Performing Arts

13 March 2008

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to support the performing arts in the regions of Scotland.

(Linda Fabiani): Funding for the performing arts in Scotland is disbursed by the Scottish Arts Council. Once I have set the overall budget, it is for the Scottish Arts Council to determine how it will be allocated to the various arts fields. The Scottish Government provides direct funding only to the national performing companies, which play their part in taking their art to the regions of Scotland. The Scottish Arts Council supports regional performing arts in a variety of ways, to ensure that high-quality arts can be produced, and enjoyed by audiences, throughout Scotland.

Richard Baker: Does the minister agree that it is vital not only to provide support for regional artistic events, such as the Aberdeen international youth festival, but to ensure that the right funding is invested in the regions of Scotland to ensure that people there can have similar access to artistic and cultural events as people in central Scotland? In Aberdeen, for example, there is a desire to see not only touring companies—including, we hope, more visits from Scottish Opera—but more local professional theatre.

Linda Fabiani: I apologise to the member, because I found it difficult to hear some of what he said. I think that it was about how the thriving arts scene in Aberdeen can be helped and supported. I am more than happy to write to him.

13 March 2008

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulances are in use by each NHS board area.

Nicola Sturgeon: The following table gives details of the number of ambulances in use during 2007-08. The information is provided in terms of Scottish Ambulance Service division areas and is not available broken down into NHS board areas.

Note: Information provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many ambulances are to be provided for each NHS board area during the current spending review period.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it will provide during the current spending review period to fund new ambulances and up-to-date mobile equipment to use on them, broken down by NHS board area.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government has provided the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) with a revenue allocation of £183.4 million for 2008-09, an increase of 3.15% over the equivalent 2007-08 allocation. Decisions on funding levels for 2009-10 and 2010-11 have yet to be made.

The SAS is allocated capital resources based on their approved financial plans. They have been given a capital allocation of £15.180 million for 2008-09 and notified of indicative capital allocations of £13.200 million and £12.350 million for 2009-10 and 2010-11 respectively. Funding for vehicles and equipment programmes over £5 million (such as defibrillators) are allocated in addition to basic allocations following approval of required business cases by the Capital Investment Group.

It is for the SAS to decide how best this money should be used to obtain the maximum benefits for patients all over Scotland, as well as ensuring value for money.

Richard Baker To ask the Scottish Executive how many 999 calls were responded to in (a) 2003, (b) 2004, (c) 2005, (d) 2006 and (e) 2007, broken down by NHS board area.

Nicola Sturgeon: The following table gives details of the number of 999 calls responded to by the Scottish Ambulance Service for the years 2003-04 to 2007-08, broken down by NHS board area. Category C calls are not included as many do not receive an emergency ambulance response.

Notes:

Information provided by the Scottish Ambulance Service

*To 9 March 2008.

#For the purposes of comparison, figures are shown reflecting NHS board configurations at the beginning of the time period enquired about.

~South West Division was not fully operation under priority based dispatch until 1 April 2004.

12 March 2008

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive when the last conviction was for underage drinking in Grampian.

Fergus Ewing: The information held centrally in the Scottish Government Court Proceedings Database is an historical snapshot rather than real-time information, and so information on the last conviction recorded is based on the latest year of data held (2005-06). The last person under the age of 18 with charge proved in this data, where the main offence related to underage drinking in Grampian police force area, had a sentence date of 27 February 2006. Offences included are buying excisable liquor or consuming in a bar, or for contraventions of bye-laws prohibiting the consumption of alcohol in designated places.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many convictions there have been for underage drinking in Grampian in the last five years.

Fergus Ewing: The available information from the Scottish Government Court Proceedings Database (for which the latest year available is 2005-06) is given in the following table.

Persons with a Charge Proved for Underage Drinking^1,2 in Grampian Police Force Area, 2001-02 to 2005-06

Notes:

1. Where main offence.

2. Includes persons aged under 18 with a charge proved for buying excisable liquor or consuming in a bar, or for contraventions of bye-laws prohibiting the consumption of alcohol in designated places.

11 March 2008

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5301 by Maureen Watt on 8 November 2007, whether it has changed its advice on the interpretation and use of the 60% occupancy figure which was referred to in the Accounts Commission’s 1995 report, Room for Learning – Managing Surplus Capacity in School Buildings.

Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government has never endorsed use of this specific figure as a trigger for consideration of a school’s future and notes the statement by the Chair of the Accounts Commission in a letter dated 24 January 2007 to the then Convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Education Committee that "at no time has the Accounts Commission or Audit Scotland said that occupancy levels alone should determine what councils do (in relation to a school’s future) or that an occupancy level of below 60% should automatically trigger a school’s closure." A copy of the letter is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 44922).

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many businesses in Grampian received a start-up grant from Scottish Enterprise in (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04, (c) 2004-05, (d) 2005-06 and (e) 2006-07.

Jim Mather: This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I will ask its chief executive to write to you in this regard.

Health

5 March 2008

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address health inequalities in Grampian.

Shona Robison: Better Health, Better Care confirms that it is a key Government priority to tackle health inequalities.

We are delivering the Keep Well programme, which anticipates preventable ill-health by strengthening and enhancing primary care services in the most deprived areas of Scotland, including parts of Aberdeen.

Well North, an extension of the Keep Well approach adapted to remote and rural areas, is being applied through six projects across the North of Scotland, including Dufftown.

The Ministerial Task Force is looking at the wider factors underlying health inequalities and will action these when it reports in May.

Occupational Therapy

5 March 2008

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many occupational therapists were registered in (a) Aberdeen City, (b) Aberdeenshire and (c) Angus in each year from 2002 to 2007.

Shona Robison: Using data supplied by the Health Professions Council (HPC), our best estimate (rounded to the nearest 10) for the number of occupational therapists who are registered and who are known to be working in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Angus in 2007 are as follows:

Aberdeen City - 130 occupational therapists

Aberdeenshire - 60 occupational therapists

Angus - 30 occupational therapists.

The HPC were unable to provide historical data for the years 2002 to 2006.

The above figures should be seen as estimates as the HPC have not recorded the workplace for all registered occupational therapists in Scotland. Therefore, the above figures could possibly be under-estimated.

Also, the above estimates are based on the postcode district (i.e. the first part of the postcode) of the registered occupational therapist’s workplace. As the same postcode district could be spread across more than one local authority area, occupational therapists have been assigned to the local authority that accounted for the highest number of individual postcodes within each postcode district.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage all individuals registered with a GP to undergo annual mental health check-ups.

Shona Robison: Alongside the clear care incentive the GP contract already provides financial encouragement for Practitioners to undertake mental health assessments for those who have a particular physical long term condition and have symptoms of, or are at risk, of developing, mental ill health.

Additional resources provided through the Scottish Enhanced Services Programme also helps support enhanced services to carers, with routine screening and monitoring of appropriate health and social care needs, including mental health.

Those not seen by their GP in the previous three years and those over 75 not seen in the preceding year can request a check up which if appropriate can explore mental health issues.

The new NHS dementia HEAT target effective from April this year has been specifically designed to promote and support early identification of dementia.

Concessionary Travel

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many pensioners held free bus passes in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Aberdeenshire and (c) Angus in (i) 2002, (ii) 2003, (iii) 2004, (iv) 2005, (v) 2006 and (vi) 2007.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (Thursday, February 21, 2008): Transport Scotland do not hold any information prior to April 2006 and we cannot guarantee the accuracy of any figures prior to that date. Information obtained from local authorities, who administered local concessionary travel schemes is as follows. The following table represents those people who qualified and received a card to access free bus travel.

NHS Hospitals

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many people admitted to NHS hospitals died from complications related to strokes in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004, (d) 2005, (e) 2006 and (f) 2007.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (Monday, February 18, 2008): Information on deaths from complications related to stroke is not available because it is not possible to establish, from centrally held data, the causal relationship between the original stroke and any subsequent, potential complication.

The numbers of deaths which occurred in NHS hospitals where stroke was recorded as the underlying cause of death were as follows:

Source: ISD analysis of General Register Office Scotland mortality data.

Health

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to raise awareness in Grampian of the symptoms and causes of strokes.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (Monday, February 18, 2008): The Stroke Managed Clinical Network (MCN) in NHS Grampian works with public health teams, service users and their carers to provide information on stroke at public events. It also promotes awareness of the risk factors which lead to strokes, and continues to work closely with Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS) to promote the Face, Arm, Speech Test (FAST) campaign, which has been developed to identify very quickly whether someone has had a stroke.

