Chamber and committees

The consultation papers, A consultation on the future of policing in Scotland and A consultation on the future of the fire and rescue service in Scotland, will be published on 10 February 2011. Copies of the consultations papers will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numbers 52389 and 52390).

Road safety cameras were introduced in 1990. Reported road accidents fell by 43% between 1990 and 2009, all severity injuries fell by 45% and road fatalities fell by 60%. These reductions will be due to a number of factors (including road safety education and engineering initiatives) and not the introduction of road safety cameras alone.

Had casualty levels remained the same as in 1990, it is estimated that the cost to the Scottish economy could have been around £70 million per year (in 2009 prices).

The Staff Governance Standard commits NHSScotland employers to ensuring that all staff are treated fairly and consistently and that the minimum standards as described in the relevant Partnership Information Network (PIN) policy are met or exceeded. The PIN policy on tackling bullying and harassment stipulates that NHS boards must have mechanisms of support available to employees who feel they have been the victims of bullying and harassment. Those support mechanisms can include access to confidential contacts and professional counselling. The dignity at work project was also launched early this year to promote a positive working culture and behaviours across NHSScotland and to develop tools and behaviours that will reduce the perceived or actual levels of bullying and harassment felt across the organisation.

Scotland''s Population 2009 is published today. The report contains information about births, deaths and marriages during the year, together with other demographic information. A copy of the report is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 51130), or from the Registrar General''s website at www.gro-scotland.gov.uk.

The latest national statistics are contained in the Scottish Government Statistical Bulletin, Fire Statistics Scotland, 2007, which was published in August 2009. This report provides an overview of Scottish fire statistics over the 10 year period from 1998 to 2007. Table 10(a) shows that of the 6,684 Scottish primary dwelling fires in 2007, 664 were recorded as being caused by faulty appliance and leads. The report is available on the Scottish Government website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2009/08/28090735/0.

The Scottish Government supports the current tripartite arrangements and has no plans to introduce elected police commissioners.

The Crofting Reform (Scotland) Bill, currently undergoing Scottish parliamentary scrutiny, proposes to make the Crofters Commission more accountable by providing for elected commissioners. The Scottish Parliament approved that principle of the bill at the debate held on 13 May 2010. The government anticipates that the earliest date by which elected crofting commissioners may take up post would be late 2011.

Commissioners such as the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, Public Appointments Commissioner etc are appointed by Her Majesty the Queen following recommendation by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) and fall out with the remit of the Scottish Government and we are therefore unable to comment on those types of commissioner appointments.

It is for individual schools to determine how they address any aspect of health and wellbeing which is impacting on their children and young people.

Curriculum for Excellence is clear that the purpose of all learning in health and wellbeing is to help children and young people to make informed decisions and to establish patterns of positive behaviour which will be sustained into adult life. In order to achieve this effectively, teachers explore issues such as social norms, peer pressure and the many other social influences which can affect the attitudes, values and behaviours of children and young people. Schools design learning experiences to meet the needs of their children and young people.

The pilots currently being run by Glasgow City Council and Sleep Scotland will be evaluated and any lessons learned can be shared through GLOW, Scotland''s national intranet for education.

Modern languages are central to our aspirations for Curriculum for Excellence and our ambitions that all young people become responsible, global citizens equipped with the skills needed in the 21st century global marketplace. Modern languages are also key to achieving the Scottish Government''s overall purpose of creating a more successful Scotland with opportunities for all to flourish through increasing sustainable growth.

It is up to individual local authorities to tailor the shape of modern languages provision in their schools, taking into account local circumstances and demands in order to meet the needs of all their learners but we expect Curriculum for Excellence will encourage the teaching and learning of both European and non-European languages. In particular, we are seeing a significant increase in the number of young people across Scotland learning Mandarin, an increasingly important language for business purposes. This is being supported through a network of 10 Confucius Classroom Hubs serving 15 local authorities, the latest of which were launched in Fife and East Renfrewshire on 17 and 30 March respectively.