Chamber and committees

The Code of Management Practice for owner-occupied sheltered and retirement housing was prepared by a working group chaired by the Scottish Executive and comprising representatives of a wide range of interested parties. Its remit was to prepare a voluntary code. The Code provides guidance on a wide range of detailed technical matters which are not appropriate for legislation.

Although the Code itself is voluntary, our proposals for the reform of property law in Scotland should make it much easier than at present for owners within a development to change their management company if they so wish. When this legislation is enacted, it should therefore be possible for owners to ensure that the management company for their development acts in accordance with the Code. Prospective purchasers of owner-occupied and retirement houses will also be able to check, before purchasing, that the management company agrees to comply with the Code.We have provided funding to Age Concern to establish an advice and information service in Scotland on owner-occupied sheltered and retirement housing. This service will be able to provide advice on the Code to existing owners, prospective owners, and management companies.

The Children in Scotland report on issues affecting children and young people in the review of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 was not commissioned by the Scottish Executive. The report was commissioned by the Millan Committee, which is currently reviewing mental health law in Scotland; publication, or otherwise, of the report, is therefore a matter for the Committee, not the Scottish Executive.

The SFA has indicated that all its member clubs, whether SPL, SFL or non-league senior are committed to the need for youth development. The detail of individual clubs commitments and proposals is a matter for those clubs.

Scottish Football League clubs have not been excluded from the proposed network. The Scottish Football League is a member of the Football Partnership and the Partnership anticipates that SFL clubs will be included in the development of the academies.

The Taskforce produced a report for the Football Partnership which it considered at its meeting on Tuesday 18 January. The report provides a sound basis for further consideration and members of the Partnership were invited to use the document to consult within their respective organisations. The Partnership intends to make the report publicly available in due course. The Partnership will meet again on 24 March and I anticipate that a statement will be issued thereafter.

The identification of talent will be a matter for individual football clubs. Access to the facilities will not be the exclusive right of the owner or operator of the facility. Conditions attached to contributions from public funding will ensure opportunities to develop will be made available to the wider football community.

Membership of the Football Partnership, which is chaired by Rhona Brankin, includes the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Football Association, the Scottish Premier League, the Scottish Football League, the Scottish Professional Footballers Association, sportscotland, the Scottish Institute of Sport, the Football Trust, and CoSLA.

Its remit is to draw up proposals for establishing a Scottish Football Academy, based on a network of local academies, to encourage and enable the most talented youngsters from local communities in Scotland to maximise their football potential; and in this context to consider how the academies can help to improve skills and encourage youth development in the football community generally.The detailed arrangements for payment and monitoring of the Scottish Executive contribution will be finalised once agreement on a funding package has been reached.

The information requested is not held centrally.

In 1990 the then Lord Justice General issued a Memorandum on Child Witnesses (a term which denotes all witnesses under 16 and some under 18) to provide assistance to Judges in the exercise of their discretionary powers. The general objective is to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the experience of giving evidence causes as little anxiety and distress to the child as possible in the circumstances. Procurators Fiscal also have substantial and detailed guidance on the treatment of child witnesses. The general principle stated by that guidance is that "some children can be seriously traumatised by having to recount unpleasant events in open court, particularly in front of the accused...Procurators Fiscal must be guided by the need to protect the child witness from unnecessary distress". Procurators Fiscal are instructed, among other things, to give the case high priority and to adopt a sensitive approach to the child at every stage. The detailed guidance is supplemented by substantial training. Separately, the Crown Office is now developing an Action Plan to implement those recommendations of the Lord Advocate's Working Group on Child Witness Support which lie within the power of the Procurator Fiscal Service.

Age restrictions apply to the following public bodies:

Body	Age Restriction
Caledonian MacBrayne Ltd	Members must be under 80.
Children's Panels	There is an upper age limit of 60 on panel members although this may be waived in exceptional circumstances. Members are expected to retire on the 15th May following their 65th birthday, though in very exceptional circumstances exemptions will be allowed.
Crofters Commission	Members must be over 21 years of age.
Deer Commission for Scotland	Members must be over 21 years of age.
General Teaching Council for Scotland	Members must be under 70. The Standards in Scotland's Schools Etc Bill before the Parliament provides for this restriction to be abolished.
Land Tribunal for Scotland	Members are expected to retire when they reach the age of 72.
Rent Assessment Panel for Scotland	Members must be under 70 when their appointment expires.

For the remainder of public appointments, no age restrictions apply.