Chamber and committees

The allocation of places in initial teacher education to individual institutions is a matter for the Scottish Funding Council. Decisions on intakes in 2010 have yet to be finalised and the Funding Council will announce details in their annual grant announcement in March. However, ministers have made clear their views that due to unacceptable levels of teacher unemployment intakes should be cut. We are in discussions with universities as to how the impact of reductions in intakes can be managed.

Representatives of the Royal Caledonian Curling Club had been in contact with Scottish Government officials during the week commencing 4 January 2010 because the club was seeking financial support for a documentary film that was being planned should the grand match go ahead the following weekend. EventScotland officials were also in contact with the club and had offered advice about practical aspects of the event.

The club had removed the Lake of Menteith from its list of potential sites for the grand match in 2000-01 for various reasons including the issue of suitable car parking. It became apparent on 4 January 2010 that the relevant landowners in the area would in fact allow access and parking adjacent to the Lake of Menteith, and the club representatives met with Central Scotland Police and other emergency services on 6 and 8 January 2010.

Following clear unambiguous advice from the police and other emergency services the club representatives concluded that there was not time to prepare satisfactory plans for traffic and access for emergencies before the weekend. It is for this reason that the club cancelled its plans for a grand match on the Lake of Menteith over the weekend of 9 and 10 January 2010.

The club has informed the Scottish Government that plans were already in place for the other main potential sites for a grand match (Piper Dam and Loch Leven), although over the weekend of 9 and 10 January 2010, the ice at these sites was not suitable. The club is now updating its plans for all three sites with a view to being ready should suitable weather conditions return.

The Grand Matches are arranged by the Royal Caledonian Curling Club. As the event organiser, it is for the Club to make decisions about holding the event following discussion with the relevant Police and emergency services. These discussions will include measures to ensure the safety of participants and spectators. In this way the public interest has to be taken into account by the event-organisers. Most event-organisers will also seek to arrange third party liability insurance to protect themselves in the event of action from third parties.

Ministers have been fully briefed on the circumstances surrounding the Royal Caledonian Curling Club''s decision not to go ahead with an event at the Lake of Menteith on 9 and 10 January 2010. The Club is now updating its plans for all three sites with a view to being ready should suitable weather conditions return. EventScotland officials are in contact with the Royal Caledonian Curling Club and are able to provide advice if necessary.

No power or legislation was invoked to prevent the proposed bonspiel on Lake of Menteith. The Royal Curling Club took the decision not to go ahead.

The decision on whether to hold a bonspiel was a matter for the Royal Caledonian Curling Club not ministers so the emergency services did not provide any such advice to ministers.

I understand that the Royal Caledonian Curling Club held two meetings with Central Scotland Police and other public agencies to discuss holding a bonspiel, or Grand Match, on the Lake of Menteith. The police and other emergency services gave advice about safety issues arising from the holding of such an event. The Royal Caledonian Curling Club subsequently decided not to proceed with the event. The Scottish Government was not involved in those discussions and the precise nature of any advice given is a matter for those who attended the meetings.

The police do not have any specified powers to stop such an event. The onus is on event organisers to run a safe event.

Information on the operation of Direct to Pharmacy schemes was provided to Community Pharmacy Scotland (CPS) by their members. CPS has shared this information with the Scottish Government as it relates to difficulties in the medicines supply chain. The Scottish Government has no plans to publish the information.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-30390 on 18 January 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

The Scottish Government will consider the economic and environmental benefits of a range of energy saving scheme options, including potential incentives for replacing inefficient boilers, in the context of the development of our Energy Efficiency Action Plan for Scotland, which will be published in the spring.