Chamber and committees

The information requested isgiven in Formal meetingsand events held between either the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and SustainableGrowth, the Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, or officials, during whichthe reform of the Enterprise Networks formed a substantive item of discussion, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 44449). In addition to these formal meetings,officials held frequent discussions with enterprise networks’ staff during the developmentof the reform proposals and it is not possible to provide a complete list of suchmeetings.

Funding arrangements forlocal authorities over the next three years have been set out in the LocalGovernment Settlement announced last month in the context of the concordat signedwith COSLA on 14 November.

The government has alreadysignalled an intention to consult on introducing a legislative presumptionagainst the closure of rural schools. A consultation paper containing specificproposal will be published this spring.

Funding arrangements forlocal authorities over the next three years have been set out in the LocalGovernment Settlement announced last month in the context of the concordat signedwith COSLA on 14 November.

The government has alreadysignalled an intention to consult on introducing a legislative presumptionagainst the closure of rural schools. A consultation paper containing specificproposal will be published this spring.

We propose to revise the regulationsIntensive Support and Monitoring (Scotland) Regulations 2006 to allow all local authorities to useMovement Restriction Conditions with an electronic tag through the Children’s Hearingssystem for young people under 16-year-olds from April 2008.

Where and when a Movement RestrictionCondition with an electronic tag is to be used, the appropriate support must bein place to support the young person, in line with regulations. In many cases itis the view of many of those working with youngsters that it is the intensive supportthat is the cause of changed behaviour.

To be eligible for a MovementRestriction Condition, young people will still have to meet the conditions set outin section 70 of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, the same criteria that must be met for a youngperson to be authorised for secure accommodation. In effect, a Movement RestrictionCondition would only be used where other interventions have not succeeded.

Transport Scotland does not hold separate records for complaints bymembers of the public or representative organisations regarding the use ofadvertising and fresh produce displays broken down by route.

Transport Scotland enforces the provisions of Section 59 of the Roads (Scotland) Act, which seeks to maintain safety for road users and pedestrians whilst reflecting local circumstances.

No specific guidance isissued to Trunk Road Operating Companies in relation to Section 59 of the Roads(Scotland) Act 1984, or Section 87 (powers of removal). The 3rd Generation TermContract for Management and Maintenance of the Scottish Trunk Road Network,imposes a general obligation to carry out routine safety inspections andpatrols at specified intervals to identify and remedy defects and hazards. Acopy of the contract is on the Transport Scotland website, the section relatingto unauthorised signs can be found at the following link;http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/uploads/documents/NorthWestUnit/Schedule8/C-S8P5-NW_Unit.pdf.

The following table shows detailsof assistance provided to Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) from the Scottish Government’sMarketing Development Scheme in each of the last three financial years.

Year	Detail	Funding
2005-06	Appointment of business manager - identification of new outlets for Scotch Lamb in France (Marketing Development Scheme). Appointment of marketing agent - promotion and development of new outlets for Scotch Beef and Scotch Lamb in Italy (Marketing Development Scheme).	£53,887   £25,000
2006-07	None
2007-08	Additional funding to enhance existing lamb marketing programme in response to foot and mouth disease.	£100,000

 

In addition, as part of the £25million support package for the industry announced in October 2007, QMS has beenasked to develop proposals, in liaison with the wider industry, for the £1 millionmade available to promote the long-term resilience of the red meat sector.

The Scottish Government is alsocontributing to several research and development projects in which QMS is involvedeither through providing resources (in money or kind) or as a contractor.

Ministers have asked officialsto look at a range of issues regarding compulsory purchase orders. Officials arein the process of scoping out this work and no timescale has been set for its completion.

My private office hascontacted SAS International and a date for the meeting has been set for 19 February 2008.