Chamber and committees

External signage indicating the type of smoking policy in operation within the premises concerned enables customers to ascertain whether smoking restrictions are in place. This enables non-smokers to choose whether to expose themselves to the health risks and discomfort associated with passive smoking.

I refer the member to the answers given to questions S2W-273 on 4 June 2003 and S2W-313 on 5 June 2003. 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/webapp/search_wa.

The Executive and its agencies meet BAA Scottish Airports Ltd on a regular basis to discuss a range of aviation matters, including developments at Aberdeen Airport.

The Scottish Executive is committed to building the Aberdeen western peripheral route, which includes a new crossing of the River Don. I am aware of the report prepared by Aberdeen City Council in April 2003, outlining possible options for a new local road crossing of the River Don. Any such road would be a matter for the local authority. If Aberdeen City Council were to take forward a proposal then it would need to consider how the road would impact on their regional transport strategy, of which the western peripheral route is part.

The formula is kept under review by the Standing Committee on Resource Allocation chaired by Sir John Arbuthnott. There are no plans at this stage to carry out a major review.

A review of the police funding formula is currently on-going and work on outstanding issues should be completed by March 2004. However, in response to the provisional conclusions of the review, a transitional adjustment was fed into the calculation of forces' allocations for the current three-year settlement period. This resulted in additional amounts being included in the allocations for Grampian, Fife, Central and Northern.

Officials from the Executive and Scottish Enterprise, together with consultants appointed to support the Interim Route Development Fund, have discussed a number of possible routes from Aberdeen. Whilst none of these discussions has led to an agreement as yet, negotiations are continuing.

The provision of treatment and rehabilitation services is a key component of the Scottish Executive's integrated strategy, Tackling Drugs in Scotland: Action in Partnership. The Executive has supported the development of drug treatment services and rehabilitation facilities by providing additional funding of £13.1 million and £20.4 million respectively, over the three years from 2001-02. A Partnership for a Better Scotland commits the Executive to reviewing the provision of drug rehabilitation across Scotland, and investing still further resources in drug treatment and rehabilitation services. The planning, design and delivery of local drugs services, including decisions on residential facilities, are the responsibility of Drug Action Teams (DATs) and their constituent partners. The DATs are required to report to the Executive on the range of drugs services in their area through the annual Corporate Action Plans.

The Deer Commission for Scotland, which is funded by the Scottish Executive, has undertaken research into issues relating to wild deer welfare and public safety, which included deer related road accidents in Scotland. A summary of the research was published in the Deer Commission for Scotland: Annual Report for 1999-2000, a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 9425). The commission is currently undertaking research on the threat that deer pose to public safety on certain identified stretches of road. The commission is also considering further research on the effectiveness of measures to reduce the risks, with the aim of identifying appropriate initiatives to address issues relating to public safety and deer welfare.The Scottish Executive is participating in research along with the UK Government into the level of deer-related road accidents and the development of a database of such accidents.

The Scottish Executive regularly reviews its level of funding of the Scottish Agricultural College for the various publicly funded services it provides. On its education programme, the college's student numbers have fallen significantly in recent years and the Executive has therefore reduced its funding accordingly. The college's current level of education funding per student is substantially higher than that of other education institutions. The future level of funding of the college will be kept under review.