Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government takes road safety very seriously and is committed to making the roads safer for all road users, including cyclists. Scotland''s Road Safety Framework to 2020, sets out our aims and commitments.

As part of the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland, we will increase the number of children who receive on-road cycle training at primary school, we will complete the missing links in the National Cycle Network, providing safe on and off-road routes, and we will continue to work with local authorities to encourage the further roll-out of effective 20 mph schemes in residential areas to reduce speeds.

As part of the Cycling Action Plan for Scotland, the Scottish Government has allocated £355,000 this year to Cycling Scotland to support local authorities in delivering cycle training.

The Scottish Government already provides public information on cycle safety through Road Safety Scotland and Cycling Scotland road safety campaigns. Also, Cycling Scotland administers the Scottish Cycle Training Scheme which provides skills training and information on how to cycle safely on an on-road setting. And since 2003, Scottish Government funding has been allocated to Sustrans to build and promote safe routes to school to encourage children to travel actively.

The Scottish Government provides funding to Sustrans and Cycling Scotland to work in partnership with all local authorities to promote cycling on all parts of the National Cycle Network and on local roads. Local authorities also receive funding through the Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets grant for promotion of active travel facilities. And as part of the Smarter Choices, Smarter Places programme seven local authority areas have received funding to promote active travel choices, including cycling.

Arrangements to appoint a successor to Edwin Morgan are currently being finalised. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-37491 on 24 November 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Discussions are ongoing to agree a new process for appointing the next Scots Makar. An announcement will be made once the process has been finalised.

This administration has established strong and productive relations with key European Commissioners and their services. The Scottish Government''s Action Plan on European Engagement and Annual Report (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/International-Relations/Europe/EuropeanStrategy) set out the progress Scottish Government has made and the real outcomes of engagement.

Since May 2007 the First Minister, cabinet secretaries and ministers have held frequent meetings with European Commissioners and MEPs in Brussels and in Scotland. As an indication of the level of engagement in the last 12 months, Ministerial attendance at EU Council of Ministers and meetings with commissioners are as follows. Discussions have focussed on issues of particular importance to Scotland, including the priorities set out in the European Action Plan.

Scottish ministers taking part in EU Council meetings:

Scottish ministers attended eight AgriFish, four Environment, two Justice and Home Affairs and two Education, Youth and Culture (EYC) Councils. I led the UK delegation at the informal Culture Council on 30 to 31 March 2010 and the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning used Gaelic for the first time ever in the EU institutions at the EYC Council in May 2010. This marked the Scottish Government''s achievement of obtaining co-official status in the EU for the Gaelic language.

Scottish ministers engaging with EU Commissioners:

November 2010: The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment intends to meet Commissioner Dalli (Health and Consumer Policy) during his visit on 19 November 2010.

September 2010: Commissioners Damanaki and Hahn (Maritime and Regional Policy respectively) were both in Scotland to attend the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) meeting in Aberdeen. The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment and the Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change met the commissioners to discuss current issues including fisheries, structural funds and cohesion. I met Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou to discuss the follow up to the Culture and Creative Industries green paper and the new Youth on the Move initiative. I also met Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva to discuss EU coordination of crisis response.

September 2010: The Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth had discussions in Brussels with Michel Barnier, Internal Market and Services Commissioner.

June 2010: The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment had discussions in Edinburgh with Dacian Ciolos, Agriculture Commissioner.

March 2010: The Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment, had discussions in Brussels with Maria Damanaki, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Commissioner.

December 2009: The First Minister and I had discussions with Commission President Barroso and with Andris Piebalgs, Energy Commissioner, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek, Flemish Minister-President Kris Peeters and Commissioner Kroes.

November 2009: The First Minister and Andris Piebalgs, Energy Commissioner participated together at the Connecting Europe 2009 Conference in Edinburgh to support the development of a pan-European electricity grid.

The Scottish Government has responded directly to a range of key Commission consultations ensuring the Scottish position has been clearly set out in relation to issues including the EU Budget Review, EU Energy network and territorial cohesion.

Additionally, EU activity is supported by frequent direct contact between officials from the Scottish Government and the Commission.

Local authorities have a duty, supported by an Act of Parliament, to ensure adequate provision of culture in their area. The Scottish Government, working closely with local government, cultural organisations and others with an interest, aspires to help community planning partnerships to identify ways for culture to help deliver community wellbeing in their Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs).

However, it is of course a matter for the community planning partnerships themselves to decide the content of their plans, how these link to the strategic SOAs, and which approaches may be thought most appropriate for delivering specific local priorities.

Our consistent focus has been on the need to increase Gaelic speaker numbers in order to ensure a secure future for Gaelic in Scotland. In order to make progress with this aim we asked B²rd na G idhlig to prepare an action plan that places the emphasis clearly on initiatives that have the potential to increase the numbers of speakers. The commitments in that action plan are now being delivered.

Creative Scotland is currently developing its first corporate plan which will be published in the first quarter of 2011. As part of this process it is considering a range of funding mechanisms including grants, loans and profit and equity shares in a national and international context. Research will inform this work.