Chamber and committees

The Scottish Executive is providing substantial funding in support of policing in Scotland and police numbers are now at record levels. Within these resources, tackling crime and disorder in particular areas is an operational matter for chief constables to decide in consultation with local communities. In addition to the funding provided to police authorities, the Executive is investing £12 million over the next three years in a Community Safety Award Programme to allow council-led Community Safety Partnerships to tackle local issues such as disorder and anti-social behaviour. For 2002-03, the Inverclyde Partnership has been allocated over £113,000. Measures to tackle anti-social behaviour within communities in a housing context include provisions in the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 and an Executive-funded sociable neighbourhood initiative. Interim Anti-Social Behaviour Orders are proposed in the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Bill currently before the Parliament, to provide immediate protection pending the process of applying for a full Anti-Social Behaviour Order.

The Executive has regular discussions with chief constables, police authority conveners and others on a range of policing matters. The most recent meeting with chief constables was on 1 May 2002.As our Programme for Government made clear, our policies are designed to promote equality of opportunity, eliminate deprivation and disadvantage and make our country safer and our people feel safer. So, for example, funding for the police service is now at record levels, as are police numbers. However, how various types of crime, including street crime, are tackled locally is primarily an operational matter for chief constables to decide in consultation with the local communities.

The available information shows that 354 persons under the age of 18 were proceeded against on more than three occasions in 2000. The equivalent figure for 1999 was 460. These figures exclude proceedings where the main offence was a motoring or other minor offence. Information for 2001 is not expected to be available until around November 2002.

The Scottish Executive is committed to increasing the recruitment and retention of groups in society that are currently under represented. NHS Scotland employers operate under Family Friendly Policy guidance. These policies are designed to encourage recruitment and retention in the NHS, enabling men and women to combine work with home commitments and contribute to making NHS Scotland an attractive and exemplar employer. The Scottish Executive Health Department is also funding Return to Practice Schemes to help nurses and midwives return to work, as well as providing funds to support flexible training options for junior doctors.In relation to education the recruitment and deployment of teachers is a matter for the local authority employers. However, under the agreement A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century, it has been agreed that the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers should give further consideration to family friendly policies.

On 31 October 2001 we announced details of a new community safety award programme which will give all council-led Community Safety Partnerships a share of £12 million over the next three years for local community safety initiatives. The programme will allow Community Safety Partnerships to identify local priorities and address issues such as graffiti. For 2002-03 the Inverclyde Community Safety Partnership has been allocated a total community safety award of £113,140.61. One of the priorities within the partnership's strategy is to tackle vandalism, graffiti and fly tipping. Indeed, Inverclyde Council's Building Services Department has a dedicated graffiti squad which will remove obscene or offensive graffiti immediately when reported and other graffiti on a priority basis.

The level and range of drug addiction treatment facilities is a matter for the Argyll and Clyde Alcohol and Drug Action Team and its constituent agencies, including the NHS board and Inverclyde Council. The Executive monitors drug action team activities through the annual corporate accountability process. Drug action teams were due to report on current services and their plans by 30 April.Executive funding for drug treatment services to the NHS board, from which Inverclyde will benefit, has increased by over £645,000 over the three years 2001-02 to 2003-04. Annual provision now stands at over £1.2 million. Executive funding for rehabilitation to Inverclyde over the same period has increased by £339,000.

Under the drugs strategy, treatment and care services, including information, advice, counselling and day and residential care, are delivered by a range of agencies, including NHS boards, local authorities and the voluntary sector. Voluntary sector organisations provide a broad range of services, usually commissioned and purchased by NHS boards and local authorities. There are voluntary sector providers in all drug action team (DAT) areas.In addition, it is an integral part of the drugs strategy that community views should inform the work of DATs and their constituent agencies. This includes the views of voluntary organisations with an interest, whether or not they provide drug misuse services. Voluntary sector involvement in the work of DATs is monitored annually by the Executive.Voluntary organisations also participate in policy development at national level.

Section 202 of the Criminal Procedures (Scotland) Act 1995 permits a sheriff to impose a deferred sentence on an offender and record a condition that he should make good any damage done, either pay a sum of money or repay costs to the complainer by the date of the deferred sentence.Under section 249 of the 1995 act the sheriff can impose a Compensation Order, subject to some qualifications and with certain conditions, in respect of an accused who has been convicted of an offence. The order will be imposed for any sum deemed appropriate, which is normally the value of the damage as proved to the court's satisfaction. However, Compensation Orders cannot be imposed as a condition of a deferred sentence.These options remain within the sole discretion of the sheriff and there is no formal requirement for him to make such a condition or Compensation Order.

The action programme 2002 to reduce youth crime was launched in January. This programme outlines the steps we are taking to build a safer Scotland and to reduce youth offending. We have invested £25.5 million over four years to improve the range, quality and availability of intensive community-based programmes for persistent young offenders. Through the Youth Justice steering group, we are working closely with SCRA and representatives of the children's hearings system to identify further improvements for tackling persistent offending.

The Executive has allocated £20 million, over three years, to the Changing Children's Services Fund for drugs projects targeted towards children. A further £2 million, again over three years, has been allocated to the Lloyds TSB Foundation to support vulnerable children and young people affected by drug misuse.The Executive has issued guidance for consultation, Getting Our Priorities Right, which gives guidance on developing policies and promoting good practice for working with children and families where there is a drug misuse problem. We will also produce a report, later this year, on effective practice for family support which will take into account dialogue with the families of drug misusers.