Chamber and committees

The crime of murder is committedwhere the accused has acted either with the intention to kill the deceased or hasbeen wickedly reckless as to the consequence of those actions that resulted in thedeath. The crime of culpable homicide applies in cases where the degree of culpability falls short of that in murder. Thismay arise for many reasons, but might apply, for example, in cases where death isnot caused intentionally and the violent acts were of a kind which would not havebeen expected to lead to death, in cases where responsibility is diminished becauseof mental illness or in cases where there has been provocation. It can also apply where death has resulted from a culpableact which is not in itself violent, for example in consequence of supply of drugsor a faulty gas installation.

Where an accused person has beenindicted for murder, the Crown will accept a plea of guilty to culpable homicidewhen that plea is considered to be appropriate in light of the available evidenceand it is in the public interest to accept the plea, but, because of the seriousnessof the crime, decisions to accept a plea of guilty to culpable homicide in thesecircumstances are always taken after consultation with me or the Solicitor General.

It is not appropriate for the Executive to subsidise the upgrading of Digital Access Carrier System (DACS) lines,as the process for their removal is within the scope of reserved regulation andoverseen by the UK telecoms regulator, OFCOM.

As outlined in the newsrelease on 14 March 2006, we have decided to target initial reinvestment ofassets recovered under the Proceeds of Crime legislation in the six localauthority areas which suffer most serious violent crime, Edinburgh,Glasgow, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and West Dunbartonshire. However, where recovery in respect of an individual exceeds £0.5 millionarrangements will be put in place to enable reinvestment in the specificcommunities where the individual has strong links – the main area of theircriminality.

The guidance is contained ina booklet entitled Resolving Disputes Without Going to Court, which was producedby the Scottish Executive Justice Department in 2004 and updated last year. Theelectronic version of the booklet can be accessed through the Scottish Executive’swebsite (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/justice/rdwgc-00.asp);hard copies can also be obtained by contacting the Justice Department at St Andrew’sHouse, Regent Road, Edinburgh (0131 244 4844). The booklet contains general informationon mediation and other forms of dispute resolution and has contact points for variousdispute resolution services and other sources of help.

The Executive will publish areport of the progress made on addressing the recommendations of the FirstImpressions of Scotland Report during the summer 2006.

No upper age restrictions havebeen placed on the age of trainees - it is important for the aims of the researchproject to assess the effectiveness of training by simulation across a range ofdifferent driving conditions and environments, and age groups of drivers.

There is no “renewal date” forOrganic Maintenance payments. The Organic Aid Scheme offers farmers five-year agreementsto convert to or maintain organic production. It is a discretionary scheme underwhich all applications are considered together on their merits. The annual closingdate for applications was set at 31 March following a review of the scheme in2002-03 undertaken in consultation with stakeholders. The date is publicised inthe scheme guidelines, on the Scottish Executive website, via the farming press,through the organic advisory service provided on our behalf by the Scottish AgriculturalCollege and by the organic certification bodies.

There is no provision for “renewal”of Organic Aid Scheme applications. Farmers and crofters may apply for five-yearagreements under the scheme, at the end of which they are eligible to apply fora further, organic maintenance agreement. All applications are considered on theirmerits, along with other applications received by the deadline. In the 2005 round,105 farmers applied for grant aid under the Organic Aid Scheme and 102 applicationswere approved under the established system of ranking applications against a numberof criteria. The three applications which were not approved fell well below theagreed ranking score and were therefore considered not to represent good value formoney.

The Executive allocatesfunding under Grant Aided Expenditure to allow local authorities to provideservices to meet the needs of people with sensory impairment in their area, forensuring that information is widely available and easily accessible, and fordeciding how these resources should be distributed to best meet local needs andpriorities. Through the Sensory Impairment Action Plan (SIAP) we are workingwith Royal National Institute for Deaf and Hard of Hearing People, Deafblind Scotland,Sense Scotland and other voluntary organisations and users toimprove services for all sensory impaired people in Scotland. the Scottish Executive provides support through grant funding to The ScottishCouncil on Deafness, Deafblind Scotland and other national voluntary organisations workingwith sensory impaired people under Sections 9 and 10(1) of the Social Work (Scotland)Act 1968 and Section 16B of the National Health Service (Scotland)Act 1978 as amended.

The need to await formal councilresponses has delayed the end of the consultation process until 21 March 2006 whenthe last local authority committee approved response is expected. ThereafterTransport Scotland will publish the results and response to theconsultation in mid-April. It is hoped that a revised Trunk Road and MotorwayTourist Signposting policy document will be published by the end of May 2006.

Transport Scotland hasthe operational responsibility for this area and can be contacted for moreinformation if required.