Chamber and committees

JP courts will beestablished in Grampian Highland and Islands when the existingdistrict courts come under the management of the Scottish Court Service. We expect this to happen in June 2008.

Business will be transferredfrom sheriff courts to JP and district courts during the first half of 2008, inline with the Crown Office’s revised marking guidance and the new power that thedistrict and JP courts will have to disqualify people from driving in cases otherthan “totting-up” cases. As in other areas of Scotland, there will be on-going communication between the Justices’ Training Committeeof Grampian Highland and Islands, the Crown Office and the Judicial StudiesCommittee to ensure that justices of the peace and legal advisers are properly equippedto deal with any new types of cases that are transferred to the JP or district courts.

We have no plansto increase the number of community wardens. For future years, funding forcommunity safety and antisocial behaviour will be included within the overalllocal government finance settlement. It will be the responsibility of eachlocal authority, in conjunction with their Community Planning Partners, toallocate funding on the basis of their local needs and priorities – taking intoaccount their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national andlocal priorities, including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectivesand manifesto commitments.

We will belooking at the role of community wardens and considering their potential futureuse as part of the current review of antisocial behaviour.

I replied to the memberon 26 November 2007.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-6929 on 29 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can befound at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-5268 on 29 October 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-6007 on 8 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The Directorate forPlanning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) has received two valid planning appealsfrom Tesco Stores Ltd against the failure to give decisions on applications forplanning permission by Glasgow City Council for retail development on land to thesouth of Beith Street, Glasgow. The appeals are in the early stage of processing and the public local inquiryis likely to take place in spring 2008. In keeping with the majority of appealsdetermined by DPEA, these appeals will be determined by a reporter from DPEA actingunder powers delegated by Scottish ministers.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-4058 on 13 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Duringthe debate on 14 June 2007 the Scottish Parliament showed clear opposition to the UK Government’s plans to replace Tridentand support for the Scottish Government’s vision of a Scotland without nuclear weapons.

As part of the National Conversation withthe Scottish public on the options for constitutional change and the way we governourselves, we will be holding a summit in October with a range of people and organisationsto discuss what Scotland might look like without nuclear weapons and consider theirimpact on Scotland and the Scottish Government’s devolved responsibilities.

A number of organisationshave been approached informally to ascertain if they would be prepared to attendthe summit if invited to do so. Invitations will be issued shortly.

The Scottish Governmentplans to issue Scottish Planning Policy 11 (SPP 11) in the near future. The dateof publication is not yet confirmed. Ministers are currently considering the textof the document and have made no final decisions in this regard.