet them if others cannot. It is important that local authorities step up to the mark, which is why we have experts out there working with the local authorities that have, so far, not been able to meet their targets.

Will the minister confirm that no parenting orders have been issued since their introduction? Does she agree that parents have a key role to play in trying to combat youth crime and in being accountable for their children's actions and whereabouts?

Most members will be aware that on several occasions—both in the chamber and elsewhere—I have expressed disappointment that no parenting orders have been used so far, despite the fact that funding has been provided for their use. We risk failing our young people if we do not take seriously the fact that parenting and families are important. We must work with families to try to ensure that our young people have the best possible start in life. I am sure that various local authorities are considering their position on the matter as we speak, and I certainly expect more use of parenting orders during the coming weeks and months.

I welcome the minister's attempt to put into context the number of persistent young offenders, who account for less than 0.1 per cent of young people in Scotland. However, does she agree that more can be done for young people at earlier stages of their offending behaviour? Will she consider the approach that is being developed in England and in New York? There, the involvement of young people in restorative justice and the addressing of offending behaviour at an early stage have been shown to be far more effective than either referral to a youth court or hearings system or further police involvement.

We have to be careful not to confuse the different stages at which young people get involved in offending behaviour. There is clearly a place for restorative justice and there can be a place for peer education and peer involvement at the diversionary stage, but the public would not find credible the notion that the persistent offenders who cause the most grief and sometimes commit serious crimes in our communities should be dealt with in that way. That is why we need a range of approaches.

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Scottish Criminal Record Office Fingerprint Experts

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that fingerprint experts at the Scottish Criminal Record Office will be treated in a fair manner when the organisation becomes part of the Scottish forensic science service in April 2007. (S2O-11478)

We expect all public servants to be treated fairly. That is the responsibility of their managers and employers. In this case, the Scottish police services authority will be responsible for the Scottish fingerprint service from April 2007.

Does the minister accept that it was her former Cabinet colleague, the previous Lord Advocate, who decided that four fingerprint officers should not be returned to the expert witness list? That decision, I may add, was taken publicly, at a meeting, with the four officers sitting behind the Lord Advocate but without their being given advance notice of the decision. Does she accept that the person whom she appointed as the interim chief executive of the new service has made it clear to six SCRO officers that they have no future in the service despite their long and unblemished record in the SCRO and the fact that their professionalism was upheld by successive inquiries? Does she believe that those Executive decisions have had no effect on the welfare or future well-being of the SCRO officers and that the Executive has no responsibility to ensure that fair play exists in public services?

It is important to clarify that the Executive works on the policy direction—it will ensure that the SPSA is set up properly and is able to take over the Scottish fingerprint service—but that it is for the Lord Advocate to decide who is used in the courts as an expert witness.

I have been at pains to stress—and I stress it again today—that there is a process that involves the employers, the trade unions and the individuals concerned. I do not believe that it would be right and proper to discuss the detail of that in the chamber while the negotiations are continuing. However, I stress the important point that everyone has employment rights that must be upheld. I expect that to happen whoever the employer is, and in this case I certainly expect the fingerprint service to look at that.

There should be increased confidence in the future of the service now that Mr Mulhern is in charge of it. Does the minister agree that the challenges for the service include ensuring that future employees have the opportunity to learn from the experience of other bureaux; that employees have adequate management support in doing the job that they have to do; and that we do not return to the position in which members of staff are hung out to dry by wholly inadequate management?

I know that the member is familiar with "The Scottish Fingerprint Service Action Plan for Excellence". That plan will require a number of actions to be taken. It will ensure that the appropriate professional development is provided and that management systems are appropriate and fit for the job that people are required to do. I look forward with interest to any comments or recommendations that the committee that has been considering the issue will make in due course.

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Youth Court

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the operation of the youth court, given the critical evaluation it received from the University of Stirling academics commissioned to review the project. (S2O-11496)

Yes. I recently announced that the Executive is considering the feasibility of setting up a further three youth courts, demonstrating the confidence that we have in their operation.

Notwithstanding the earlier criticisms that were mentioned by Robin Harper, does the minister share the astonishment of one sheriff, who is quoted in the University of Stirling report, that no solicitor has yet taken a human rights case based on the fact that, by virtue of appearing at a youth court, an individual will be known to be a persistent offender? Given the fact that offenders who appear in adult courts are entitled to that protection, can the minister confirm whether the Executive has undertaken any preparatory work in anticipation of such a case?

We have taken the view that the sheriffs who sit in the youth courts are well able to come to a decision on the merits of the case that is before them. The evaluation found that a number of the distinctive features of the youth courts were to be welcomed, including a faster process for getting young offenders to and through the court; faster breach procedures; and the opportunity for multi-agency groups to come together to ensure that the right programmes are in place. That approach is to be welcomed and is far from being something that we want less of. Local communities expect us to seek the most effective ways of dealing with young people, which is why we are considering setting up another three youth courts.

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Custodial Sentences <br />(Children and Young People)

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports increased use of custodial sentences for children and young people. (S2O-11492)

As the member will be aware, the majority of children and young people who offend are dealt with through the children's hearings system. However, in a few cases, children commit very serious offences, such as serious assault, culpable homicide or attempted murder. Those cases will be prosecuted through the courts and may result in children being sentenced to a period in secure custody.

