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I must admit that when I saw the petition, my first thought was to send it back to the Public Petitions Committee and to make that point. It is not up to committees of the Parliament to tell councils how to spend money.
Although this is not a complex amendment, it raises an interesting point. Section 57 simply makes clear that it is competent for the Crown to dispose of property by ordinary disposition.
Those measures are all recommendations from the Sutherland report. I made this point last week, and I will make it again today: people who reduce the commission's report to a single recommendation which they then spin into a soundbite do the commission's work no service at all.
Although we will always consider such research and its policy implications, I should point out that we continue to fund the national telephone helpline which is run by Action on Elder Abuse and provides confidential support for anyone suffering abuse.
My friend from Aberdeen Central makes a very important point in a fortnight that has seen the loss of the Astra from Mallaig, the fire on the Be Ready from Lerwick, and—worst of all—the tragic loss of the Solway Harvester from Kirkcudbright.
That is the usual sort of whining complaint that we get from the nationalists. Bruce Crawford failed to point out that local authorities are budgeted to increase their expenditure on education by 8 per cent this year.
Stephen Imrie will discuss with Irene Oldfather whether there should be a report on that or whether it should be an agenda item.The clerk has pointed out that we overlooked an item.