Chamber and committees

I refer the member toquestion S3W-1701 answered on 23 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website the search facility forwhich can be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

As the Cabinet Secretary forFinance and Sustainable Growth announced on 24 May 2007, we intend to take action to achieve a simpler, smallergovernment in Scotland, de-cluttering and simplifying thepublic service landscape. Clarity about the role of agencies and non-departmentalpublic bodies will be a crucial element of this approach.

To achieveconsistency in our decisions on specific public bodies, we will develop a setof principles and approaches over the summer, on which we will provideParliament with further details later this year.

I refer the member to thequestion S3W-1701 answered on 23 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website the search facility forwhich can be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the member to thequestion S3W-1699 answered on 23 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website the search facility forwhich can be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the member to thequestion S3W-684 answered on 18 June 2007. No decisions have been taken asyet. The question of sports lottery fund distribution will be considered aspart of the review of sportscotland, which will take place within the contextof the wider review of public bodies announced by the Cabinet Secretary ForFinance And Sustainable Growth on 24 May 2007.

All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The prioritiesfor sport in Reaching Higher sets out the importance of strong organisations inorder to deliver improved performance and increased participation. We value thecontribution sportscotland can make to the implementation of the strategy andthese remain the outcomes we are seeking for sport. Any decision on a neworganisation distributing lottery funding for sport and a differentorganisation investing in the priorities of the strategy would recognise andconsider the implications within the wider context of the review of publicbodies announced by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth on24 May 2007.

Arrangements for thedistribution of the lottery sports fund in Scotland would be consideredalongside consideration of the future of sportscotland.

Primary legislation relatingto the National Lottery is of course reserved to Westminster. However, there isextensive Executive devolution within the terms of the Concordat agreed betweenthe Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Scottish Executive. Thesedevolved powers include the provision for Scottish Ministers to change lotterydistributors and their percentage shares within the overall Scottish arts andsport percentages as set out in the National Lottery etc Act 1993 (amended).

Funding for disability sportis provided by sportscotland to the sport’s governing body Scottish Disability Sport.Funding is based on the sport’s development plan and is determined by the boardof sportscotland.

Decisions on the 2007 SpendingReview will be announced later in the year.

Along with my Cabinet Secretaryand ministerial colleagues, I will be in dialogue with a range of stakeholders overthe summer to gather evidence and views on how we can use the strategic spendingreview to set spending plans that will enable us to fulfil our purpose and achieveour strategic objectives.

Parliament will play its rolein scrutinising the government’s spending plans after we have announced them laterin the autumn.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-1580 on 19 July 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.