Chamber and committees

It is for the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care (the Care Commission) to determine which of the definitions in the Regulation of Care (Scotland) Act 2001 apply to any particular service. The Care Commission will take into account the service's statement of function and purpose in making this decision. Maximum fees are set each year by Scottish ministers for each type of regulated service, for applications for initial registration or cancellation of registration; for the annual continuation of registration; for applications for variation or removal of a condition of registration, and for the issue of a new certificate of registration. Each year the Care Commission sets fees for each type of regulated service within these maxima. Not all of the services defined in the act are already regulated by the Care Commission - regulation is being phased in.

It is not possible to provide window installation costs only, as both contracts in question stipulated supply and installation. The Convener of the Holyrood Project Team has informed me that different models of bay windows are involved but, on average, the costs from the tender bids for supply and installation of bay windows on the west elevation of the MSP block were as follows:(a) Flour City: £5,633 per window (excl VAT)(b) Current Contract: £17,174 per window (excl VAT).

The three-year funding commitment will end on 31 March 2003. As I have said previously, sportscotland is currently reviewing the scheme and a decision is expected following its council meeting in March.£150,000 was committed to this scheme and the information requested is in the following table.

Year	Budget	Actual Spend	Average Cost Per Day
2000-01	£50,000	£49,650	£130
2001-02	£50,000	£50,000	£145
2002-03	£50,000	£50,000	£156

Audits of the 32 local authorities took place between March and November 2001. Individual reports and recommendations were made to each local authority by the Sociable Neighbourhood National Co-ordinator. A report distilling the information from all 32 audits will be published in the spring and copies will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

The review of area tourist boards is still under way and the outcome will be announced in due course; this will include the relationship between boards and tourist businesses in the area.

The Executive has always provided the Scottish Land Court with the staffing resources it requires. We envisage no difficulty about continuing to do that in future.We have no intention of removing the maximum age limit at which existing members must vacate office. None of its members is near the retirement age of 65. That retirement age was part of the package on pay and conditions that members freely entered into when appointed. There is no business case at present in either the Land Court or the Lands Tribunal for Scotland for the creation of a permanent post of Deputy Chairman. Powers for the ad hoc appointment of a deputy chairman already exist (see paragraph 10 of Schedule 1 to the Scottish Land Court Act 1993). These have been used once in the last eight years and they worked perfectly satisfactorily. Staffing levels are kept under regular review in consultation with Lord McGhie. The Executive stand ready to respond to bids for more staff when the workloads justify this.

It is our intention that the jurisdiction of the Scottish Land Court and the Lands Tribunal for Scotland under the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Bill will be entirely distinct. They will not overlap. We have tabled an amendment to the bill which would give the tribunal jurisdiction over valuation appeals in relation to the right to buy. The Land Court will have a general jurisdiction over disputes arising out of agricultural tenancies under the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 1991 and the bill, but will not have jurisdiction over valuation appeals.We recognise that there may be cases concerned with valuation appeals that raise issues that fall within the jurisdiction of the Land Court. Therefore, in order to facilitate the efficient disposal of such cases, I can confirm that we have also lodged an amendment to the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Bill that would enable the tribunal to refer a matter to the Land Court if it considers that to be appropriate.

No. The Executive will advise MSPs when a minister intends visiting their area. However, MSPs are not routinely advised or invited when a minister meets other MSPs in private to discuss a subject affecting their area. The arrangements for meetings organised by non-Executive bodies are for them to decide.

The Holyrood Project Team was never made aware of the accounts of Flour City International for the quarter ending 31 July 2001, and consequently no information about these has been communicated to either the Holyrood Progress Group or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body.

In their report on Jurisdictions under the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Acts (Scot Law Com No 178), upon which Part 7 of the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Bill is based, the Scottish Law Commission recommended that the Land Court be given power to act as arbiter of consent on a contractual reference, similar to the power available to the Lands Tribunal for Scotland under section 1(5) of the Lands Tribunal Act 1949.New section 60(2)(d) of the Agricultural Holdings (Scotland) Act 1991 (as introduced by section 59 of the bill) makes such provision as is appropriate in relation to tenancies under the 1991 act.Section 61(2)(d) of the bill makes equivalent provision in respect of tenancies under the bill.