Chamber and committees

The Scottish Executive continue to fund the agreement, A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century, in full. Additional funding towards full implementation of the agreement was announced in December 2002 as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement and is being distributed to local authorities using established and agreed arrangements. Further resources to fund specific elements of the agreement, including Continuing Professional Development and the placement of probationers will be distributed separately through specific grant allocations.

Fire cover arrangements are a matter for Highland and Islands Joint Fire Board. Following discussion between the brigade and HM Chief Inspector of Fire Services, it was concluded, on the basis of the information available, that there was not a clear case for a new station at Alness and further evaluation was required.

It is for each local authority to analyse the impact of any public private partnership (PPP) projects on its finances, just as it would a conventional proposal. The Scottish Executive has offered to provide 80% revenue support for schools PPP projects, leaving the local authority to fund 20% from a variety of sources, including other Scottish Executive support mechanisms. The authority's analysis should include examination of its total financial resources, taking into account prudent financial management and future spending/income estimates. PPPs are evaluated on a life-cycle basis - often over 25 to 30 years, and authorities now have to take a long-term view of affordability within their resource planning.The Scottish Executive has made clear that it does not hold any pre-conceived view about the balance between PPP and other forms of procurement. All relevant delivery routes must be considered by the accountable public authority in terms of the costs and benefits - including life-cycle economic impacts in accordance with the Treasury Green Book guidance - and a conclusion reached as to the best value for money approach. Each project is thus justified as sound use of public funds within affordable limits.

The Scottish Executive lodged an amendment to the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Bill at Stage 2, that protects general partners within limited partnerships that are the tenant in a tenancy under the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 1991, in instances where the landlord serves a notice to dissolve the partnership on or after 4 February 2003. As Allan Wilson explained to the Rural Development Committee when moving the amendment on 4 February, we are prepared to consider introducing a measure at stage 3 to protect general partners served with a notice of dissolution prior to that date, should that prove necessary to protect their interests. We are giving further thought to the matter.

Communities will be able to seek assistance from a range of bodies, including Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the New Opportunities Fund Scottish Land Fund.

The report of the multi-disciplinary review of child protection, It's Everyone's Job to Make Sure I'm Alright, was published on 25 November 2002. In response we announced a three-year programme of sustained activity to reform child protection in Scotland. The First Minister is hosting a summit on 18 February to seek committed support to take this forward.

Scottish police forces ran a co-ordinated Festive Safety Campaign, which we supported through the Scottish Road Safety Campaign publicising the risks of drinking and driving.

Treasury Ministers have today announced that tolls payable to private sector operators will become subject to VAT with effect from 1 February 2003.In Scotland, we are committed to keeping the Skye Bridge tolls at 1999 levels for the remainder of the concession period. We have worked closely with colleagues in Whitehall and with the operator of the Skye Bridge crossing to ensure that tolls will not increase on account of VAT being levied as a result of the European Court's decision.

The draft Designation Order now before the Parliament does not prescribe a Gaelic name for the National Park. However, we expect the Park Authority to follow the example set by the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority by referring to itself in both English and Gaelic. We shall be issuing guidance to the Park Authority in due course. The use of a Gaelic name will be one of the issues to be addressed.

This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), and while I am aware that SEPA is currently involved in a number of activities to assess environmental impacts, the information requested is not held in the Executive.