Chamber and committees

Local authority funding to promotecommunity safety and tackle antisocial behaviour, including that for Dumfries and Galloway, is notring-fenced for community wardens or other services but is for delivery againstspecific outcomes in local outcome agreements.

The current four-year fundingcycle comes to an end at 31 March 2008. Work is underway to develop a new reporting frameworkfor community safety and antisocial behaviour, with funding levels to be determinedfollowing the forthcoming spending review.

A number of measures toaddress safety on the A76 are on-going including the provision of vehicleactivated signs and safety barrier works.

The A76 will also beconsidered within the strategic transport projects review (STPR) as part of thenationally strategic transport corridor connecting Ayrshire to the M74. Thisreview will examine the longer term needs of Scotland’s nationally strategictransport network to develop the investment plan for 2012 to 2022. The reviewis due to report in summer 2008.

Following a review of route actionplan (RAP) schemes in 2002 the Glenairlie improvement scheme on the A76 isbeing taken forward. The remaining RAP schemes on the A76, as well as a rangeof other potential interventions, will be considered as part of the STPR.

Transport Scotland hasoperational responsibility for this area and can be contacted for moreinformation if required.

The recent stock-take exerciselooked at the performance of alcohol and drug action teams and their effectivenessto deliver ministerial priorities in relation to drugs and alcohol. I hope to publishthe report shortly to help inform the development of our long-term approach to drugsand alcohol.

The current investment programmeto 2012 will see the delivery of £9.2 million investment in the A75. The StrategicTransport Projects Review will also examine the longer term needs of Scotland’s nationallystrategic transport network to develop the investment plan for 2012 to 2022.

Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted if required.

The A75 forms an important partof the nationally strategic transport corridor linking Dumfries to themotorway network. This corridor will be considered as part of the Strategic TransportProjects Review which will examine the longer term needs of Scotland’s nationallystrategic transport network and will develop the investment plan for 2012 to 2022.The Review will be concluded in the summer of 2008.

The outcome of the review andthe interventions proposed may result in a need to consider the extent and managementarrangements of the trunk road network and its interconnection with the local roadnetwork.

Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area, and can be contacted if required.

The disposal of anynon-mineral wastes from deep coal mines, like most categories of waste, isgoverned by legislation deriving from the Environmental Protection Act 1990 andthe Pollution Prevention and Control Act 1999, notably the Landfill (Scotland)Regulations 2003 and the Waste Incineration (Scotland) Regulations 2003. TheseRegulations derive ultimately from the European Waste Framework Directive(2006/12/EC) and related Community legislation.

Waste resulting fromprospecting, extraction, treatment and storage of mineral resources and theworking of quarries is, however, excluded from the Waste Framework Directiveand the related legislation, both in Community and Scots law. Instead, in thecase of any new deep coal mine in Scotland, it will be dealt with in legislation to transposethe Mining Waste Directive (2006/21/EC). This Directive must be transposed by 1 May 2008: the Executive is considering means of doing so.

During the course of this ParliamentI will consider the need for secondary legislation on a range of animal health andwelfare issues as proposed by the previous administration under the Animal Healthand Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006. I anticipate that regulations on the licensingof animal dealers will be laid before Parliament in the autumn. Work is also underwayon animal health regulations to licence animal gatherings so as to introduce biosecuritymeasures for disease control purposes.

Whilst I have no definite timescale in mind I will also be looking at the need for animal welfare legislationon a range of issues including the licensing of animal sanctuaries, livery yardsand riding stables, the keeping of wild animals in circuses, the operation of petfairs, the welfare of retired racing greyhounds and the use of electric shock collars.

The funding to be made availableto local authorities, including Dumfries and Galloway Council, in 2008-09 and 2009-10will be confirmed later this year, following the outcome of spending review.

No. In Scots law the victim doesnot have right of appeal against sentence at any stage. The Lord Advocate can appealagainst the original sentence passed on conviction where it appears that the sentenceis “unduly lenient”, in terms of section 108 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act1995, but the Lord Advocate does not have the right to appeal a sentence which hasalready been considered by the Appeal Court.

We have made clear that we arecommitted to freezing council tax levels at 2007-08 levels and we will be workingclosely with local government to achieve this.