Chamber and committees

The Government's Preliminary Guidance on Local Transport Strategies encouraged local authorities to set out their plans for park and ride in their interim strategies which were due to be submitted in July 1999. The Scottish Executive's Public Transport Fund encourages local authorities to develop projects promoting the use of public transport such as the establishment of park and ride sites and associated bus priority measures. In the first round of the Fund, 3 projects involving new park and ride sites were successful in securing additional capital allocations. Applications to the second round of the Fund are currently being considered.

The Scottish Executive will bring forward to the Scottish Parliament, later this session, a Transport Bill proposing changes to the way bus services are organised. We wish to provide local authorities with powers and duties to ensure that proper timetable information is available in their areas for the benefit of bus passengers.In addition we are committed to working with transport operators, local authorities and user groups to develop a practical and effective Scottish National Public Transport Timetable. We envisage that this will include all internal Scottish bus, coach, rail, air and ferry services and will help promote the better integration of public transport services.

The participation of young people on 1 July was the responsibility of Unique Events, working under contract to the Scottish Office. The request for an escort of young people to the civic procession was made late in the day. The Scottish School of Music and Drama was approached because it offered a group of young people drawn from all over Scotland. Additional young people were required and the organisers approached the Secretary to the Modern Studies Association. It is recognised that the outcome of these approaches, adopted under pressure of time, had shortcomings.In relation to the children's parade, all 32 local authorities were approached in order to select schools from their areas to participate in the parade on 1July. Each local authority undertook its own selection process and accordingly the information sought is not available centrally.

The participation of young people on 1 July was the responsibility of Unique Events, working under contract to the Scottish Office. The request for an escort of young people to the civic procession was made late in the day. The Scottish School of Music and Drama was approached because it offered a group of young people drawn from all over Scotland. Additional young people were required and the organisers approached the Secretary to the Modern Studies Association. It is recognised that the outcome of these approaches, adopted under pressure of time, had shortcomings.In relation to the children's parade, all 32 local authorities were approached in order to select schools from their areas to participate in the parade on 1July. Each local authority undertook its own selection process and accordingly the information sought is not available centrally.

The participation of young people on 1 July was the responsibility of Unique Events, working under contract to the Scottish Office. The request for an escort of young people to the civic procession was made late in the day. The Scottish School of Music and Drama was approached because it offered a group of young people drawn from all over Scotland. Additional young people were required and the organisers approached the Secretary to the Modern Studies Association. It is recognised that the outcome of these approaches, adopted under pressure of time, had shortcomings.In relation to the children's parade, all 32 local authorities were approached in order to select schools from their areas to participate in the parade on 1July. Each local authority undertook its own selection process and accordingly the information sought is not available centrally.

The Lord President has responsibility for the programme of the work of the Supreme Courts and is currently considering the implications, for criminal and civil business, of losing 4 Judges to serve at the Lockerbie trial in Holland. I shall discuss these matters with him shortly. The aim will be to make a sufficient number of new appointments to ensure that the normal business of the Supreme Courts is not disrupted.

The consultation paper Improving Scottish Family Law issued by The Scottish Office in March of this year encouraged a wide range of responses to the proposals, including those relating to the law on cohabitation. The responses are now being considered by the Scottish Executive, and I will make an announcement on the proposed way forward in due course.

Procurators Fiscal are authorised by Section 302 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 to issue conditional offers of a fixed penalty (commonly referred to as "fiscal fines") as an alternative to prosecution in relation to certain offences. In addition, I have issued confidential guidance to Procurators Fiscal regarding their use of fiscal fines as an alternative to prosecution which includes directions as to situations in which Procurators Fiscal must not issue a fiscal fine. These include cases involving overtones of sexual behaviour or racial motivation or aggravation and cases involving the possession of Class A drugs.

During the most recent year for which the requested information is available (April 1998 - March 1999) 13.8 per cent of the total reports received by Procurators Fiscal were marked "no proceedings".

There is no fixed complement of temporary Sheriffs and numbers are kept under regular review. Vacancies for permanent Sheriffs are advertised and filled from the field who apply. The numbers of Permanent Sheriffs are also kept under review in consultation with Sheriffs Principal.