Chamber and committees

The M74 Northern Extension is one of the 17 major road schemes being considered in the Strategic Roads Review. The Review is considering the potential impacts of these schemes under a number of headings, including economy. The Executive plans to report to Parliament shortly on the outcome of the review.

The Housing Green Paper invited views on a number of topics relating to the future institutional framework for housing in Scotland including views on which activities currently undertaken by Scottish Homes will be relevant in the future. We recently published a summary of the responses to the Green Paper and we are currently considering the future of Scottish Homes in the light of these responses.

The M74 Northern Extension is one of the 17 major road schemes being considered in the Strategic Roads Review. The Review is considering the potential impacts of these schemes under a number of headings, including economy. The Executive plans to report to Parliament shortly on the outcome of the review.

Greater Glasgow Health Board is responsible for ensuring that the health care services in its area meet the needs of its local population. The Health Board is currently considering proposals, as outlined in the Health Improvement Programme (HIP) 1999-2004, to strengthen emergency services in Glasgow by providing 2 major A & E/Trauma Departments in the south-west and north-east of the City, both close to the motorway network and accessible from the City centre and from more outlying areas, and 3 units to address minor injuries and illnesses at Stobhill Hospital, the Victoria Infirmary and the proposed new Western Infirmary.Final decisions on the proposals will only be taken after full public consultation and then on the basis of which model would provide the best service for the people of Glasgow.

This reflects the fact that a high proportion of economically active tenants leave the local authority housing sector either by exercising the Right to Buy their council house or by moving to private sector housing. This means that a higher proportion of remaining local authority tenants are likely to be in receipt of housing benefit.

The collection of council house rents is a matter for individual local authorities. As part of their response to the Best Value initiative a number of councils are undertaking or plan to undertake a detailed service review of their rent collection and housing allocation policies and procedures. The Accounts Commission will also continue to monitor performance and publish performance information annually on the level of council house rent lost due to voids.

During the calendar year 1998, the Procurator Fiscal at Glasgow and Strathkelvin received a total of 68,103 reports of crime. The total includes cases reported by agencies other than Strathclyde Police, for example British Transport Police and the Health & Safety Executive. It is not possible to extract a separate total of cases submitted by Strathclyde Police.During 1998 the Procurator Fiscal issued 12,695 conditional offers of fiscal fines; warnings were issued in 8,975 cases; 2,409 cases were disposed of by means of conditional offers of fixed penalty, in respect of road traffic matters; 83 cases were concluded by way of diversion; and 1,196 cases were either transferred to the Scottish Children's Reporter Agency, transferred to another Procurator Fiscal's Office or associated with another case against the same accused.

A very large proportion of Scottish households aspire to home ownership, and we are keen to support them in realising this ambition whenever the financial circumstances of the household make this a sensible option. We will take account of responses to the Green Paper when determining how to take that forward.