Chamber and committees

The Executive has made clear that it will not make use of these powers in the lifetime of this parliament. Separate estimates have not, therefore, been made of the likely effect on the economy, employment and poverty levels. Such forecasting would involve detailed modelling and would carry significant cost. It would also rapidly become out of date. The revenue effect has however been estimated. The most recent estimate is that for 2002-03, varying the basic rate by 1p would generate/cost £230 million.

In 2000 the Scottish Executive and the UK Government announced targets for road accident casualty reductions in the period to 2010. The targets and a strategy for achieving them were set out in the document Tomorrow's Roads - Safer for Everyone, copies of which are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 5711).The Executive provides funding to the Scottish Road Safety Campaign for the development of key road safety education initiatives and publicity messages aimed at all road users. The Executive also funds free membership of the Children's Traffic Club in Scotland, which offers road safety training to all three- and four-year-old children in Scotland.

The Scottish Executive is supporting the establishment of Safety Camera Partnerships, led by local authorities and police forces. To date three such partnerships have been approved and are operational: in Strathclyde, Fife, and Grampian. Each Safety Camera Partnership is responsible for continually assessing the effectiveness of its speed cameras in reducing traffic accidents and casualties.Where safety cameras have been installed, the number of crashes has fallen significantly. For example, at the 28 City of Glasgow locations where fixed safety cameras have been in place over the past two years, the number of crashes involving personal injury at those locations fell by 64%.

None. This case relates to a planning application for a private dwellinghouse which was granted permission in March 1999 and for which Fife Council subsequently submitted a Modification Order to have the vehicular access discontinued due to concerns about road safety. As the owner of the property objected to the order, the case was heard at a public local inquiry by a reporter of the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit.The reporter concluded that there were no clear-cut and compelling road safety grounds for confirming the Modification Order and that the householder should have the right to maintain vehicular access onto Aberdour High Street. The Scottish ministers accepted the reporter's recommendation and therefore refused to confirm the Modification Order seeking the discontinuance of vehicular access. None of the parties involved chose to exercise their right of appeal to the Court of Session to have the decision quashed and therefore the matter is now closed.

The level of funding for the Coalfields Regeneration Trust in Scotland over the three years between 1999-2000 and 2001-02 was £4.5 million. Funding levels for 2002-03 and 2003-04 have been slightly increased, in that the Executive has committed a further £1.554 million to the trust this year and an indicative budget of £1.554 million for the next financial year.

The National Health Demonstration Project Programme's first Annual Report, entitled Learning to Make a Difference, has been produced. I am placing copies in the Parliament's Reference Centre.The report summarises the demonstration projects' early achievements and their future potential. It highlights that the projects are already generating useful, practical lessons and policy pointers.

During the period 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001, where an appeal was received against the refusal of an application for planning permission, or against conditions imposed on a grant of permission, the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit allowed seven out of a total of 28 appeals received in respect of developments proposed in the west area of Fife Council.During the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002, where an appeal was received against the refusal of an application, the Scottish Executive Inquiry Reporters Unit allowed four out of a total of 15 appeals within the same area. There were no appeals received against conditions during this period.These statistics demonstrate that decisions made by the west area of Fife Council were upheld in 75% and 73% of cases respectively in the two years concerned, against a national average of around 70%.

I understand that Ballingry, Cardenden, Lochgelly, Kelty, and Cowdenbeath are collectively known as the Benarty area locally. The Coalfields Regeneration Trust has funded the following projects within the Benarty area:

• Benarty Regeneration Action Group - BRAG Enterprises
• Benarty Self-Build Housing Group
• Lochgelly Brass Band

Bowhill Bowling Club.

In the past four calendar years two cases have been recorded on national hospital discharge summaries of Fife residents requiring admission to a general acute hospital, as a result of a collision with a pedal cycle in a "non-traffic" accident. Both cases were children aged under 16 years. National data are insufficiently detailed to establish whether the accidents occurred on a public footpath. Other accidents may have occurred during this period, where the pedestrian was treated in a hospital accident and emergency department but not admitted to hospital. Central data cannot identify such cases.

In the absence of any indicators to suggest that there is a significant problem in this area, I consider that existing remedies are adequate to address such problems as we have.Section 129 (5) of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 makes it an offence to cycle on a footway which has not been redetermined for use by both pedestrians and cyclists. It is of course a matter for the police and for Procurators Fiscal to proceed as they deem appropriate when any offence has been committed.