Chamber and committees

No. Local authority non-housing capital allocations are mainly unhypothecated because local authorities are best placed to determine their own priorities in the light of their local circumstances.

The additional cost of creating a media centre in the basement of St Andrew's House is £102,000 out of a refurbishment budget of £20 million. The conference suite at Victoria Quay is not a media centre. Its use by Ministers for this purpose follows the removal of previous facilities in St Andrew's House during the refurbishment process. The media facility makes good use of basement space allowing the Executive to maximise the usable space elsewhere in the building.

Funding for village halls is met from the Executive's Local Capital Grants Scheme, which is one of three elements of the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund. The purpose of the scheme is to assist local voluntary, youth and community organisations to provide new or upgrade existing premises for educational, social and recreational activities. SED Circular 21/1990 - a copy of which is in SPICe - sets out the details of the scheme, including the criteria to be met.

Reports of the survey work undertaken by the Marine Laboratory Aberdeen in the vicinity of Beaufort's Dyke in 1995 and 1996 have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre as well as a copy of the 1996 report Review of ROV Survey Composite Video & Data Tabulation for Munitions-Related Seabed Debris undertaken by Linke & Associates Limited on behalf of Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE).

In the light of this detailed survey work the route of the interconnector has been selected by NIE to avoid munitions detected and the use of a remotely operated vehicle water-jetting system specified in the cable laying contract with its high-resolution detection equipment will make it possible to avoid any extraneous objects on the seabed. The risk of munitions disturbance is therefore regarded as minimal. Northern Ireland Electricity has given an assurance that they will continue to co-operate with the relevant authorities before and during execution of the works at sea.

I am aware of the statement. It would not be appropriate for me to make any comment at this stage.

Funding for village halls is met from the Executive's Local Capital Grants Scheme, which is one of three elements of the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund. On a competitive basis, the scheme may provide up to 50% of eligible costs, subject to a maximum of £100,000.

The Explosives Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Northern Diving Group based at Faslane has been collecting and disposing of the phosphorous flares washed up recently on beaches at a number of locations in south west Scotland. This is in line with well-established procedures involving liaison between the police, coastguard, local authorities and EOD personnel. Local authorities have placed warning notices on public beaches. Further warnings have also been relayed to the owners of private beaches and the general public either directly or through the media.

Funding for village halls is met from the Executive's Local Capital Grants Scheme, which is one of three elements of the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund. Financial provision for the total fund in 2000-01 is £2.8 million. I am not yet in a position to say how that total amount will be apportioned among the three elements of the fund. Local authorities have discretionary powers to pay grants. It is entirely a matter for individual local authorities how much they make available for any specific purpose.

The application by South Lanarkshire Council, on behalf of Tarbrax Village Hall Association, for funding towards the building of a new village hall in Tarbrax, is one of 40 bids under consideration. I hope to be able to announce decisions on awards soon.

Information on the nature of evidence leading to convictions is not kept centrally.