Chamber and committees

The Scottish Executive has not undertaken or commissioned any research which looks specifically at the links between diet and antisocial behaviour in children. However, the Food Standards Agency are currently undertaking a project on “Chronic and acute effects of artificial colourings and preservatives on children's behaviour”, which is likely to be relevant. This is due to be completed in March 2007. See website for details:

http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/researchinfo/foodcomponentsresearch/allergyresearch/t07programme/t07projectlist/t07040/.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-18582 on 13 September 2005. 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/webapp/wa.search.

The available information is given in the following table.

Speeding offences proceeded against in Scottish courts, 1999-2003

Year	Number
1999	14,922
2000	11,931
2001	10,579
2002	10,138
20032	12,635

Notes:

1. Includes motorway and clearway offences.

2. Includes estimated data.

The Executive is committed to increasing opportunities to participate in all sports, including tennis. Executive funding for sport is routed through sportscotland with investment in individual sports made in support of the development plan for the sport and its contribution in helping meet the targets set out in Sport 21, the national strategy for sport in Scotland. In the current year, sportscotland is investing £227,000 in tennis through Tennis Scotland. In addition to this, individual tennis clubs can apply for funding from the various programmes operated by sportscotland. A number of tennis players have also been identified by Tennis Scotland to receive individual tailored support programmes delivered through the Scottish Institute of Sport and the Area Institute network to help their progression to the top levels of the sport.

Information on the number of speed camera devices operated by the police is not held centrally. Information is available, however, for safety camera sites operated by safety camera partnerships as part of the Scottish Safety Camera Programme. This information is provided in the following table. The figures given include camera locations that may have been operated by the police prior to the Safety Camera Programme.

Chief Constables also have the autonomy to carry out speed enforcement at any location outside of the programme. This activity is not collected and therefore not included in the following table.

Year	Programme Expansion	Number of Cameras Accepted into the Programme Year on Year*
		Average Speed Camera Systems	Fixed Sites	Mobile Sites	Total
2000-2002	Pilot project involving Strathclyde – area covered by Glasgow City Council only	0	29	0	29
2002-2003	Strathclyde expands to cover 4 local authorities Fife joins Programme April 2002 North East Partnership joins October 2002	0	75	129	204
2003-2004	Strathclyde Partnership expands to cover 12 local authorities Dumfries and Galloway joins July 2003 Lothian and Borders joins July 2003 Tayside joins July 2003	0	181	245	426
2004-2005	Northern Partnership joins July 2004 Lothian and Borders expands to include West Lothian Council area July 2004	0	181	309	490
2005-2006	No new partnership areas,  SPECS system installed on A77 July 2005	1	182	315	498

Note: *Figures given are for all camera sites accepted into the Scottish Safety Camera Programme and are correct at 31 August 2005. Camera numbers can vary due to additional sites being accepted into the programme during the year and operational decisions on camera usage and deployment. The figures given are based on information supplied by safety camera partnerships. As partnerships and the programme have expanded, additional geographic areas have been included where camera sites may already have been operated by the police in conjunction with the roads authorities. Central Scotland is not currently part of the programme and therefore no figures are included for this area.

Information is not available in the format requested. In addition, some of the charges referred to (e.g. manslaughter and grievous bodily harm) are not recognised offences in Scotland.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service has a target of taking a decision on the appropriate course of action, and implementing that decision (including serving complaints in cases which are to be prosecuted under summary procedure), in at least 75% of cases within five weeks of the date on which the report is received from the reporting agency. This target applies to all cases except cases which are to be dealt with under solemn procedure. In the period April to July 2005 decisions were taken and implemented within five weeks in 87% of cases.

In solemn cases (i.e. the more serious cases, where the case is to be dealt with in the High Court or in the sheriff court before a jury) where the accused is on bail, our target is to serve 80% of indictments within nine months. In the period April to July 2005, indictments were issued within that timescale in 81% of High Court cases and 90% of sheriff and jury cases.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-18426 on 6 September 2005. 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/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-18426 on 6 September 2005. 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/webapp/wa.search.

The information requested is published in Table 1 of Key 2004 Road Accident Statistics, copies of which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 36730).

Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the “Stats 19” statistical report format. These returns do not cover damage only accidents.

Prior to 1 January 2005, “Stats 19” returns did not record contributory factors so the data requested is not available centrally.

With effect from 1 January 2005, a new set of questions was added to the “Stats 19” injury road accident reporting system. Information about contributory factors should henceforth be supplied by all police forces for personal injury road accidents which are reported either (a) following attendance at the scene by a police officer or (b) by a member of the public to police staff at a police station. In due course, therefore, the statistical system will provide information about the contributory factors for personal injury accidents.