Sportscotland is currently taking forward the Sport 21 review process to revise and update the strategy for sport in Scotland. In tandem with this, sportscotland will consult on the development of its strategy for distribution of the Lottery Sport Fund. The current process, due for completion by April 2003, will determine the need to retain existing and develop new programmes. It would therefore not be appropriate to establish new programmes before this process is concluded.

Scottish Executive funding is available:for activities that promote Scottish Executive objectives; to support capacity building within organisations on the basis of agreed outputs;to fund core management, administrative and relevant costs where an organisation has a continuing role in the delivery of particular policy objectives, andfor national generic infrastructure organisations and associated local networks to promote the growth and effectiveness of voluntary and community organisations.

Ministers retain the right to intervene in the operations of an Executive Agency if it is considered to be operating outwith its agreed framework or where service delivery is falling below acceptable levels.Ministers do not expect to be involved in the day-to-day activities of an agency. The success of the agency model has been based on giving Agency Chief Executives freedom to organise service delivery in customer responsive ways.

Heads of Executive Agencies are civil servants and subject to normal career management within the Scottish Executive. This covers postings and other career decisions, which would be the subject of discussion between the individual and senior management.Removal from office would be the subject of discussion between the individual and senior management and would be dealt with under the terms of the individual contracts held by the Heads of Executive Agencies.

Agency Chief Executives are accountable to Scottish ministers for the performance of their agency and the efficient operation within the specific delegations set in the agency's framework document.

The Scottish Executive has no plans to put in place any independent monitoring to ensure compliance with this voluntary Code of Practice.

The Civil Service Code makes it clear that civil servants owe their loyalty to the administrations in which they serve and are accountable to ministers, who are in turn accountable to the Parliament. Guidance has been issued to Scottish Executive staff on information and accountability, including Evidence and Responses to Committees of the Scottish Parliament, Guidance on Contacts with MSPs/SPICe and the Protocol between Committee Clerks and the Scottish Executive, all of which are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

Scottish Executive civil servants work for and are accountable to the Scottish ministers.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-27370.

The Scottish Executive's proposals for the future of the Scottish prison estate were published on 21 March 2002 for public consultation. The proposals focused on three main challenges: to provide enough places for the prisoner population; to end the practice of slopping out in our prisons as quickly as possible, and to find the option which represents the best value for money to the taxpayer. The Executive remains committed to meeting those challenges.By 28 June, 129 responses to the proposals had been received. This figure includes a small number of responses received after the formal deadline of 12 June and which the Executive has agreed will still be taken into account. A summary of the responses is being prepared and will be published during the recess. Copies will be sent to all those who responded.The Executive will study the responses to the proposals along with the reports of the Justice 1 Committee and of the group reviewing the future management of sex offenders whose establishment was announced on 18 April. I understand the strength of the concerns expressed by some in their responses, and I wish to build a better shared understanding of the challenges addressed by the Estates Review and the concerns raised by respondents. That process may include further dialogue with interested parties, but in the first instance I will be carefully considering all the comments made before announcing the next steps we propose to take. I emphasise that no final decisions have been taken on the proposals.