Apprenticeships

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for increasing the number of apprenticeships available for young people who leave school early in the north east.

Answered by Maureen Watt (Thursday, February 21, 2008): The Scottish Government has committed to the provision of at least 50,000 appropriate training opportunities over the next three years. This will include an increase in the total number of modern apprenticeships.

From April this year, the allocation of funding for the modern apprenticeships programme by geographical area will be an operational matter for Skills Development Scotland. It will be for Skills Development Scotland, who will assume responsibility for all our national training programmes, to determine all the delivery arrangements from next financial year.

Crime

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase spending on tackling organised crime in the north east.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (Thursday, February 21, 2008): We have established the serious organised crime taskforce to provide political support and momentum across Scotland to enforcement efforts to tackle the global problem of serious organised crime. However, operational decisions about tackling specific crimes, including the allocation of resources, are for chief constables and other law enforcement agencies. Scottish ministers will continue to support the police with record levels of funding and through the delivery of an additional 1,000 officers to strengthen operational policing in our communities.

Rail Services

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to tackle commuter congestion on peak time trains in the north east and across Scotland.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (Thursday, February 21, 2008): In addition to improving journey times, through infrastructure enhancements and timetable changes, we are investing in new services and we are enhancing rolling stock to provide increased capacity for passengers.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-9161 on 21 February 2008. A rolling stock programme identifying and responding to rolling stock needs to deliver Transport Scotland's priorities for rail is being developed.

Road Safety

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to provide extra carriages for peak time train travel across Scotland.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (Thursday, February 21, 2008): A rolling stock programme identifying and responding to rolling stock needs to deliver Transport Scotland's priorities for rail is being developed.

Health

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many people died from heart disease in NHS Grampian hospitals in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004, (d) 2005, (e) 2006 and (f) 2007.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (Monday, February 11, 2008): The information requested is shown in the following table. Figures for 2007 will not be available until August 2008.

Deaths from Heart Disease¹ in NHS Grampian Hospitals, Deaths Registered 2002-06

Source: General Register Office for Scotland.

Notes:

1. ICD10 codes I05-I52 excluding I10-I15.

2. ICD10 codes I05-I09.

3. ICD10 codes I20-I25.

4. ICD10 codes I26-I28.

5. ICD10 codes I30-I52.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many people died from lung cancer in NHS Grampian hospitals in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004, (d) 2005, (e) 2006 and (f) 2007.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (Monday, February 11, 2008): The number of people who died from lung cancer in NHS Grampian hospitals registered during the period 2002-06 are in the following table. Data for 2007 is not yet available.

Source: General Register for Scotland.

Cancer

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the NHS Grampian area were screened for bowel cancer in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004, (d) 2005, (e) 2006 and (f) 2007.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (Monday, February 04, 2008): Information regarding the national bowel screening programme is available at:

Implementation of the national bowel screening programme commenced in May 2007 and will be rolled out across all NHS boards by 2009-10. Data is not yet available for the national programme.

Up until April 2007, NHS Grampian was one of the pilot sites for bowel screening and was one of the first to join the programme in May 2007.

Information regarding how many patients were invited for screening is available for NHS Grampian, table

1. The uptake of screening in the Grampian area for the pilot was approximately 55%.

Table 1: Numbers of People Invited for Bowel Cancer Screening in Grampian 2002-06

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the NHS Grampian area died from bowel cancer in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004, (d) 2005, (e) 2006 and (f) 2007.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (Tuesday, February 05, 2008): Data on the number of deaths from bowel (colorectal) cancers are available by NHS board and year (1980-2006) on the Information Services Division website at:

The latest year for which mortality data are available is 2006.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people in the NHS Grampian area diagnosed with bowel cancer from 2002 to 2007 were under the age of 50.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (Monday, February 04, 2008): Information on the percentage of people in the NHS Grampian area diagnosed with bowel cancer from 2002 to 2007 under the age of 50 is shown in the following table:

Table 1: The Percentage and Number of Cases of People Under the Age of 50 Diagnosed with Bowel (Colorectal) Cancer

The latest year for which cancer registration data are complete is 2004.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the NHS Grampian area were diagnosed with bowel cancer in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004, (d) 2005, (e) 2006 and (f) 2007.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (Monday, February 04, 2008): Data on the number of people diagnosed with bowel (colorectal) cancer are available by NHS board and year (1980-2004) on the Information Services Division website at:

The latest year for which cancer registration data are complete is 2004.

Education

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many pupils at (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each local authority were suspended or expelled for bringing a class A, B or C drug into a school building in (i) 2002-03, (ii) 2003-04, (iii) 2004-05, (iv) 2005-06 and (v) 2006-07.

Answered by Maureen Watt (Friday, February 01, 2008): This information is not held centrally.

Information on the number and type of incidents which led to school exclusion in each year requested is available from:

2002-03: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/02/18912/33196.

2003-04: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/02/20735/53114.

2005-06: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/01/30100624/0.

2006-07: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00623.

Justice

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people were found to have carried a knife in Grampian in the last five years.

Answered by Fergus Ewing (Monday, February 04, 2008): This information is not held centrally. The police recorded crime statistics collected centrally are based on an aggregate return, and do not distinguish the circumstances of the crime, such as the age of the offender.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people were found to have carried an offensive weapon in Grampian in the last five years.

Answered by Fergus Ewing (Monday, February 04, 2008): This information is not held centrally. The police recorded crime statistics collected centrally are based on an aggregate return, and do not distinguish the circumstances of the crime, such as the age of the offender.

Drug Misuse

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many criminals involved in drug dealing were caught, convicted and sentenced during (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004, (d) 2005, (e) 2006 and (f) 2007, broken down by police authority.

Answered by Fergus Ewing (Tuesday, February 05, 2008): The available information is given in the tables for the years for which data is available. The statistics dealing with recorded crime and court proceedings are not directly comparable for a number of reasons. A single crime or offence recorded by the police may have more than one perpetrator, or alternatively, an individual may be convicted of several cases of the same crime. There is the possibility that the crime or offence recorded by the police may be altered in the course of judicial proceedings, while a crime or offence may be recorded by the police in one year and court proceedings not concluded until a later year. Crimes and offences alleged to have been committed by children under 16 years old are also generally dealt with through the children’s hearings system rather than through the courts.

Offences Recorded by Police for Supply or Possession with Intent to Supply Drugs by Police Force Area, 2002-03 to 2006-07

Persons Proceeded Against for Supply or Possession with Intent to Supply Drugs¹ by Police Force Area, 2002-03 to 2005-06

Note: 1. Where main offence.

Persons with a Charge Proved for Supply, Possession with Intent to Supply Drugs¹ by Police Force Area, 2002-03 to 2005-06

Note: 1. Where main offence.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how much (a) heroin, (b) cocaine and (c) cannabis has been seized in each year since 2002, expressed in pounds (i) weight and (ii) sterling, also broken down by community justice authority area.

Answered by Fergus Ewing (Tuesday, February 05, 2008): The information requested on quantities seized of various illegal drugs from 1995-96 to 2005-06, is given in tables 5, 7, 15 and 17 of "Drug Seizures by Scottish Police Forces, 2004-005 and 2005-2006" published by the Scottish Government in January 2007, copies of which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 42386).

Please note that the information on quantities of drugs seized is presented in kg and not in pounds, and that figures can only be broken down geographically to police force area level.

Data on the value of seizures is not held centrally.

Justice

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many knives were confiscated by each police force in (a) 2002-03, (b) 2003-04, (c) 2004-05, (d) 2005-06 and (e) 2006-07.

Answered by Fergus Ewing (Monday, February 04, 2008): This information is not held centrally. The number of knives seized by police forces through initiatives carried out as part of the Safer Scotland Anti Violence Campaign 2006-07 are shown in the table below.

Number of Knives Seized, by Police Force, 2006-07

Figures from the 2006-07 Safer Scotland anti-violence campaign.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many pupils at (a) primary and (b) secondary schools were suspended or expelled for bringing knives into school buildings in (i) 2002-03, (ii) 2003-04, (iii) 2004-05, (iv) 2005-06 and (v) 2006-07, broken down by local authority.

Answered by Maureen Watt (Wednesday, February 06, 2008): This information is not held centrally.

Information on the number and type of incidents which led to school exclusion in each year requested is available from:

2002-03: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/02/18912/33196.

2004-05: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/01/30144545/0.

2006-07: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00623.

Mental Health

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it intends to allocate for delivering mental health services in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Aberdeenshire and (c) Angus during the period of the spending review.

