Chamber and committees

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-6924 on 5 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Under the concordatagreed between Scottish ministers and COSLA, funding for community safety and antisocialbehaviour will be absorbed into the main local government settlement from 1 April2008.

The Scottish Governmentwill be providing local government with record levels of funding over the periodcovered by the spending review 2008-11. The vast majority of the funding, includingfunding for community safety and antisocial behaviour will be provided by meansof a block grant. It is the responsibility of each local authority, in conjunctionwith their Community Planning Partners, to allocate funding on the basis of theirlocal needs and priorities – having first fulfilled their statutory obligationsand the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities, including the ScottishGovernment’s key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-6924 on 5 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

JP courts will beestablished in Grampian Highland and Islands when the existingdistrict courts come under the management of the Scottish Court Service. We expect this to happen in June 2008.

Business will be transferredfrom sheriff courts to JP and district courts during the first half of 2008, inline with the Crown Office’s revised marking guidance and the new power that thedistrict and JP courts will have to disqualify people from driving in cases otherthan “totting-up” cases. As in other areas of Scotland, there will be on-going communication between the Justices’ Training Committeeof Grampian Highland and Islands, the Crown Office and the Judicial StudiesCommittee to ensure that justices of the peace and legal advisers are properly equippedto deal with any new types of cases that are transferred to the JP or district courts.

We have no plansto increase the number of community wardens. For future years, funding forcommunity safety and antisocial behaviour will be included within the overalllocal government finance settlement. It will be the responsibility of eachlocal authority, in conjunction with their Community Planning Partners, toallocate funding on the basis of their local needs and priorities – taking intoaccount their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national andlocal priorities, including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectivesand manifesto commitments.

We will belooking at the role of community wardens and considering their potential futureuse as part of the current review of antisocial behaviour.

I replied to the memberon 26 November 2007.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-6929 on 29 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can befound at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-5268 on 29 October 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-6007 on 8 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The Directorate forPlanning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) has received two valid planning appealsfrom Tesco Stores Ltd against the failure to give decisions on applications forplanning permission by Glasgow City Council for retail development on land to thesouth of Beith Street, Glasgow. The appeals are in the early stage of processing and the public local inquiryis likely to take place in spring 2008. In keeping with the majority of appealsdetermined by DPEA, these appeals will be determined by a reporter from DPEA actingunder powers delegated by Scottish ministers.