Chamber and committees

The Scottish Executive has no plans to publish this information. The rate of return achieved by the private sector will depend on how successful they are in managing risk during the life of a contract. The operators' accounts will be publicly available.I announced on 24 June that the Scottish Executive will make available the annual expenditure commitments associated with Government public-private partnerships, sector by sector. In addition, for future projects Full Business Cases will be published, which will show whether projects represent value for money.

Consultation papers were issued by The Scottish Office in July 1997 and September 1998 on problems which had arisen with the application of the insolvency procedures under the Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 1985. We are considering the need for legislation in the light of the consultation responses.

There are no proposals to upgrade the A82 between Tarbet and Inverness.

No decision has been made on the introduction of road user charges on any trunk road or motorway, the roads for which the Scottish Executive is responsible. If any such proposals are developed in the future, they will be the subject of full consultation. In terms of other roads, the proposed Transport Bill will legislate to allow local authorities to introduce road user charging on roads for which they are responsible. The coverage of any such schemes will, therefore, primarily be a matter for individual authorities but all schemes will require the approval of Scottish Ministers.

Scottish Natural Heritage's published advice to Government includes the estimate that total core operating costs for a National park in Loch Lomond and the Trossachs, once up and running, would be £2.4m per year. New and existing programme costs were estimated at £2.5-£3.0m per year. Funding arrangements will be settled as we draft the National Parks Bill.I refer the member to the answer I gave to question (S1W-00218) on road user charging.

Since trunking the road in 1996, improvements to a total value of £3.24m have been completed at Dulnain and Craggan. There are no current plans to undertake further improvements on the A95.

Plans for the section of road between Arisaig and Kinsadel are being considered within the Strategic Roads Review. My answer to Mr Tosh on 24 June provides the information on progress of the Review. We have no plans to upgrade the section of road between Loch Nan Uamh to Arisaig.

Practice and policy in relation to the disclosure and discussion of reasons by the Crown for not proceeding against an accused is a matter for the Lord Advocate. In general terms, the Crown's reasons for not proceeding are confidential and will not be divulged to any third party. There may, however, be limited circumstances where a form of restricted disclosure to certain persons is acceptable or necessary because of the circumstances of the particular case or due to the nature of the offence. In light of the incorporation into domestic law of the European Convention on Human Rights by the Scotland Act 1998, this policy has been reviewed and is to remain unchanged.

I do not intend to require the Board to pay interest on accounts or to make ex-gratia payments. The Board is making good progress in dealing with outstanding cases and there is no need for such arrangements which would add to complexity and delay.

The Lord Advocate last year issued a Consultation Paper in relation to the jurisdiction limits in summary cause and small claim actions in the sheriff court.As a result of the consultation exercise I am currently considering advice proposing variations to the jurisdiction limits in these actions.An announcement will be made in due course.