Answered by Shona Robison (Monday, February 04, 2008): The Scottish Government will be providing the NHS and local government in Scotland with record levels of funding over the period covered by the spending review 2008-11.

For the NHS in Scotland, all NHS boards receive an annual allocation of funds, which will be announced shortly. It is for each NHS board to decide how best to utilise these funds to meet the health care needs of its resident population, including mental health services, taking account of national and local priorities.

The record funding included within the draft Scottish Government Budget will ensure continuity of approach and investment on mental health and other priorities by all NHS boards, local authorities and other partners and will support the delivery of the now four HEAT targets for NHS Scotland including the focus on early detection and support for those with dementia and for their families.

For local government, the vast majority of the funding, including the funding for mental health services, will be provided by means of a block grant. It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments.

Domestic Abuse

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of domestic violence were reported to Grampian Police in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004, (d) 2005, (e) 2006 and (f) 2007.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (Tuesday, January 29, 2008): The available information is given in the following table.

Incidents of Domestic Abuse Recorded by the Police in Grampian, 2001-02 to 2006-07

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in (a) Aberdeen, (b) Grampian and (c) Angus were convicted on charges related to domestic violence in (i) 2002, (ii) 2003, (iii) 2004, (iv) 2005, (v) 2006 and (vi) 2007.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (Tuesday, January 29, 2008): In 2005-06 in Aberdeen, Grampian and Angus areas there were 18, 39 and 73 persons respectively, with a charge proved in Scottish courts where a domestic abuse aggravator has been recorded. Figures in Aberdeen and Angus are presented on an approximate local authority basis, while Grampian figures are presented on a police force basis. 2005-06 is the first year where it has been considered that the use and recording of domestic abuse aggravator codes from the Scottish Government Court Proceedings Database has been of sufficient coverage to be used.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many children and young people were admitted to hospital in Grampian as a result of domestic violence in (a) 2002, (b) 2003, (c) 2004, (d) 2005, (e) 2006 and (f) 2007.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (Friday, January 25, 2008): The requested information is not centrally available.

There is no specific diagnosis for domestic violence as coded by International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (10th Revision).

Alcohol Misuse

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many underage teenagers were arrested in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Grampian for committing acts of alcohol-related violence from 2003 to 2007.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (Tuesday, January 29, 2008): Information on the number of arrests made by the police is not held centrally, only the number of crimes recorded. Furthermore, no information on whether or not particular crimes or incidents are "alcohol-related" is held centrally.

Licensing

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) shop owners with an off-licence and (b) licensed drinking establishments in each local authority area were prosecuted from 2003 to 2007 for selling alcohol to underage teenagers.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (Tuesday, January 29, 2008): The information requested is given in the table below. The data held centrally cannot be broken down by shop owners and licensed drinking establishments. The latest year for which data is available is 2005-06

Persons Proceeded Against in Scottish Courts for Selling Alcohol to Person Aged Under 18^1,2, by Approximate Local Authority Area³, 2003-04 to 2005-06

Notes:

1. Where main offence.

2. Includes the offences of sale of drink to person under 18 and wholesaler selling liquor to person under 18.

3. Incorporates an approximate mapping of sheriff courts into local authority areas. Some sheriff courts will deal with cases from more than one local authority area. Some local authority areas, including East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Midlothian and North Ayrshire, do not contain a sheriff court.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) shop owners with an off-licence and (b) licensed drinking establishments in Grampian were prosecuted from 2003 to 2007 for selling alcohol to underage teenagers.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (Tuesday, January 29, 2008): In Grampian police force area for the years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 (the latest year for which data is available), four, nil, and three persons respectively were proceeded against in Scottish courts for selling alcohol to persons aged under 18 (includes the offences of sale of drink to person under 18 and wholesaler selling liquor to person under 18). A breakdown of these figures by shop owners and licensed drinking establishments is not available from the data held centrally.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many licences issued to pubs and clubs were revoked by Aberdeen City Licensing Board in (a) 2003, (b) 2004, (c) 2005, (d) 2006 and (e) 2007.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (Thursday, January 24, 2008): Licensing boards have no powers to revoke a licence under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 1976, they do, however, have powers to suspend a licence. The following table gives the number of suspensions of public house and entertainment licences by Aberdeen City Licensing Boards during 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.

No exact figure can be given for nightclubs as they are usually licensed through entertainment licences and this category also includes other premises where the sale of alcohol is ancillary to their main activity. Registered clubs restricted to members and their guests are presently licensed through the sheriff court.

Licensing

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many licences were granted by Aberdeen City Licensing Board to pubs and clubs in (a) 2003, (b) 2004, (c) 2005, (d) 2006 and (e) 2007.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (Thursday, January 24, 2008): The information is not available in the format requested, however, the number of applications for an On Sales licence received by Aberdeen City Licensing Board during 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006 is given in the following table.

On Sales licence covers hotels, restricted hotels (where a bar counter is not permitted), public houses, restaurants, entertainment venues and cafes. Night clubs are licensed as entertainment venues.

Crime

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Grampian were victims of (i) manslaughter or (ii) murder caused by alcohol-related violence from 2003 to 2007.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (Wednesday, January 30, 2008): The crime of Manslaughter exists under English law and in other jurisdictions but is not a crime known to the law of Scotland. The nearest similar crime under Scots Law is that of Culpable Homicide. Figures for culpable homicide have therefore been used in this answer.

The information requested is contained in the following tables:

Number of Victims of Homicide^1, by Drink/Drug Status of Accused at the Time of the Crime

Note: 1. Recorded as homicide as at 19 November 2007.

Alcohol Misuse

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many people convicted of alcohol-related offences in (a) Aberdeen and (b) Grampian from 2003 to 2007 received an antisocial behaviour order or were sentenced to (i) a prison sentence of six months or less, (ii) a prison sentence of more than six months, (iii) another custodial sentence or (iv) community service.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (Tuesday, January 29, 2008): The available information is given in the table below. Civil antisocial behaviour orders cannot be broken down to the level of detail asked for.

Persons with a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts for Alcohol-Related Offences^1,2, in Grampian Police Force Area or Aberdeen Approximate Local Authority Area³, 2003-04 to 2005-06

Notes:

1. Where main offence.

2. Includes drunkenness offences, offences by licensed persons, other offences against liquor licensing laws, drunk whilst riding a bicycle and drunk/drug-driving offences.

3. Incorporates an approximate mapping of sheriff courts into local authority areas. Some sheriff courts will deal with cases from more than one local authority area.

Rail Services

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to encourage people to use the rail network for commuting to work.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (Wednesday, January 30, 2008): We are improving journey times, we are investing in new services, we are enhancing rolling stock and, in the last year, we have provided funding for more than 250 extra parking spaces at rail stations.

Rail Network

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how much it would cost to electrify the Aberdeen to Edinburgh rail line.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (Monday, January 28, 2008): We expect electrification options, including cost, to emerge from the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR). The review will deliver its findings to the Scottish ministers in the summer of 2008.

Roads

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what its latest cost estimates are to fund the building of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route and what percentage of its financing would come from (a) public, (b) private and (c) commercial sources through the Scottish Futures Trust.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (Monday, January 28, 2008): We are making provision for the preferred route of between £295 million and £395 million at outturn cost in 2012. This is based on the risks currently identified but we will continue to monitor this in light of prevailing tender prices for roads contracts. The project will be examined for its suitability for taking forward under the proposed Scottish Futures Trust to ensure that it delivers value for money for the Scottish Taxpayer.

Scottish Futures Trust

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Futures Trust will be fully operational.

Answered by John Swinney (Tuesday, January 22, 2008): The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) is our alternative funding mechanism to the "standard PFI" and will deliver better, more efficient infrastructure for taxpayers. A consultation paper on SFT was launched in December 2007 and this can be accessed at:

Work on the development of SFT is continuing and making good progress.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of a project funded by the Scottish Futures Trust would be funded by (a) public, (b) private and (c) commercial finance.

Rail Network

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it submitted to the Office of Rail Regulation in respect of the electrification of the rail line from Aberdeen to Edinburgh.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (Monday, January 28, 2008): Our High Level Output Specification (HLOS), published in July 2007, outlined outputs we expect Network Rail to deliver or prepare to deliver between 2009-14. The HLOS (tier 3) provides for infrastructure enhancements such as those which would reduce journey times between Aberdeen and the central belt. Our long-term desire is to see all Scotland’s rail network electrified.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive when the Office of Rail Regulation will report back to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth on the proposal to electrify the rail line from Aberdeen to Edinburgh.

