Chamber and committees

This information is not held centrally.

The Scottish Agricultural College has recently produced a report for the Scottish Government assessing the impact of rising input costs (including fertiliser costs) on the farming industry. It found that although the rise in fertiliser prices has increased the cost of production, the impact of increasing costs has been largely offset by rising market prices.

Almost all the information requested can be found on the website of the General Register Office for Scotland (GROS). The numbers of (a) births, (b) births outside marriage, (d) marriages, (f) divorces and (g) deaths broken down by gender, for each year from 2000 to 2007 (provisional figures), are available from Table P1 of the Registrar General’s “2007 Preliminary Return”, which was published on 13 March 2008, and can be found at:

http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/preliminary-return/2007-preliminary-return.html .

The other numbers which were requested are available, for 2006 and earlier years, from the Vital Events Reference Tables, which can be found via:

http://www.gro-scotland.gov.uk/statistics/publications-and-data/vital-events/index.html.

The following table provides the relevant table numbers and the provisional figures for 2007.

	2006 and Earlier Years - Relevant Vital Events Reference Table	2007 Provisional Figures
(c) Births to Teenagers	Table 3.1	4,304
(e) Civil Marriages	Table 7.6	15,480
(i) Average Age at First Marriage	Table 7.3	Men - 32.2 years Women - 30.3 Years
(ii) Length of Marriage at Divorce	Table 8.2	Median - 15 Years

 

The final figures for 2007 will be published on the GROS website in August. As is conventional with such data, the average age at first marriage is given separately for men and for women, and the median is used as an overall summary measure of the “average” length of marriage at divorce.

We are determined to tackle the continuing rise in the number of people in Scotland with diabetes.

The two main modifiable risk factors in relation to type 2 diabetes are smoking and unhealthy bodyweight. We want to build on the success of the ban on smoking in public places, and in May 2008 published Scotland’s future is smoke-free, a smoking prevention action plan. Backed by £9 million over three years, the plan includes action to restrict the display of cigarettes and other tobacco products at the point of sale, and update statutory controls on the sale of tobacco products.

Population level interventions to reverse obesity trends are a key factor in reducing the incidence of type 2 diabetes. In June 2008 we published Healthy Eating, Active Living:  an action plan to improve diet, increase physical activity and tackle obesity (2008-2011). This outlines our plans to spend over £56 million on diet, physical activity and the promotion of healthy weight, and gives a particular focus to action to support children in their earliest years.

SIGN Guideline 97 on risk estimation and the prevention of cardiovascular disease recommends the use of the ASSIGN risk calculator so that those at greater than a 20% risk of cardiovascular disease over 10 years can be offered lifestyle interventions or considered for treatment. ASSIGN has been designed to suit Scottish circumstances by the inclusion of family history and social deprivation. Its use is being piloted in association with the first wave of the “Keep Well” programme, which provides anticipatory interventions for those aged between 45 and 64 within deprived communities at high risk of CHD and diabetes.

The Scottish Government will shortly start the commissioning process for the evaluation of campus police officers in schools. We expect research contractors to be appointed in the autumn and to publish a report of the evaluation in summer 2009.

Primary legislation to amend the provisions of the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005 would be required to give trading standards officers such a responsibility. As emphasised during the Scottish Parliament debate on alcohol on 25 June 2008, the Scottish Government is keen to ensure everything possible is done to ensure the effective enforcement of licensing law. We are currently exploring with COSLA and the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland, therefore, the scope for giving trading standards officers a role, alongside the police, in the enforcement of the law in relation to off-sales and, more specifically, in the organisation and execution of test purchasing programmes.

The Scottish Government works closely with voluntary sector organisations such as Young Scot, the Scottish Youth Parliament and YouthLink to promote positive perceptions of young people and to engage them in decision making at a local and national level. We proactively encourage the celebration and recognition of young people’s achievements in Scotland. Earlier this year the Scottish Government supported the Young Scot Awards hosted by the Sunday Mail, in partnership with Young Scot and Lloyds TSB, which recognised the positive contributions young people are making to their communities.

We launched Preventing Offending by Young People, a Framework for Action on 19 June. The Framework outlines the need to challenge and change the misrepresentation of young people and offending, especially through the media. Work is currently underway to develop, with stakeholders, a governance structure for delivery against the framework.

The Scottish Government is also taking forward a review of the national antisocial behaviour strategy. An important part of that review will be to consider ways in which to counter negative stereotyping of young people and promote positive perceptions in communities.

The following table details the promoter’s provision for financing the Waverley line prior to 18 May 2007.

Source	2002 Prices (Million)	Remarks
Capital Cost	£129.60	Including risk (excluding optimism bias)
Proposed Funding		>
Scottish Executive	£115.00	Award of £115 million at 2002 prices
Scottish Borders Enterprise	£1.00	Fixed
Shawfair Developments Contribution	£4.80	Fixed
Offset against Landfill Tax	£1.65
SRA funding	Nil	Replaced by increased Scottish Executive funding from £110 million to £115 million
Currie Road Development – Galashiels	£1.80	Fixed
S75 Scottish Borders Council	£7.50	Fixed
S75 Midlothian Council	£1.80	Fixed
Edinburgh Cities Growth Fund	£2.00	Fixed
Total Funding	£135.55
Stow station cost (excluded from above)	£0.98

 

The funding award of £115 million at 2002 prices provided for by the Scottish Executive prior to 18 May 2007 was capped and subject to the following four conditions:

(i) Approval of the bill by the committee and by the Parliament;

(ii) The assumptions of the business case must hold, including containment of costs, active management of risks;

(iii) A clear and comprehensive risk management strategy must be developed and delivered, and

(iv) The railway must be integrated with local bus services.

There was no discrete Borders Rail Link budget set aside to fund the £115 million. It was assumed that this amount would be found from within the Major Public Transport Projects budget, noting that any increase over the £115 million was to be found by the promoters of the scheme, and that the full portfolio of Major Public Transport Projects would require some use of debt finance.

The information requested is not collected centrally. However, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) asks local authorities to make returns relating to trading standards and the information it collects is published. The latest such information, published by CIPFA in Trading Standards Statistics 2007, indicates, for example, that there were 516 staff on a full-time equivalent basis employed in trading standards in Scotland as at 1 April 2007.

All parts of the Scottish public sector will be affected by escalating fuel costs, the effects of which are complex and depend in part on future movements in fuel prices over the remainder of the financial year, relative fuel dependency and the way that different parts of the public sector pay for their fuel. Under the terms of the concordat with local government, assessment of the impact of recent increases in fuel and energy costs for the police and fire and rescue services are matters for local government and COSLA to take forward in conjunction with their respective police and fire boards. In relation to the assessment of impact on costs on the Scottish Ambulance Service, this is a matter for the chief executive.