Chamber and committees

The Scottish Executive commissioned a long-term independent evaluation of the Glasgow-based child health demonstration project, Starting Well, leading to implementation of Phase 2 of this programme. The “Growing Up in Scotland” research programme now underway, will provide information about the impact of existing services for families with children, including those under three years of age, and inform future policy development.

There are a range of schemes supporting families with children under three, including the Sure Start Scotland programme which provides targeted support for families who are vulnerable for whatever reason. These families are not, however, always located in areas of multiple deprivation. Mapping Sure Start Scotland indicated that there has continued to be a year on year increase in the numbers of children and parents supported. In 2003-04 these were 15,400 and 9,600 respectively.

Phase 1 of the National Demonstration Project for Child and Family Health in Scotland, Starting Well, targeted children aged 0 to three and their parents from two specific areas of multiple deprivation. Phase 2 of the project works with vulnerable children aged 0 to five across Glasgow.

Although the £318 million Community Regeneration Fund does not target 0 to threes directly, it supports a range of activities in areas of multiple deprivation. This includes some which may be of indirect benefit to 0 to threes such as child care and health support.

There are over 100 Working for Families (WFF) projects currently operating in 10 local authority areas which support parents in disadvantaged areas or groups to progress towards or into employment by removing childcare barriers. Support is provided to parents of children in the 0 to 16 age group, which includes parents of children under three, although these parents are not specifically targeted as a separate sub-group. WFF projects include key workers who provide focussed adult support for employment related activity and a range of childcare projects aimed at improving accessibility to services and building capacity where necessary.

The Scottish Executive has a range of early intervention programmes for children under three years and keeps all of these under review.

As part of its response to the Cities Review, the Executive approved the creation of the Cities Growth Fund, the Vacant and Derelict Land Fund and announced consultation on Urban Regeneration Companies.

The Cities Growth Fund provides a dedicated source of infrastructure investment funding for our six city-based local authorities to deliver sustainable economic growth and regeneration in each city-region. It will provide £173 million over the five years 2003-08.

The Scottish Executive allocated £20 million to the Vacant and Derelict Land Fund for financial years 2004-06 and a further £24.3 million has been made available through Spending Review 2004 for 2006-08.

The Executive is also supporting innovative delivery vehicles such as Urban Regeneration Companies (URCs). This is backed by £20 million from the Scottish Executive over the period 2004-06. To date three Urban Regeneration Companies have been granted “pathfinder” URC status in Scotland. A further £22 million has been allocated through Spending Review 2004 for the period 2006-08.

The Scottish Budget also includes funding for a wide range of other measures which benefit our cities and their surrounding city-regions. These include addressing the skills gap, tackling unemployment and supporting business growth and jobs.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22379 on 24 January 2006. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

This information is not heldcentrally.

However, officers with the BritishTransport Police receive the same basic training as their counterparts in theeight regional forces. Thereafter, any bespoke rail safety training is providedoutwith the programme operated by the Scottish Police College.

Responsibility for railwaypolicing in Scotland is reserved. Nevertheless, Scottish ministers recognisethat in order to protect public confidence in the police service generallythere is a need to ensure public safetyon our railways and tackle railway crime.

A full merger with theMetropolitan Police service is not being considered as part of the WestminsterGovernment’s review of British Transport Police. If the British TransportPolice was only to be partially absorbed by the Metropolitan Police Servicethen that would mean that the policing operation in Scotlandwould remain as it is.

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22379 on 24 January 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.