Chamber and committees

An updated Code of Guidance on Homelessness was published in 1998. It now requires further updating to reflect various changes both in legislation and good practice, including changes arising from the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001. Work to produce a fully updated code will begin later this year and will be completed following the passage of the forthcoming Homelessness Bill. Publication, following consultation, is expected by the end of 2003. If there is a need for any interim guidance to be issued on an earlier timescale then this will be prepared in consultation with the Homelessness Monitoring Group which has been established to oversee implementation of the recommendations of the Homelessness Task Force.

We have made £11 million available over the next two financial years to support recommendations of the Homelessness Task Force - this is in addition to the £27 million provided specifically to contribute to the cost of implementing the homelessness provisions of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001. Local authorities' homelessness strategies will provide the framework for ensuring that these resources are used in the most effective manner.The case for further resources is being considered as part of the current spending review. In addition, in delivering the recommendations of the report, local authorities and others will be expected to deploy existing resources more efficiently and effectively.A monitoring group has been established to oversee the implementation of all of the recommendations of the task force, including those effected by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2002.

Abolition of the Historic Buildings Council for Scotland will provide a saving to the Scottish Executive of about £20,000 per annum.

I refer the member to the answers given to questions S1W-26283, 26677 and 26748 which outline the work being taken forward to develop an animal health surveillance strategy.

The herbicide which is used in association with the GM herbicide-tolerant oilseed rape growing in Scottish farm scale evaluations has been approved for use by the pesticide regulatory authorities. The potential impact on water resources (both surface and groundwater) was a key consideration of the approval process which led me to conclude that there is unlikely to be an impact upon groundwater.

The Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is a UK-wide tariff based scheme. In January, the Westminster Government (in consultation with the Executive, the Northern Ireland Office and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority) responded to a consultation paper issued by the European Union about compensation for victims of violent crime. The main aim of this EU initiative is to improve access to state compensation by victims within the European Union by agreeing common minimum standards. The UK scheme is the most generous of its kind in Europe and we will play an active role in future discussion of these issues.

We are not aware of any significant increase in applications for compensation payments as a result of an increase in referrals to Victim Support Scotland. The overall budget for the demand-led Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme is set by the Home office and the Scottish Executive. The Executive's contribution is calculated through a Service Level Agreement that reflects the amount of compensation paid to those living in Scotland.

We are in regular contact with colleagues in the Department of Trade and Industry and with the industry regulator Ofgem concerning plans for the introduction of new electricity market trading arrangements across Great Britain.The regulation of the electricity market is a reserved matter.

This is a matter for the Scottish Agricultural College.

We sought views last year, when we reviewed the regulation of the aquaculture industry, on the proposition that a central regulatory authority might be created. This was not favoured by the majority of our consultees. The present statutory controls interface, but are distinct. Our judgement is that they are better discharged by the separate bodies currently involved (whose regulatory functions could in any case be changed only through amending statute). We are, however, working to improve co-ordination between them.