We do not expect the Office of Rail Regulation to report back to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth on the electrification of the rail line between Aberdeen and Edinburgh, as it would be for Transport Scotland with industry partners to lead on the development of rail projects.

Crime

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals who committed vandalism-related offences received community service orders in Grampian during (a) 2003, (b) 2004, (c) 2005, (d) 2006 and (e) 2007.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (Monday, January 21, 2008): In Grampian police force area for the years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 (the latest year for which data is available) six, eight and 10 persons respectively received community service orders for vandalism related offences. Vandalism related offences covers offences of vandalism, reckless damage and malicious mischief.

Justice

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many vandalism-related arrests were made by Grampian Police from 2003 to 2007 and, of these, how many were of individuals aged from (a) 10 to 15, (b) 16 to 18, (c) 18 to 25 and (d) over 25.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (Friday, January 25, 2008): Information on the number of arrests made by the police is not held centrally, only the number of crimes recorded. Statistics on the number of crimes of vandalism recorded in the Grampian Police Force Area, 2003-04 to 2007-08, are available in the answer given to parliamentary question S3W-8319. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of restoring vandalised public sector property in Grampian during (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2006-07 and (e) 2007-08.

Answered by Fergus Ewing (Friday, January 18, 2008): We do not maintain information permitting a full answer to this question. We have no information relating to buildings other than Scottish Government buildings and no records are kept which would enable us to readily discriminate any historical costs related to vandalism from other maintenance costs for Scottish Government buildings.

However, officials are unaware of any substantial items of expenditure in the period to restore vandalised core Scottish Government buildings in Grampian.

Crime

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many incidents of vandalism were reported to Grampian Police during (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2006-07 and (e) 2007-08.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (Monday, January 21, 2008): The available information is given in the following table.

Crimes of Vandalism Recorded in the Grampian Police Force Area, 2003-04 to 2007-08.

For the purpose of this analysis, vandalism has been defined as vandalism, reckless damage and malicious mischief.

Antisocial Behaviour

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued in Aberdeenshire during (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2006-07 and (e) 2007-08.

Answered by Fergus Ewing (Thursday, January 17, 2008): According to research on the use of civil antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) undertaken by DTZ Pieda and Heriot-Watt University, no ASBO were issued in Aberdeenshire in 2003-04 and 2004-05 and five were issued in 2005-06.

Since this research has now reported, figures on the use of ASBOs for subsequent years are obtained directly from Aberdeenshire Council. According to their records there were five ASBOs issued in 2006-07 and one issued from April to September 2007.

These figures include interim ASBOs that were later granted as full ASBOs (as well as those that were still in force as interim ASBOs at the end of the reporting period).

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued in Aberdeen city during (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2006-07 and (e) 2007-08.

Answered by Fergus Ewing (Tuesday, January 22, 2008): According to research on the use of civil antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) undertaken by DTZ Pieda and Heriot-Watt University, 13 ASBOs were issued in Aberdeen City in 2003-04, 14 in 2004-05 and 11 in 2005-06.

Since this research has now reported, figures on the use of ASBOs for subsequent years are obtained directly from Aberdeen City. According to their records there were 14 ASBOs issued in 2006-07 and 21 issued from April to September 2007.

These figures include interim ASBOs that were later granted as full ASBOs (as well as those that were still in force as interim ASBOs at the end of the reporting period).

Transport

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive when it will report on its findings in respect of the contents of the Nestrans transport strategy.

Answered by John Swinney (Tuesday, January 22, 2008): Scottish ministers will consider the Nestrans regional transport strategy following receipt of a revised draft requested recently.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change has yet received the STAG 2 report on the Aberdeen Crossrail project which was due at the end of summer 2007 and, if not, what the reasons are for the delay.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change expects to receive the STAG 2 report on the Aberdeen Crossrail project which was due at the end of summer 2007.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (Thursday, January 24, 2008): Transport Scotland officials have been involved in discussions with NESTRANS on the emerging conclusions from the STAG 2 report on the Aberdeen Crossrail project which has been received in draft format only. As a result of this dialogue, it was jointly agreed that NESTRANS should give further examination to the passenger benefits which could be achieved from the existing infrastructure. Alternative proposals have been identified and submitted to Transport Scotland. These are currently being assessed to identify which meet our strategic priorities and best meet the needs of rail users in the Aberdeen area whilst at the same time offering best value.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will conduct a consultation on the proposed Aberdeen Crossrail project and, if so, when it anticipates that such a consultation will take place.

Rail Network

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding in the spending review will be allocated to developing rail projects in Grampian.

Transport

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding in the spending review will be allocated to developing transport projects in Grampian.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (Thursday, January 17, 2008): The spending plans set out in the Scottish Budget have not yet been approved by the Scottish Parliament. The draft Scottish Budget proposes the overall funding allocated for transport, but this has not been broken down for each local authority area.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive when it will move from assessing proposals for Aberdeen Crossrail to construction of the project and what timescale it anticipates for the construction.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change will next meet Nestrans to discuss the Aberdeen Crossrail project.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (Thursday, January 24, 2008): I have no plans to meet NESTRANS. However Transport Scotland officials have been involved in discussions with NESTRANS on the emerging conclusions from the STAG 2 report.

Drug Misuse

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what its targets are for the new drug treatment and testing orders model pilot in the Lothian and Borders Community Justice Authority area and, if the pilot shows signs of early success, whether it will roll out the scheme across Scotland earlier than the proposed timescale.

Answered by Fergus Ewing (Friday, January 18, 2008): In relation to the issue of targets, I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-7252 on 13 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

The Scottish Government will await the completion of the pilot in Lothian and Borders Community Justice Authority before taking a decision on further roll-out of the scheme.

Higher Education

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to lift the cap on student numbers in higher education.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (Monday, January 21, 2008): There are currently no plans to lift the cap on student numbers in higher education. The Scottish Government is satisfied that opportunities to enter higher education in Scotland exist for all suitably qualified Scottish applicants.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive, following the meeting between the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning and university principals on 22 November 2007, what level of funding may be made available to universities for revenue expenditure in addition to the settlement announced for the sector in the spending review.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (3 December 2007): As the joint statement between the Scottish Government and Universities Scotland issued on 22 November 2007 made clear, the Cabinet will consider the possibilities for additional funding from in-year flexibility and potential consequentials as and when the opportunity to do so arises in the years ahead. Those opportunities will determine what level of funding may be made available.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive, following the meeting between the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning and university principals on 22 November 2007, what the earliest date is by which additional funding might be made available to universities for revenue expenditure beyond the settlement announced for the sector in the spending review.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (3 December 2007): As the joint statement between the Scottish Government and Universities Scotland issued on 22 November 2007 made clear, the Cabinet will consider the possibilities for additional funding from in-year flexibility and potential consequentials as and when the opportunity to do so arises in the years ahead.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what new funding arrangements have been agreed with universities for the 2008-11 spending review period following the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning’s meeting with university principals on 22 November 2007.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (3 December 2007): I held a very constructive meeting with Universities Scotland on 22 November 2007 covering a range of issues. I stated clearly to Universities Scotland that the Cabinet remains sympathetic to the sector in terms of additional funding from in-year flexibility for capital and potential consequentials in the years ahead. I am sympathetic on the issue of the specific cost pressures universities face in the first year of the settlement and I am willing to work creatively with the sector and the Funding Council on addressing this matter. Universities Scotland have committed to providing more detailed information to the Scottish Government on this issue so that it can be considered further.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what the budget will be for the review of student support and graduate debt proposals.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (3 December 2007): We plan to issue a consultation paper seeking the views of stakeholders about our policy to replace the current system of student loans with a fair and affordable system of means-tested grants. As part of this process we will also seek the views of stakeholders on measures to tackle graduate debt.

The costs for the consultation on student support and graduate debt proposals will be met within existing divisional running costs.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whom it will consult on the review of student support and graduate debt proposals.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (3 December 2007): We plan to issue a consultation paper seeking the views of stakeholders about our policy to replace the current system of student loans with a fair and affordable system of means-tested grants. As part of this process we will also seek the views of stakeholders on measures to tackle graduate debt.

