Chamber and committees

The decision to create this postwas taken by the Executive’s Management Group and followed consultation with theChair of the Scottish Science Advisory Committee and the President of the RoyalSociety of Edinburgh. The Permanent Secretary notified ministers of this decisionon 4 August 2005, and the post was openly advertised on 25 November. Applicationswere invited from practising scientists or technologists of international reputation,who would be required to maintain active links with the research community onceappointed. Professor Anne Glover was appointed after the standard boarding processon a four year secondment from Aberdeen University and she took up post on 1 August.The creation of this post within the Scottish Executive will enable the ScottishExecutive to develop and implement its science strategy more effectively. The rolewill involve co-ordinating and strengthening the management of science across theExecutive’s Departments; enhancing the use of science in policy making; developingbetter links with Whitehall science; developing the science profession within theExecutive, and championing and promoting science across Scotland.

This is an operationalmatter for Scottish Enterprise and as such there have been no discussions with theExecutive.

I have not met Professor Sibbett,the chair of this committee, but my officials met him on 22 October 2004 to discusshis committee’s report on science education and to explain in more detail our futureplans for review of the curriculum.

Options for the future of thePFI arrangements at West Lothian College remain under consideration by the Scottish ministers.

The chair of this committee isnot a Scottish Executive official and so cannot represent the Executive in Governmentcommittee meetings convened by the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser. The Executivehas not attempted to restrict his meetings with the UK Government’s Chief ScientificAdviser and indeed understands that several such meetings have taken place.

The Scottish Executive announcedthe appointment of Professor Anne Glover as its new Chief Scientific Adviser on25 May 2006.

The Scottish Executive has receivedthree representations in support of the introduction of regular rail services betweenLanark and Edinburgh.

The information requested isnot held centrally. Responsibility for the operational deployment of police officersrests with individual Chief Constables. The dynamic nature of policing is such thatthe demands placed on resources, including individual officers, can change considerablyfrom day-to-day.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-26208 on 8 June 2006. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’swebsite, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The information requested isnot available.

As I made clear when I gave evidenceto the Justice 1 Committee on 12 September 2006, when the Advocate Depute becameaware of the evidence to be led by the defence from Mr Wertheim and Mr Grieve, hecarefully assessed this, along with the evidence available from the ScottishCriminal Record Office experts. He took the decision to proceed with the trial,and I believe that he made the right decision at that time.

I do not intend to provide anyfurther comment or information in relation to this matter – the assessment of theevidence which required to be carried out at that time was a matter for the professionalassessment of the Advocate Depute, in whom I have great confidence.