Chamber and committees

This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executive to write to you in this regard.

This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I will ask its Chief Executive to write to you in this regard.

Scottish Enterprise maintains, as before, a significant presence in Glasgow. The removal of the former local enterprise company structure has removed an unnecessary layer of bureaucracy and enabled both Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to focus on delivering effective support to the key companies and sectors across Scotland, including in Glasgow.

The recent reforms to Scottish Enterprise have also resulted in local authorities, including Glasgow City Council, having an enhanced role in contributing to economic development at a local level.

The government is committed to tackling violence against women and ensuring that all those affected by it are given the support they need and those perpetrating it are dealt with effectively.

A range of activities, including work around the issue of no recourse to public funds, are already being undertaken to address violence against women and we are currently considering the approach needed to take forward this work in the coming period. The National Group to Address Violence Against Women will meet in February 2009, after which we will aim to publish the Violence Against women Framework by Easter.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-18019 on 4 December 2008. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Creative Scotland will be the national development body for the arts and culture. It will work in partnership with other publicly funded organisations including Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and local authorities to support the fashion industry, reflecting the particular responsibilities of those organisations for economic development and business support.

The Scottish Music Futures Fund was set up in 2007 with funding of £0.5 million to support the commercial development and promotion of Scottish musical talent. It is administered by Highlands and Islands Enterprise for the whole of Scotland in partnership with the Scottish Arts Council and Scottish Enterprise. It was a one-off pump-priming fund and there are no current plans to extend the scheme.

The Scottish Government is planning that the Public Services Reform Bill will be introduced to the Parliament in early 2009. The bill will be accompanied by the Financial Memorandum setting out the best estimates of the administrative, compliance and other costs to which the provisions of the bill would give rise, best estimates of the timescales over which such costs would be expected to arise, and an indication of the margins of uncertainty in such estimates.

The future of the Awards for All scheme in Scotland was assured earlier this month when the Big Lottery Fund and Sportscotland confirmed their commitment to the scheme, providing funding at about 90% of the current levels. While, Heritage Lottery Fund will no longer be a part of Awards for All, funding for small heritage grants will be provided through its dedicated Young Roots and Your Heritage programmes. Scottish Arts Council will confirm its position in December.

Across the Scottish administration there are a number of separate pay bargaining units. Where there are continuing disputes about pay, it has been made clear to the relevant unions that management is willing to continue to work towards settling any differences within the terms of Scottish public sector pay policy.