This consultation exercise will seek responses from those stakeholders who represent students, staff and institutions. We will also look for responses from other groups and bodies with an interest in Higher Education.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how it will conduct the review of student support and graduate debt proposals.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (3 December 2007: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-6528 on 3 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale will be for the review of student support and graduate debt proposals.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (3 December 2007): I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-6527 on 3 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what the full remit will be of the review of student support and graduate debt proposals.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (3 December 2007): We plan to issue a consultation paper seeking the views of stakeholders about our policy to replace the current system of student loans with a fair and affordable system of means-tested grants. As part of this process we will also seek the views of stakeholders on measures to tackle graduate debt. We currently have no plans to extend the remit of the consultation any further.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive why the review of student support and graduate debt proposals will not begin until next year.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (3 December 2007): We plan to issue a consultation paper seeking the views of stakeholders about our policy to replace the current system of student loans with a fair and affordable system of means-tested grants. As part of this process we will also seek the views of stakeholders on measures to tackle graduate debt.

Consulting next year will allow time to consider the responses before beginning the second part of the phased introduction of grants in 2010-11 and to consider possible options for servicing debt in the next spending review. The first part of the phased introduction will provide new support for part-time students studying Higher Education.

The precise timings of the consultation are still being finalised, but it will be announced on the Scottish Government website in line with normal consultation practice.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation it carried out before deciding there should be a review on student support and graduate debt proposals to start in 2008.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (3 December 2007): The Scottish Government did not conduct a formal consultation on whether or not there should be a review. Instead we plan to issue a consultation paper seeking the views of stakeholders about our policy to replace the current system of student loans with a fair and affordable system of means-tested grants. As part of this process we will also seek the views of stakeholders on measures to tackle graduate debt.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how not providing the additional funding for universities requested by Universities Scotland matches the Executive’s statement about the importance of learning and skills in The Government Economic Strategy, published on 13 November 2007.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (3 December 2007): The Government has provided a settlement which is affordable within considerable financial constraints and which grows investment in our universities over the Spending Review period. This will allow institutions to continue to make a significant contribution to Scotland’s economic infrastructure.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations it engaged in prior to is decision not to award universities the level of additional funding that they requested in the strategic spending review.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (3 December 2007): In the lead up to the strategic spending review the Government held meetings with a number of bodies including the Scottish Funding Council, Universities Scotland and the University and College Union. Meetings were also held with principals and senior staff from a number of universities. University funding was covered at these meetings within a wider range of topics. The Government also carefully considered spending review advice from the Scottish Funding Council and stakeholder bodies.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive which organisations it consulted prior to making its decision not to service the existing loan debt of Scotland-domiciled graduates by meeting their annual loan repayments as long as they are resident in Scotland.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (3 December 2007): The Scottish Government did not conduct a formal consultation prior to making its decision not to bring forward proposals for servicing the existing student loan debt in the spending review period. This decision was made in light of there being insufficient parliamentary support and choices which had to be made within the context of the tightest budget settlement since devolution.

We plan to take forward a consultation next year to seek the views of stakeholders on measures to tackle graduate debt.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive when it will next increase the Young Students Bursary and by how much.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (29 November 2007): The Scottish Budget announced that an additional £30 million is to be invested in 2010-11 to increase bursary support and to progress the move from loans to grants.

The Scottish Government will consider how best to use this money as part of the consultation next year. This could include adding an element of new funding to the Young Students Bursary, but that decision will be influenced by the results of the consultation exercise.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been made available through the strategic spending review to invest in specific projects to widen access to further and higher education.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (28 November 2007): The government will work closely with the funding council and institutions in the months ahead to decide how the £5.24 billion allocated to further and higher education over the spending review period can be most effectively used. Decisions on investment in specific projects to widen access to further and higher education remain the responsibility of the Scottish Funding Council.

The government has made specific an additional investment of £38 million over the Spending Review period to support part-time students. This support will enable students who face very specific cost related barriers to higher education to embark on their studies. This is very much in line with the government’s policy to ensure that participation in higher education is based on the ability to succeed rather than the ability to pay.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consult students and student organisations on their reactions to its decision not to proceed with the pledge to service the existing loan debt for Scotland-domiciled graduates by meeting their annual loan repayments as long as they are resident in Scotland.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (28 November 2007): We plan to conduct a consultation next year to seek the views of stakeholders, including students and student organisations, on measures to tackle graduate debt.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it prepared detailed proposals to service the existing loan debt of Scotland-domiciled graduates by meeting their annual loan repayments as long as they are resident in Scotland.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (28 November 2007): The Scottish Government has not prepared detailed proposals but is currently examining options for servicing this loan debt.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for (a) maintaining existing and (b) building new sports facilities in the Grampian area to accommodate teams that use the area as a training base leading up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.


Answered by Stewart Maxwell (27 November 2007): It is a statutory responsibility for local authorities to provide adequate sports facilities for its residents including on-going maintenance and repair. Our National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy aims to provide world class training and competition facilities across Scotland. Aberdeen will receive £7 million from this programme for the development of the Chris Anderson Stadium.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what the funding for Scottish universities is relative to that of universities in England as a result of Scottish Budget: Spending Review 2007.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (26 November 2007): The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills has not yet published specific spending plans for universities over the period of the 2007 spending review.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation was carried out with trade unions prior to its decision not to provide the additional funding for universities requested by Universities Scotland.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (26 November 2007): In the lead up to the strategic spending review the government held meetings with the University and College Union and the Scottish TUC. University funding was covered at these meetings within a wider range of topics. The government also carefully considered spending review advice from the University and College Union.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has conducted any research on how not providing the additional funding for universities requested by Universities Scotland may affect commercialisation of research.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (26 November 2007): No such research has been conducted. The allocation of funding for universities is a matter for the Scottish Funding Council. We will work closely with the Scottish Funding Council and the universities over the coming months to determine how our investment in higher education can be used most effectively across the full range of our priorities.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has conducted any research on how not providing the additional funding for universities requested by Universities Scotland may affect the performance of Scottish universities in the Research Assessment Exercise.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (26 November 2007): No such research has been conducted. The performance of Scottish universities in the current Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) will not be affected as the research activity which underpins RAE 2008 submissions will be completed before the start of the next Spending Review period.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Grampian Institute for Sport will receive additional funding and technical support for developing world-class athletes in the north east.

Answered by Stewart Maxwell (26 November 2007): It will be the responsibility of sportscotland to determine if additional funding and technical support is required.

However it should be noted that the review of sportscotland currently underway involves examining whether sportscotland’s current functions continue to be necessary and, if so, which organisational arrangements are most effective in delivering them. The review will also inform decisions regarding the future of sportscotland and the roles of the Scottish Institute of Sport and the Area Institutes.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will conduct a consultation on the provision of competitive sport in schools.

Answered by Maureen Watt (22 November 2007): The importance of sport within and around the school day needs to be considered in the context of the outcome agreements between the Scottish Government and each local authority.

We will continue to work with local government, through COSLA, to develop policy in areas where local government has a key interest. In terms of sport in schools, we plan to work closely with our local government partners and the Association of Directors of Education (Scotland) to examine good practice and identify barriers with a view to overcoming them.

As part of their contribution to the new relationship, the Scottish Government and local government will each do what is required to ensure delivery of key government policies and programmes, including improving the learning experience for children and young people by developing and delivering Curriculum for Excellence.

The draft outcomes and experiences being written as part of the curriculum review, together with a new framework for curriculum design, will provide a description of broad expectations of what a young person should experience throughout their schooling. The health and wellbeing area of the curriculum is likely to include draft outcomes and experiences that may be met through sporting activity. These are expected to be released for engagement with teachers and others before the end of the current school year.

The school curriculum in Scotland is not prescribed by legislation. It is for individual authorities and schools to decide the best way of achieving those outcomes.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to publish a timetable for delivery of the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Answered by Stewart Maxwell (21 November 2007): Information on key dates for the delivery of the games are set out in the Glasgow 2014 Candidate City File which can be found at:

Further information on how we intend to deliver a lasting legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games will be published for consultation within the first 100 days of winning the bid.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will conduct a consultation to ensure that the delivery of the 2014 Commonwealth Games will benefit all local authorities in Scotland.

Answered by Stewart Maxwell (21 November 2007): Within the first 100 days, we will consult on an outline plan of how we intend to secure a lasting legacy for everyone in Scotland from the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what legacy the 2014 Commonwealth Games will leave for the Grampian area.

Answered by Stewart Maxwell (21 November 2007): The Scottish Government has a very clear commitment to ensuring that the whole of Scotland benefits from the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

We will work with relevant agencies and local authorities to ensure that, Scottish businesses are well-placed to bid for contracts arising from the games, that visitors to the games are encouraged to travel to other parts of the country, and that youngsters everywhere are inspired to take up sport.

