Chamber and committees

It would be inappropriate to refer to any issue in the case which is before the courts. We have reviewed the commitments made by the UK and United States Governments in their letter of 24 August 1998, as referred to in the preamble to Security Council Resolution 1192 (1998) which were obviously given in order to secure the surrender of the two accused for trial. We have reminded the UK Government of those commitments, in particular the commitment that anyone convicted of the Lockerbie bombing would serve their sentence in the UK.

The Scottish Government has no plans to depart from those commitments, but will need to consider the position in the event that an application for repatriation is made under any future Prisoner Transfer Agreement concluded between the UK and Libyan Governments. The commitment of the UK Government is a matter for it to confirm.

Opportunities for recourse to the courts are ultimately a matter for the courts to determine, having regard to the facts and circumstances of any case presented to them.

The Review of Work-based Mentoring Approaches report was undertaken by Eddy Adams Consultants Ltd to provide a better understanding of the role  work-based mentoring can play in developing the skills and employability of young people in Scotland. This report and the wider policy review of the Get Ready for Work programme, within which this research sits, falls within the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Fiona Hyslop''s, portfolio. It is our intention to publish this report shortly.

This information is not held centrally as operational responsibility for Get Ready for Work is a matter for Skills Development Scotland. However, we do on this occasion have the statistics requested and have attached them below for your convenience:

Year	Annual Budget (£)	Number of Participants
2006-07	22,846,297	10,168
2007-08	24,605,479	8,423*

Note: *Statistics are not yet available for the fourth quarter (31 December to 31 March) of 2007-08 so the number of participants reflects statistics for the first three quarters of that financial year only.

The Ministry of Defence have confirmed that they have placed orders to the value of £950 million in 2005-06 (the latest year figures are available for) with Scottish companies. This figure covers both equipment and non-equipment orders. The MoD has placed an order for kilts with one Scottish company in March 2007 to the value of £1.2 million. The contract to supply trews was not awarded to a Scottish Company.

The MoD also advise that they cannot break down the total number of contracts they have with Scottish companies due to the number of contracts involved. Any exercise to identify the country each contractor is based in would necessitate reviewing every contract and checking either with the branch who let the contract or tracking down the information by some other means; this would amount to disproportionate cost.

Scottish companies may also receive subcontracts from other companies of which the MoD has no visibility.

Approximately 7 per cent of households will be affected by the changes in council tax and housing benefit announced at Budget 2008. The average Scottish household''s income is estimated to increase by 35p a week during 2010-11 as a result of these reforms.

Whisky and the wider spirits industry make a vital contribution to the Scottish economy. The effect on the whisky industry and the wider Scottish economy of the increase in excise duty announced at budget 2008 will not be known fully for some time. We are exploring ways to assess the long-term impact of this announcement.

The Scottish Government works very closely with the Scotch whisky industry and we will continue to express our support for the taxation of spirits based on their alcohol content.

An Infrastructure Investment Plan which sets out the government's intentions for investment in the fabric of Scotland will be published today and can be accessed on the Scottish Government Website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/Recent.

A copy of the document is also available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 45134).

Following the withdrawal by the UK Government of its proposals to introduce a planning gain supplement the Scottish Government is undertaking a review of the operation of the systems of planning agreements in Scotland. This review will aim to ensure that we have a system that strikes a balance between allowing the public to benefit from planning gain and facilitating development necessary to support sustainable economic growth in Scotland at a local and national level. We will present options for change in the summer.

The SPCB does not hold this information but we have been advised by the Scottish Parliamentary Standards Commissioner that between May 2007 and February 2008 inclusive he received 22 complaints, 17 of which related to matters other than constituent representation.

The Shirley McKie case has cast a cloud over the individuals involved and has been a source of serious concern for the criminal justice system for the past decade. Previous reviews have helped to shed some light on matters, but they have not fully explained the events and, therefore, have not entirely dispersed that cloud. Public concern remains. The Scottish Government has given a commitment, therefore, that it will establish an independent, public, judicial inquiry into the case. The inquiry will be constituted under the Inquiries Act 2005 and subject to the Inquiries (Scotland) Rules 2007. In accordance with section 6 of the 2005 act, I am announcing today that the chairman will be Lord Justice Sir Anthony Campbell, one of the Northern Ireland Court of Appeal judges. At this point, I have no plans to appoint any other person to the inquiry panel.

Having consulted with Lord Justice Campbell, as required by section 5 of the 2005 act, I have determined that the inquiry''s terms of reference will be:

to inquire into the steps that were taken to identify and verify the fingerprints associated with, and leading up to, the case of HM Advocate v. McKie in 1999, and

to determine, in relation to the fingerprint designated Y7, the consequences of the steps taken, or not taken, and

to report findings of fact and make recommendations as to what measures might now be introduced, beyond those that have already been introduced since 1999, to ensure that any shortcomings are avoided in the future.

The Scottish legal system has served Scotland well for centuries. Occasionally things go wrong. When they do, it is to the credit of the system and the country that we seek to resolve them and set matters right. The purpose of this inquiry is not to try or retry any individual for the events of the past, nor to challenge the decisions of the prosecution, the defence or the courts in relation to any of those events. Indeed, the law is quite explicit that an inquiry cannot rule on, and has no power to determine, any person''s civil or criminal liability. The purpose is to open up and understand those events and to learn from them, in order to ensure that, for the future, Scotland has an approach to the identification, verification and presentation of fingerprints that everyone can trust. For this purpose, the inquiry will have at its disposal the full powers bestowed by the 2005 act, including powers relating to access to documents and witnesses.

For its part, the Scottish Government will volunteer any material that it holds and which might be useful to the inquiry. The Lord Advocate has also made clear that she will, exceptionally, make available to the inquiry any material that the Crown Office holds and which might be useful to the inquiry, including the Mackay report, Crown precognitions and reports by Crown Office officials. Additionally, if requested by the inquiry, Ministers and officials from both the Scottish Government and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service will appear in person to provide an account of their knowledge of events. Nothing will be hidden from the inquiry.

For the purposes of the 2005 act, the inquiry''s setting-up date is today. Lord Justice Campbell will remain focused on his existing judicial duties in Northern Ireland until the end of August and he will not be taking evidence or representations until then. It is anticipated, however, that the planning and preparatory work that is necessary for the inquiry will begin now under his guidance. Future public announcements about the conduct of the inquiry will be made by the inquiry team in due course.