Chamber and committees

The Scottish Police College is one of the police support services provided by the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA). Since its establishment on 1 April 2007, the SPSA has been funded through grant-in-aid from the Scottish Government and was allocated £83 million in 2007-08 and £83.6 million in 2008-09. The breakdown of budgets between the individual services it provides is an operational matter for SPSA.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13115 on 29 May 2008. 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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13115 on 29 May 2008. 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.

The 140 day custody time limit in High Court cases can only be extended by the court, on cause shown, having given all parties an opportunity to be heard. The Scottish Government is satisfied that this arrangement safeguards the rights of the accused, as was Parliament when passing the Criminal Procedure (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2004. In any case in which an extension of the period is sought, the decision is entirely one for the court.

The evaluation of the High Court reforms published in February 2007 suggested that the proportion of cases in which an extension had been granted was remaining more or less constant following the amendments introduced by the 2004 act. Further information is given on pages 38-39 of An Evaluation of the High Court Reforms Arising from the Criminal Procedure (Amendment) (Scotland) Act 2004, published by the Scottish Executive in 2007, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 42119).

Scottish Court Service is able to confirm that the number of successful applications for extension of the 140 day period in 2007 was 487, but does not hold the information in the answer to question S3W-8959 on 4 February 2008. The 2007 evaluation referred to above found, in a sample, that the average length of extension after the reforms was 46 days. The average period, in a sample of cases, predating the reform was 57 days. These decisions are of course made by the courts on the merits of the individual case.

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.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13115 on 29 May 2008. 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.

The Scottish Government supports the provision of a second scan for women in the 20th week of pregnancy and we are working closely with the NHS, to ensure that this is delivered in those boards where it is not currently routine.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-12936 on 21 May 2008. 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.

Question S3W-8959 related to the 140 day custody limit which operates in High Court cases.

The Scottish courts are able to establish whether custody limits are exceeded in cases where an application is submitted by the Crown to extend that time limit.

In terms of section 65 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 as amended, where there is a risk that the time limit will be exceeded, an accused may be admitted to bail by the Lord Advocate and liberated from custody, or arrangements made to bring the accused before the court in order that an application to extend the time limit beyond 140 days may be considered.

The Scottish Court Service only collects information on the number of those cases where the Crown has applied to the court to be able to retain the accused person in custody beyond 140 days. In 2007 the High Court granted 487 applications to extend the 140 day custody time limit in relation to an accused.

The appointment of any external consultants to examine drama funding at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama would be an operational matter for the Scottish Funding Council. While the council is considering a review of drama provision, it has informed me that at this stage no consultants have been appointed for this purpose. Any subsequent decision to appoint consultants for this purpose would be entirely for the council.

Since May 2007, I have had meetings to discuss the future of the Crichton Campus with the Principal of the University of Glasgow, the Principal of the University of the West of Scotland, representatives of the University and College Union and the Chair and the Chief Executive of the Scottish Funding Council. I have also visited the campus and met with the academic partners, students, staff, representatives from the Crichton Carbon Centre and other local stakeholders and politicians.

On 20 August 2007, the Scottish Government announced a package of additional funding amounting to £1.5 million to support a new Academic Strategy, developed by the Scottish Funding Council, the Crichton academic partners and other stakeholder interests, to secure and enhance higher education provision at the Crichton Campus. The allocation of this funding to individual institutions is, however, a matter for the Scottish Funding Council. Legislation precludes ministers from involvement in these decisions.