Further information on how we intend to deliver a lasting legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games will be published for consultation within the first 100 days of winning the bid.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to encourage competing nations to use the north east as a training base in the lead-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Answered by Stewart Maxwell (21 November 2007): The Scottish Government would like as many teams as possible to base a training camp in Scotland prior to the 2014 Commonwealth Games. We will build on work already being done to ensure as many Scottish facilities as possible, including facilities in the north east, are used as training camps in the lead up to the London 2012 Games. Further information on how we intend to ensure that all parts of Scotland benefit from the Commonwealth Games will be published for consultation within the first 100 days of winning the bid.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what additional investment it will provide for the development of sport in the north east in the years leading up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Answered by Stewart Maxwell (21 November 2007): It is not possible to identify additional investment in sport to the north east of Scotland at this time.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will work with Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeenshire Council to promote proposals for a regional sports centre and Olympic-standard swimming pool in Aberdeen to encourage international teams competing in the Olympic and Commonwealth games to use Aberdeen as a training base.

Answered by Stewart Maxwell (21 November 2007): Work is currently underway on the construction of the Chris Anderson Stadium multi-sport facility which will be suitable for hosting national and regional sporting events as well as providing a range of quality sporting facilities which will be available to local athletes and international teams.

Our investment of £7 million in the development of this facility is a clear demonstration of our commitment to the provision of quality sports facilities across Scotland.

The Scottish Government does not oppose the proposal to build an Olympic-standard 50m swimming pool in Aberdeen which is suitable for use by the community, high-performance training, hosting national and regional events or use as a training base. We continue to recognise the need for a 50 metre pool in the north east of Scotland, however, the proposal that is currently being proposed by Aberdeen City Council is not affordable.

It is important that Aberdeen and its partners put together a bid that recognises the current maximum award levels available for a proposal of this nature.

Any proposal produced by Aberdeen must be affordable and this is why I am currently encouraging the council to work with sportscotland to develop a project that is more cost effective and deliverable.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in constructing a north-east regional sports centre in Aberdeen with a view to it being available to be used by international teams as a training base before the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2012 Olympic Games.

Answered by Stewart Maxwell (21 November 2007): Work is currently underway on the construction of the Chris Anderson Stadium multi-sport facility which will be suitable for use by both local and international athletes and teams.

Our investment of £7 million in the development of this facility is a clear demonstration of our commitment to the provision of quality sports facilities across Scotland.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in constructing a north-east regional sports centre in Aberdeen with a view to it being available to be used by local athletes before the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2012 Olympic Games.

Answered by Stewart Maxwell (21 November 2007): Work is currently underway on the construction of the Chris Anderson Stadium multi sport facility which will be suitable for use by both local and international athletes and teams.

Our investment of £7 million in the development of this facility is a clear demonstration of our commitment to the provision of quality sports facilities across Scotland.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what its targets are for increasing participation rates for sport in schools, colleges, universities and the community in the lead-up to the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (20 November 2007): This government is committed not only to ensuring that the games in 2014 are the best sporting event that this country has ever seen, but also that the games are used as a catalyst for social change. We have an unrivalled opportunity to really use the power of sport to inspire people of all ages, but particularly our children to lead active and healthy lives.

We will be developing an outline plan over the next 100 days on how we intend to secure that as part of a lasting legacy for everyone in Scotland from these games.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will investigate the policy of First Scotrail that young persons railcards are not valid between 6.00 am and 9.15 am from Monday to Friday.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (20 November 2007): The Young Persons Railcard is a Great Britain-wide discounted ticketing scheme operated by the Association of Train Operating Companies (ATOC) on behalf of all train operating companies. The product is one of a series of discount schemes provided by the previous nationalised rail industry that was protected at the time of privatisation. First ScotRail is obliged by the terms of its franchise agreement to make the product available to passengers. The terms and conditions of the scheme are controlled through ATOC by a council drawing representation from all passenger train operating companies. The Scottish Government has no plans or locus to investigate the policies related to the scheme.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a detailed breakdown of the timetable for construction of the Aberdeen Crossrail project.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (19 November 2007): The STAG 2 appraisal has not yet been finalised by the North East of Scotland Transport Partnership (NESTRANS). We are therefore not in a position to make a decision on this.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a timetable for construction of the Aberdeen Crossrail project.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (19 November 2007): The STAG 2 appraisal has not yet been finalised by the North East of Scotland Transport Partnership (NESTRANS). It is therefore premature to talk about construction timescales.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-212 by Stewart Stevenson on 14 June 2007, when it will make a decision on the timescale for commencing construction of Aberdeen Crossrail following consideration of the STAG 2 appraisal.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (19 November 2007): The STAG 2 appraisal has not yet been finalised by the North East of Scotland Transport Partnership (NESTRANS). We are therefore not in a position to make a decision on this.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has been involved in any research to ensure that there is an equitable pricing regime for rail fares across Scotland.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (19 November 2007): We are currently reviewing the rail fares policy that we inherited as part of the current rail franchise to consider whether there are any improvements that can be made. This will include consideration of the variation in rail fares across the country and across different ticket types.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what impact the delay to public consultation on improvements at the Haudagain roundabout in Aberdeen will have on the overall timescale for the project.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (19 November 2007): Following the recent reporter’s determination against the third Don Crossing as proposed in the Finalised Aberdeen Local Plan there is a requirement for the current Haudagain STAG assessment to take stock of the implications of this decision.

This work is on-going with the outcomes expected early in the New Year. At that time a view will be taken by the Haudagain STAG Steering Group on how to proceed with the next round of public consultation. The Haudagain STAG Steering Group members include Aberdeen City Council, Nestrans and Transport Scotland.

The Steering Group will also a take view in the New Year on whether other options may have to be considered once the implications of there not being a third Don Crossing are better understood.

The Steering Group has had continuous dialogue throughout this STAG assessment. Amongst the points discussed is the regeneration of the Middlefield area of Aberdeen. It remains the position that any potential Haudagain intervention is not dependent on the regeneration of the Middlefield area proceeding.

Beyond this the STAG assessment requires to be concluded before any final decision on what the most appropriate solution to the Haudagain Roundabout’s problems is.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what income was obtained as a result of assets being recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 from criminals who were convicted of offences related to drug dealing in the Grampian area in the first six months of the 2007-08 financial year.

Answered by Frank Mulholland QC (16 November 2007): There have been no confiscation orders made relating to drug-related offences in the Grampian area in the first six months of the 2007-08 financial year.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the community projects in the Grampian area that will benefit in 2007-08 from money recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Answered by Fergus Ewing (15 November 2007): The allocation of funds for 2007-08 has yet to be determined. An announcement will be made following the finalisation of new arrangements.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the community projects in the Grampian area that are receiving funding as a result of money recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Answered by Fergus Ewing (15 November 2007): No community projects within Grampian area have received funding through the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002. The allocation of funds for 2007-08 has yet to be determined. An announcement will be made following the finalisation of new arrangements.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5136 by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 October 2007, whether the decision-making process in the review of cleft lip and palate services in Aberdeen is the same as the process that will be used to review other areas of NHS Scotland’s national service delivery.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (14 November 2007): The highly specialised surgical element of the cleft lip and palate service is formally designated as a national service. All of these services are subject to regular review to make sure that they continue to meet the criteria for designation. The decision-making process used in the review of the cleft lip and palate surgical service was the same as that used in relation to reviews of any of the services which have been formally designated as national services.

Our recently-published discussion document Better Health, Better Care made it clear that in making decisions about the future configuration of services there will be a clear presumption against centralisation. We accept that there may be occasions when it makes sense to concentrate services. Any such moves must, however, result in benefits to patients and be subject to meaningful consultation and independent scrutiny to ensure that they are based on the best available evidence and give due weight to the views of local people.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-5136 by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 October 2007, what the membership was of the review group on cleft lip and palate services in Aberdeen.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (14 November 2007): The membership of the Review Group was as follows:

Mr Arthur Morris (Chair) Retired Plastic Surgeon

Mr John Boorman Consultant Plastic Surgeon, Queen Victoria Hospital

Ms Kathy Collins Nursing and Quality Adviser, NSD

Mr Peter Croan Head of Finance, NSD

Mr Gareth Davies Chief Executive, Cleft Lip and Palate Association

Mrs Deirdre Evans Director, NSD

Mr Harry Norton Finance Manager, NHS Grampian

Dr Joyce Russell Consultant Orthodontist, Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital

Mr Alistair Smythe Consultant Maxillo-Facial Surgeon, Leeds General Infirmary

Mr David Steel Project Manager, NSD.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what income was obtained as a result of assets being recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 from criminals who were convicted of offences related to drug dealing in the first six months of the 2007-08 financial year.

