Chamber and committees

The first national collection of data from NHS Boards and Trusts on Violent and Aggressive incidents took place in 2001 for the financial year 2000-01. Collection of the 2001-02 data is currently on-going. Quality assurance of the 2000-01 data has started and once completed will be made available through the Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency. The information will be at NHS board and trust level.Information on the reporting of violent incidents to the procurator fiscal, the number of criminal prosecutions, and number of convictions in NHS board areas is not held centrally. The board in question may however have this information locally.

The Scottish Executive's current estimate, based on the first estimates of non-domestic rate revenue for 2002-03 received from local authorities, is £149 million. This figure represents the difference between the amount of non-domestic rates that local authorities estimate will be collected in 2002-03 at the poundage currently in force of 47.8p (£1,740 million) and the proportionately lower amount that would be collected if the poundage were reduced to 43.7p (£1,740 million x 43.7/47.8 = £1,591 million). The 2p poundage discount available for small properties and the various reliefs offered to ratepayers would also have some impact on the cost of reducing the poundage, but insufficient information is available to quantify these effects.

On 31 October 2001 we announced details of a new community safety award programme to supersede both the CCTV and Community Safety Challenge Competitions. The new scheme gives all local authority-led Community Safety Partnerships a share of £12 million over the next three years for local community safety initiatives. The funding available for 2002-03 is £4 million - £1 million more than the combined annual Challenge Competition awards for previous years. The same sum will also be available to Community Safety Partnerships in 2003-04 and 2004-05. For 2002-03 the Highland Wellbeing Alliance Community Safety Partnership has been allocated a total community safety award of £139,501. A similar sum will be awarded to the partnership in both 2003-04 and 2004-05. The programme allows Community Safety Partnerships to secure, for the first time, sustained mainstream funding to be used solely for the purposes of taking forward local priorities identified within their community safety strategies and action plans. Funding can be utilised for both capital and revenue funding including CCTV. Decisions on local community safety priorities are therefore a matter for the local Community Safety Partnership.

A reply to the letter of 8 May will be issued in advance of the Public Petitions Committee meeting on 18 June 2002. I will respond to the Petitions Committee on matters they have raised with me following the meeting of 7 May 2002.The member will be interested to know that The Scottish Transport Group (Dissolution) Order 2002 has been made today and will come into force on Friday 7 June 2002. Copies of the Order have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

The information requested is not held centrally. It is Executive practice to write to MSPs to tell them about forthcoming ministerial visits in their constituency and list area.

Three contractors from the short list of five invited to tender for the MSP block cladding package did not submit bids. Details of non-compliant bids are considered commercially confidential.

All tender bids received for Trade Packages are analysed by the Construction Managers, Design Team and Quantity Surveyors. The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group has confirmed that following recommendation by the Construction Manager, the tender bid from Flour City was endorsed by the Design Team and approved by the Holyrood Project Team. The Parliament has received legal advice that documents should not be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre while the SPCB's rights and entitlements are still being evaluated, as they may form part of the productions in any litigation which may follow.

No, the Scottish Transport Group is not obliged to lay the report and accounts of the individual pension schemes before Parliament. There is, however, a statutory requirement to present the Scottish Transport Group annual report and accounts to Parliament. The report and accounts for the final period, covering 1 April 2001 to the date of dissolution, is scheduled to be presented to Parliament in July, following completion of the audit process.

A generic copy of the contract document applicable to all four management and maintenance contracts is already available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 16573). The minor alterations to the two contracts with BEAR Scotland Ltd came into effect when the Executive wrote formally to BEAR. The majority of these alterations have not as yet been recorded in the individual contract documents. When they are, arrangements will be made for the generic copy to be amended.The minor alterations include improved communications with the National Driver Information and Control System (NADICS), new provision for direct communications between BEAR and the press and MSPs/MPs, and increased safety inspections on some routes.It would not be appropriate to publish details of the additional costs to be paid to BEAR as a result of these minor alterations because of commercial and contractual considerations. However, the costs are not significant in comparison with the existing contract costs.

Scottish Executive and BEAR Scotland Ltd are aware of the condition of the A830 which has been caused mainly by the wet weather and the freeze/thaw conditions over last winter. The action to repair potholes and undertake patching on the route has ensured it has remained safe.Mallaig Community Council wrote to the Scottish Executive on 12 May 2002 expressing concerns about the A830 and a reply confirmed that a structural maintenance scheme was programmed to be implemented in the autumn. Meantime, an interim strategy to undertake urgent repairs and increase the frequency of safety inspections has been formulated to ensure road safety is maintained. In addition to the repairs already carried out, further extensive patching works have been identified and will be implemented shortly.In recognition of the importance of this route, consultations have started with some of the interested parties on the optimum timing of the proposed works.