How does the minister respond to the conclusion in the report to which my colleagues have referred that the Executive's youth court model will lead to what is called up-tariffing, with the courts making greater use of custodial sentences as well as other options? How does she respond to the evidence heard by the Justice 2 Committee, which slammed the Executive's proposal to increase massively the number of people in custody through the Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Bill? Given the fact that all the evidence shows that prison harms young people and does almost nothing to prevent them from reoffending, should the Executive not support alternatives to custody rather than continue down that damaging punitive route?

It is important to recognise that we support alternatives to both secure care and custody. People are in danger of confusing the system for dealing with children and young people under the age of 16 and the adult system. We have the opportunity to use secure care and alternatives to that within the children's hearings system. Similarly, through the operation of the youth courts, there are opportunities for young people to participate in programmes to address their offending behaviour.

On the Custodial Sentences and Weapons (Scotland) Bill, it is important to recognise that there is an issue about automatic early release, which has fallen into disrepute among the public. We have a responsibility to ensure that our sentencing regime deals with that concern. I recognise that there are difficulties around the issue and serious challenges for our prison system. However, we simply cannot pretend that we can deal with all crime by keeping everyone out of the prison system. We cannot.

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Youth Offending (Lothians)

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making in reducing youth offending in the Lothians. (S2O-11494)

There has been great interest in the subject this week. I expect all local agencies to make reducing youth offending a priority and to redouble their efforts to reduce the numbers of young people who are persistently in trouble. They will be supported by the experienced team of professionals that I have put in place to improve performance.

A good range of multi-agency action is already taking place to prevent and address youth disorder in the Lothians, including the big project in Broomhouse and north Sighthill; the provision of free and subsidised access to leisure facilities for young people throughout Midlothian; and the east Edinburgh early intervention project.

Notwithstanding the priority that the minister says that she gives to the issue, is she aware of the 20 per cent increase in under-18s who have been sentenced in the Lothians since 2001 and the 17 per cent increase in those who are sentenced to custody? Meanwhile, organisations such as Fairbridge—voluntary organisations that do much in the Lothians to support vulnerable young people and divert them away from criminal activity—describe their funding situation as dire. Does the minister recognise that that double failure in the Lothians mirrors the failure of the Executive's punitive approach, as laid out today, throughout the whole of Scotland? Is it time for a complete re-evaluation of the Executive's policy in the light of its failure to support alternatives and the increasing number of custody cases?

I repeat that people are not comparing like with like. If the member wants to focus on the youth justice system in the Lothians, in addition to the projects that I mentioned, we have several projects around Edinburgh and more widely in the Lothians that focus on diverting young people away from trouble and involving young people in activities.

However, we must recognise that for the most persistent offenders, and those who commit crimes and are in the adult system, we may well have to adopt an approach of enforcement. That does not mean that we see that as the first option, the only option or the best option, but we cannot simply never use the custodial option, as the Greens seem to suggest. I do not think that the Executive would be prepared to countenance that—the public certainly would not countenance it.

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Police (Disability Equality Duty)

To ask the Scottish Executive how police forces across Scotland are planning to comply with the disability equality duty. (S2O-11466)

All police forces in Scotland have published a disability equality scheme as required under the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. Implementation of those schemes is a matter for chief constables. HM chief inspector of constabulary will scrutinise police forces for compliance.

I invite the minister to join me in congratulating Tayside police force on the thoroughness of its consultation, which led up to the early publication of its disability equality scheme. How are the schemes to be monitored in detail to ensure that they make a difference and are not merely paper exercises? Are disabled people to be asked to continue their involvement in monitoring schemes? That is important.

I am happy to add to Marlyn Glen's congratulations my congratulations to Tayside police on what it has done. All police forces published their disability equality scheme documents by the deadline of 4 December and all have appointed a diversity co-ordinator. Some police forces have been more creative—they have adopted a multi-equality approach and have incorporated the six strands of equality into one document.

Several issues relate to monitoring. Neither we nor the police forces want that to be a paper exercise. Monitoring is important.

We all know that talking to people who will be most directly affected by decisions means that the right decisions are more likely to be made. I encourage people who seek to meet the needs of people with disabilities to ensure that they test the schemes against the demands of people who have disabilities. That is good practice for equality issues more generally, which I am confident police forces will follow.

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Town Centre Policing

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to improve policing of town centres on Friday and Saturday nights. (S2O-11458)

Earlier this week, I announced additional funding of £600,000 for community safety partnerships to help tackle the public order problems that many towns and city centres experience at weekends. The deployment of the current record number of police officers in Scotland is, of course, a matter for individual chief constables.

That ends questions to ministers—[Interruption.] I am sorry; I call Scott Barrie.

Thank you, Presiding Officer.

Many areas throughout Scotland have benefited from community safety partnerships. How has the evaluation of such projects gone? Will they be rolled out to all parts of Scotland and not just the areas in which they were piloted?

It is important to recognise that the money that was announced earlier this week is focused on those areas where we know that there have been a significant number of violent incidents, often drink related, in town centres. I will examine closely whether the money makes a substantial difference. If the scheme is proved to be successful, I will look to roll it out further in the future.