Chamber and committees

In my statement to Parliament on 27 September I outlined plans to electrify services in Central Scotland with initial priorities focussing on electrification of the Edinburgh to Glasgow route including routes to Stirling, Dunblane, Alloa and Cumbernauld. Feasibility work on these projects is underway.

Our High Level Output Specification, published in July 2007, outlined plans to electrify a number of other suburban routes and these will be progressed as resources become available.

The Edinburgh Winter Festivals are managed and delivered by City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) and in 2007-08 the Scottish Government contributed £67,500 funding towards the events programme.

We are currently in discussion with CEC about Scottish Government sponsorship of events in the 2008-09 programme.

I can confirm that the Scottish Government has opened discussions exploring the implications for Scotland of the national identity scheme, which includes plans for identity cards linked to a national identity register. The Scottish Government remains opposed to the introduction of compulsory identity cards, and the Parliament has voted against their use for accessing devolved services.

I refer the member to the letter sent on 10 June, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 45524).

I refer the member to the letter sent on 10 June 2008, a copy of which has been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 45525).

Since 2002 appointments to the office of judge have been made on the recommendation of the independent Judicial Appointments Board. The board’s remit includes considering ways of recruiting a judiciary which is as representative as possible of the community they serve.

The board has set up a Diversity Working Group to assist them in fulfilling this aspect of their remit. The group is tasked with gathering evidence in relation to diversity among the legal profession, and considering ways for increasing the proportion of people from under-represented groups who apply for judicial office, reportings its findings to the board. The Scottish Government is supporting the board in this work.

The Scottish Government is supporting the development of a diverse mix of renewable energy technologies through a range of initiatives. This includes providing capital grant support for wave and tidal energy, biomass and hydrogen fuel cells projects, and our proposed amendments to the Renewables Obligation (Scotland), which will provide additional support for a range of emerging technologies.

Under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, we are currently considering proposals for eight hydro power projects and one tidal energy project.

It is the practice of successive governments, reflected in the Scottish Ministerial Code and the provisions of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, that the fact and content of legal advice is not revealed.

The government is committed to involving children and young people in influencing policy and service delivery. We are taking forward a range of specific consultations designed for young people, working in partnership with the wider youth sector.

We are also encouraging local authorities to consult with children and young people as part of their wider community engagement on service delivery. Community Planning Partnerships have a statutory duty to engage with young people in their area.

Locally it is up to NHS health boards to engage their stakeholders. Our Better Health Better Care action plan will prompt fresh thinking on how we involve and engage with patients, including children and young people.

This is a matter for the Traffic Commissioner for the Scottish Traffic Area. The information requested is not held centrally. The Traffic Commissioner is the licensing authority for the bus industry in Scotland and applies the regulatory regime. Operators are legally required to register their local services with the Commissioner. The Traffic Commissioner can be contacted at: J Floor, Argyle House, 3 Lady Lawson Street, Edinburgh, EH3 9SE.