Chamber and committees

I refer to my answer to S1W-3093.

I refer to my answer to S1W-3093.

I refer to my answer to S1W-3093

An additional Judge will take up post shortly to compensate for the absence of the Lord Justice Clerk on other business. I understand that this will enable the regular pattern of Appeal Court sittings to continue. An Appeal Court can be chaired by a Judge other than the Lord Justice Clerk.

Under Schedule 5 of the Scotland Act 1998, the provision and regulation of railway services, which includes rail safety, are reserved matters. These are the responsibility of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.I met with Virgin Trains on 1 November, ScotRail on 3 November, Railtrack on 8 November and Great North Eastern Railways on 19 November and received briefings on measures they will undertake to improve safety.

The review of acute services is for Fife Health Board and I understand UNISON is formally consulted about service changes in Fife. The review process will provide an opportunity for further consultation with UNISON.

The review of acute services is for Fife Health Board and I understand UNISON is formally consulted about service changes in Fife. The review process will provide an opportunity for further consultation with UNISON.

Where appropriate, palliative care should be an integral part of the care patients receive in hospital. In order to ensure the highest quality of care is available, each Health Board has developed a palliative care strategy and, to date, 31 hospitals in Scotland have set up either specialist palliative care teams or palliative care support nurses.

The Clinical Standards Board for Scotland is currently considering how it might improve standard setting for a range of conditions, including cancer. It has embarked on a consultation process involving GPs, hospital clinicians and other professions to try to establish clear standards for care of the major cancers in Scotland. As part of that exercise, it will consider standards of palliative care.In addition, the Scottish Executive Health Department is encouraging the development of a Managed Clinical Network in palliative care, with particular reference to pain relief, and has also provided £7,000 towards the cost of distributing over 30,000 copies of a booklet on The Relief of Pain and Related Symptoms: The Role of Drug Therapy produced by the Scottish Partnership Agency for Palliative and Cancer Care as an aid for general practitioners, hospital doctors and other members of the hospital care team.

No. I have not received any complaints about the operation of the communication department of Fife Council.

Sentencing decisions rest with the courts but we do support the aim of reducing prison numbers. That is why we have accepted in principle the recommendations contained in A Safer Way, the joint Prisons and Social Work report which reviewed community disposals and the use of custody for women offenders in Scotland, and why an inter-agency forum, chaired by Professor Sheila McLean, was set up to consider the issues raised by the review.