Answered by Right Hon Elish Angiolini QC (13 November 2007): Forty-four confiscation orders in relation to drug related offences of a value amounting to £794,424 were made in the first six months of 2007-08 financial year.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that 60% capacity is an appropriate criterion for local authorities to use to place schools under review which could conclude with the schools being closed or amalgamated.

Answered by Maureen Watt (5 November 2007): The Scottish Government recognises that there are many potential factors which may prompt an authority to consider a school’s future. We entirely endorse the views of the Accounts Commission and Audit Scotland that occupancy levels alone should not determine what councils do and that an occupancy level of below 60% should not automatically trigger consideration of a school’s closure.

Those views were set out in a letter of 24 January 2007 from the Accounts Commission to the Convener of the Parliament’s former Education Committee, which can be found on the Scottish Parliament website at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/committees/education/papers-07/edp07-06.pdf.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria it believes should be used by local authorities when considering whether to close or amalgamate schools.

Answered by Maureen Watt (2 November 2007): We re-issued guidance to local authorities on proposals for changes to the school estate on 11 October. A copy is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 43920). The guidance makes clear our expectation that, in consulting and deciding on all such proposals, authorities should take account not only of educational but of all other relevant factors, in the process of reaching a final decision.

Richard Baker  : To ask the Scottish Executive how many offenders in Grampian have received prison sentences of six months or less in (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (31 October 2007): The available information is given in the following table. Data for 2006-07 is due to be published in March 2008.

Persons Receiving a Custodial Sentence of Six Months or Less for all Offences¹ in the Grampian Police Force Area, 2003-04 to 2005-06

Note: 1. Where main offence.

Richard Baker  : To ask the Scottish Executive who was consulted as part of any consultation undertaken prior to the decision not to continue carrying out major surgical procedures for cleft lip and palate treatment in Aberdeen.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (30 October 2007): I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-5136 on 30 October 2007. 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.

Richard Baker  : To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale was of any consultation undertaken prior to the decision not to continue carrying out major surgical procedures for cleft lip and palate treatment in Aberdeen.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (30 October 2007): Consultation with parents and staff was an essential part of the review, which took place between October 2005 and May 2006.

Richard Baker  : To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation was undertaken prior to the decision not to continue carrying out major surgical procedures for cleft lip and palate treatment in Aberdeen.

Answered by Nicola Sturgeon (30 October 2007): The decision was based on the recommendations of a detailed review of the service which was completed in May 2006. The review involved consultations with the parents of children with cleft lip and palate, in particular the Cleft Lip and Palate Association, looking at issues such as patient choice, the importance of distance to families, and the elements of the service which parents considered necessary and desirable.

Staff involved in the provision of all cleft lip and palate services were also consulted, through the mechanism of cleftsis, the national managed clinical network for cleft lip and palate services. In particular, there were separate consultations with the multi-disciplinary teams at each of the three sites where the highly specialised surgery was undertaken, and with each of the surgeons providing the service.

Drug Misuse

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many people convicted of offences linked to drugs misuse have been sentenced to six months or less in prison in (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007.

Answered by Fergus Ewing (30 October 2007): The available information is given in the table below. Data for 2006-07 is due to be published in March 2008.

Persons Receiving a Custodial Sentence of Six Months or Less for Drug Related Offences¹, 2003-04 to 2005-06

Note: 1. Where main offence.

Student Finance

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the cost would be of raising the maximum family income threshold at which students are eligible for the Young Students’ Bursary from £33,000 to £60,000 to bring Scotland into line with the rest of the United Kingdom.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (30 October 2007): Due to the lack of readily available information on family income data for these students, it is not possible to provide an estimate of the increase in costs with any degree of accuracy.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what it estimates the cost would be of raising the minimum family income threshold at which the full Young Students’ Bursary is paid from £18,360 to £25,000 to bring Scotland into line with the rest of the United Kingdom.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (30 October 2007): Based on current income profiles, estimates suggest that the cost of raising the minimum family income threshold at which the full Young Students’ Bursary is paid is approximately £6 million. The rest of the UK change does not come into effect until 2008-09.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many people convicted of offences linked to alcohol misuse have been sentenced to six months or less in prison in (a) 2005, (b) 2006 and (c) 2007.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (29 October 2007): The available information is given in the following table. Data for 2006-07 is due to be published in March 2008.

Persons Receiving a Custodial Sentence of Six Months or Less for Drink-Related Offences^1,2, 2003-04 to 2005-06

Notes:

1. Where main offence.

2. Includes drunkenness, drink driving and consumption of alcohol in designated areas offences.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what activities will be considered to be special additional duties when it reviews police funding arrangements for such activities.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (29 October 2007): I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-5131 on 29 October 20007.

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.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what the current outstanding student loan debt is of students and graduates domiciled in Scotland.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (25 October 2007): The total outstanding student loan debt for Scottish borrowers at the 31 March 2007 was £1,953,784,457. This figure is made up of £1,845,726,000 of debt held by the Scottish Government and £108,058,457 of sold debt by private sector institutions. These figures are based on the domicile of students when they take out their loans. It is not currently possible to identify where graduates are domiciled.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how it is conducting its consultation on its plans to replace student loans with means-tested grants.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (25 October 2007): I am still considering the full details of how this consultation will proceed. Current plans are to issue a consultation paper next year. During the consultation period my officials will look to engage with a wide range of stakeholders on the issues raised.

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab) (Date Lodged 2 October 2007) : To ask the Scottish Executive which stakeholders are being consulted on its plans to replace student loans with means-tested grants.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (25 October 2007): The Scottish Government will consult with a wide range of stakeholders on its plans to replace student loans with means tested grants, in particular we will seek responses from those stakeholders who represent students and institutions.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has budgeted for the provision of discretionary funds and young students’ bursaries, including provision for inflation, rising student numbers and the ability to increase those funds in the future, given the loss of income that will result from abolishing the graduate endowment.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (25 October 2007): The abolition of the graduate endowment fee will have no impact on the provision of discretionary funds and young students’ bursary as the budgets for these funds are not directly related to graduate endowment income.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many extra places will be created at universities and colleges for students from poorer backgrounds as a result of its policy to abolish loan debt for Scottish students and those graduates who have not yet repaid their loans.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (25 October 2007): This Scottish Government does not plan to increase the number of funded places as a result of its policy to abolish loan debt for Scottish students. There is currently capacity within the existing number of funded places to absorb anticipated increases. Creation of any additional funded places for higher education institutions will be dependent on the outcome of the comprehensive spending review.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will carry out research into the impact of abolishing the graduate endowment on the number of students from other EU countries applying to study at Scottish universities.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (25 October 2007): The Scottish Government has no plans to carry out specific research into the impact of abolishing the graduate endowment fee on the number of students from other EU countries applying to study at Scottish universities.

If the graduate endowment fee is abolished by Parliament, we will continue to monitor the number of students from other EU countries who apply to study in Scotland and any other impacts the abolition of the fee may have.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the amounts of the Young Students’ Bursary available at each level of family income for students domiciled in Scotland.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (25 October 2007): The Scottish Government has no specific plans to increase the amounts of the Young Students’ Bursary. The Young Students’ Bursary will continue to be increased in line with inflation.

I am continuing to progress plans to replace loans with means tested grants and plan to consult on this next year.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive when it will conclude its work to take forward proposals for writing off the student loan debt of students and graduates domiciled in Scotland.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (25 October 2007): I am continuing to work with officials on proposals to remove burden of student debt for Scottish domiciled and resident borrowers.

As set out in The Government’s Programme for Scotland, the next stage of this work will be to issue a consultation paper next year on our student support policies, including measures to tackle graduate debt.

www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/09/05093403/0.

www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/09/05093403/0.

Fiona Hyslop: I am continuing to work with officials on proposals to remove burden of student debt for Scottish domiciled and resident borrowers. As set out in The Government’s Programme for Scotland, the next stage of this work will be to issue a consultation paper next year on our student support policies, including measures to tackle graduate debt. www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/09/05093403/0.

Road Accidents

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how many road accidents there were on rural roads in Grampian between November 2006 and February 2007.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (20 September 2007): Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the Stats 19 statistical report form.

These returns cover only road accidents in which one or more people were injured and which become known to the police.

The returns do not cover damage only accidents or accidents of which the police are unaware because they were not reported by the public.

The following table gives the number of reported injury road accidents which were identified in the Stats 19 returns as occurring on rural roads within the Grampian Police force area between November 2006 and February 2007.

For the purpose of road accident statistics which are published by the Scottish Government, "non built-up roads" (i.e. roads with speed limits of over 40mph) represent rural roads.

