Chamber and committees

Officials are working very closely with Seagate Distribution (UK) in an attempt to secure a buyer for its Irvine operation.Local agencies have been made aware of the possibility of redundancies at the facility. Assistance will be provided to those affected through dedicated local action teams, in accordance with the principles outlined in the Scottish Executive PACE framework.

KPMG have been appointed as receivers to Adam Cunningham & Son and are pursuing the best way forward for the business.The Executive and local agencies are in contact with the company and have offered their assistance with this process.

The Executive and its agencies have been in close contact with Fullarton's management, and have discussed the current position with local union representatives and the STUC.Assistance will be made available to those affected by redundancy through dedicated local action teams in accordance with the principles outlined in the Scottish Executive PACE framework.

The Scottish Executive have not yet fixed a date for the laying of these Orders before the Parliament. It would be premature to indicate a timetable for implementation at this stage. The Orders will be re-laid for debate by the Justice and Home Affairs Committee once the review of the Rules is completed. There is likely to be a three month lead-in time for the Orders taking effect. Related work to review the Table of Fees for solicitors in summary cause actions is being taken forward by the Lord President's Advisory Committee having regard to proposed changes in the Rules.

The Commission published a report on this subject on 25 March 1998, which recommended that it was not necessary to introduce legislation either to reform or restate the existing law on boundary walls. The Executive supports this view and does not plan to take any action in this area.

The National Cultural Strategy announced that we would support an audit of all museums and their collections, buildings and other resources with the aim of identifying their relative importance in national and local terms; and that priority in the audit would be given to the industrial museums. I subsequently announced a restructuring fund of £3 million over the next three years to help put the museum sector on a sounder financial footing, based on the results of the national audit.

I have been considering proposals made to me seeking financial support for the three main industrial museums - the Scottish Fisheries Museum, the Scottish Maritime Museum and the Scottish Mining Museum - on the grounds that there is already substantial evidence that they are of national importance to our cultural heritage. I recognise that these museums are in particularly difficult financial circumstances and, after careful consideration, I am prepared to accept these proposals in principle.

In considering these proposals, I was keen to confirm that the local authorities which already support these museums would commit themselves to maintaining their financial contributions at their current level for each of the next three years. I am delighted that Fife Council, North Ayrshire Council and Midlothian Council have pledged to do this. In turn, I will make available from the restructuring fund up to £420,000 a year for the next three years towards the museums' running costs. The indicative annual figures for each museum are: Scottish Fisheries Museum - £60,000; Scottish Maritime Museum - £160,000; and Scottish Mining Museum - £200,000.

I believe these museums have great potential and I am determined to ensure that the funding package leads to significant improvements at each museum to allow that potential to flourish. I am putting in place arrangements to address these issues including the potential for joint working between the museums themselves, and for the development of partnerships with other organisations.

This initiative is undoubtedly a very significant step forward. It presents the museums with a challenge, but it also gives them a real opportunity to secure their future as part of our national heritage.

We will continue to work with all local agencies to encourage business development and to ensure that the Ayrshire workforce has the necessary skills to suit labour market requirements within the area.

All statistical bulletins in the Criminal Justice Series except those relating to motor vehicle offences and offences involving firearms include information at the lowest level of geographic detail collected centrally. The lowest level of geographic detail at which statistics are collected centrally is unitary authority or, for courts and prisons statistics, the individual court or prison. The nine police divisions in Strathclyde divide the police force area in a different way from the twelve unitary authorities. For example, the Glasgow City unitary authority covers four different police divisions in whole or part. The information collected centrally therefore cannot be aggregated to distinguish all individual police divisions within the Strathclyde police force area.

Statistics on the number of crimes recorded by the police are presented on a divisional basis in the Strathclyde Chief Constable's Annual Report.

Section 90 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 allows local authorities to designate certain categories of land not in public ownership as litter control areas. They may do so if they are of the opinion that the presence of litter or refuse on the land is detrimental to the amenity of the area and is likely to remain so. Designating land as a litter control area places a duty on the occupier of the land to keep it free of litter and refuse. Failure to do so risks court proceedings being instigated against the occupier by the local authority or an aggrieved member of the public.

There are no plans to extend existing local authority powers regarding litter on privately owned land.

We have no current plans to do so.