Reported Injury Road Accidents on Non-Built-Up Roads within the Grampian Police Force Area between November 2006 and February 2007

Road Safety

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how it will support rural local authorities in ensuring that sufficient resources are available to maintain local roads during the winter months.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (20 September 2007): The Scottish Government supports local authorities’ net revenue expenditure on road maintenance and winter maintenance through the core local government finance settlement.

All local authorities receive their needs-based share of the road maintenance and winter maintenance Grant Aided Expenditure allocations and it is up to each council to decide how best to allocate the resources available to it based on its local needs and priorities.

Oil and Gas Industry

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation it has undertaken with the stakeholders in the oil and gas industry on the need to address skills gaps.

Answered by Jim Mather (18 September 2007): We are working through PILOT, the joint industry/government taskforce, on the key issues that are vital for the oil and gas industry’s future success. PILOT and the industry, together with The Scottish Government, are working together to deliver a range of training programmes that will ensure the continuing availability of a safe, effective and highly skilled workforce.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation it has undertaken with the Unite (Amicus Section) trade union on the establishment of an oil and gas skills academy.

Answered by Jim Mather (18 September 2007): There has been no recent bilateral consultation but there is trade union representation on PILOT.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to establish an oil and gas skills academy.

Answered by Jim Mather (18 September 2007): We are working through PILOT, the joint industry/government taskforce, on the key issues that are vital for the oil and gas industry’s future success.

PILOT and the industry, together with The Scottish Government, are working together to deliver a range of training programmes that will ensure the continuing availability of a safe, effective and highly skilled workforce.

The Scottish Government has no current plans to establish an oil and gas academy in Scotland.

Alcohol Misuse

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to reduce offending related to alcohol misuse.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (6 September 2007): This government is firmly committed to tackling alcohol misuse and the associated problems faced by our communities.

We recently announced that we are looking at the legal position concerning offences associated with alcohol misuse.

We will examine how we can make a clear statement in law that being drunk will simply not be accepted in courts as an excuse for bad behaviour.

We also listen to the views of professionals who deal with the enforcement of alcohol laws.

That is why I will shortly be convening a licensing summit with representatives from licensing boards and ACPOS to discuss how effective current enforcement mechanisms are and how they might be improved to help us tackle alcohol misuse.

Student Finance

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what it anticipates the cost will be of ending graduate endowment payments from non-Scottish EU citizens currently studying at Scottish institutions and eligible to pay.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (25 July 2007): There will be no additional cost, other than the loss of income of £1.5 million annually, to the Scottish Executive of ending graduate endowment payments solely from non-Scottish EU citizens currently studying at Scottish institutions and eligible to pay.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has received on its ability to make payments to graduates to enable it to implement retrospectively a policy of abolishing student loans.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (24 July 2007): I am currently working with officials to take forward the proposals of replacing loans with grants and removing the burden of student loan repayments for Scottish resident and domiciled borrowers. The Scottish Executive takes all appropriate advice as is necessary in relation to the formulation of each policy.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has received on its ability to make payments to graduates to enable it to implement retrospectively its policy of ending the graduate endowment.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (24 July 2007): The Scottish Executive takes all appropriate advice as is necessary in relation to the formulation of each policy. The policy of abolishing the graduate endowment is currently subject to public consultation and the Scottish Executive will give consideration to any advice it may receive as a result of that exercise.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what research it has carried out into the effect of ending graduate endowment payments on the number of students applying to study at Scottish institutions from other EU countries.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (24 July 2007): The Scottish Executive has not carried out specific research into the prospect of ending the graduate endowment fee payments on the number of students applying to study at Scottish institutions from other EU countries.

We will continue to monitor the number of students from other EU countries who apply to study in Scotland and any impact the abolition of the graduate endowment fee, if agreed by Parliament, may have.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what income it anticipates will be lost through ending all future graduate endowment payments from non-Scottish EU citizens.

Answered by Fiona Hyslop (24 July 2007): The estimated loss of income from ending all future graduate endowment payments from non-Scottish EU citizens is £1.5m per year.

Transport

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-795 by Stewart Stevenson on 19 June 2007, when the results of Transport Scotland’s review of all strategic transport projects will be made available to the Parliament.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (24 July 2007): I refer the member to the question S3W-01256 answered on 24 July 2007. All answers to written PQs are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-795 by Stewart Stevenson on 19 June 2007, who will be consulted as part of Transport Scotland’s review of all strategic transport projects.


Answered by Stewart Stevenson (24 July 2007): I refer the member to the question S3W-01256 answered on 24 July 2007. All answers to written PQs are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-795 by Stewart Stevenson on 19 June 2007, what the timescale is for Transport Scotland to complete its review of all strategic transport projects.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (24 July 2007): I asked Transport Scotland to undertake a detailed review of all transport projects inherited from the previous administration.

I reported the outcome of this review to Parliament on Wednesday 27 June 2007.

Regeneration

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive when funding will be made available for regeneration work in the Middlefield area of Aberdeen.

Answered by Stewart Maxwell (26 June 2007): I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-601 26 June 2007. 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.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be made available for regeneration work in the Middlefield area of Aberdeen.

Answered by Stewart Maxwell (26 June 2007): I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-601 26 June 2007. 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.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for the completion of regeneration work in the Middlefield area of Aberdeen.


Answered by Stewart Maxwell (26 June 2007): I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-601 on 26 June 2007. 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.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive how it is working with Aberdeen City Council and other agencies to ensure that regeneration work in the Middlefield area of Aberdeen begins as soon as possible.


Answered by Stewart Maxwell (26 June 2007): I understand that Aberdeen City Council is developing regeneration proposals for six areas of the City, including Middlefield. The council has had informal discussions with Communities Scotland but no formal proposals for funding have been submitted to the government for consideration.

Justice

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-515 by Kenny MacAskill on 13 June 2007, how many people aged under 18 have been charged with possession of an offensive weapon in the Grampian Police area in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (21 June 2007): Statistics on persons cautioned and charged by the police are not collected centrally. The available information on persons proceeded against in court is given in the following table.

Persons Aged Under 18 in Grampian Police Force Area Proceeded Against in Court for Carrying Knives or Possessing an Offensive Weapon¹, 2001-02 To 2005-06

Notes:

1. Where main offence.

2. May exclude some acquittals due to recording delays.

Justice

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-515 by Kenny MacAskill on 13 June 2007, how many people were charged with possession of an offensive weapon in the Grampian Police area in each of the last five years for which information is available.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (21 June 2007): Statistics on the number of people cautioned and charged by the police are not collected centrally. The available information on persons proceeded against in court is given in the following table.

Persons in Grampian Police Force Area Proceeded Against in Court for Carrying Knives or Possessing an Offensive Weapon¹, 2001-02 to 2005-06

Notes:

1. Where main offence.

2. May exclude some acquittals due to recording delays.

Roads

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive when it will report to the Parliament on a review of existing proposals for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (19 June 2007): I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-795 on 19 June 2007. 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.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive which agencies will carry out a review of existing proposals for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (19 June 2007): I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-795 on 19 June 2007. 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.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale will be for a review of existing proposals for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (19 June 2007): I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-795 on 19 June 2007. 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.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost will be of a review of existing proposals for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (19 June 2007): I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-795 on 19 June 2007. 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.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive who will be consulted as part of a review of the existing proposals for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (19 June 2007): There is no specific review planned for the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route. We have asked Transport Scotland to examine it as part of a review of all strategic transport projects. We continue to monitor all projects to ensure proper financial control and management as well as to deliver value for money for Scottish taxpayers. That is all part of the normal natural and necessary business of good Government.

Firearms

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to support proposals for a bye-law banning the use of airguns in Aberdeen.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (18 June 2007): The Scottish Government is committed to taking action to protect our communities from the real fear and harm caused by the misuse of air weapons. We shall look at any proposal from Aberdeen City Council on this issue with interest.

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Aberdeen City Council regarding proposals for a bye-law banning the use of airguns in Aberdeen.

Answered by Kenny MacAskill (18 June 2007): No discussions have taken place on this issue.

Rail Network

Richard Baker : To ask the Scottish Executive when it will move from assessing proposals for Aberdeen Crossrail to construction of the project and what timescale it anticipates for construction.

Answered by Stewart Stevenson (14 June 2007): We will carefully consider the STAG 2 appraisal currently being finalised by the North East of Scotland Transport Partnership. I understand the report should be with Transport Scotland by the end of the summer. It is at that point that we can make the appropriate decision.