Chamber and committees

In general, it is the responsibility of an education authority to take any decision on a proposal to close a school. There are certain circumstances, prescribed in legislation, in which authorities cannot implement such a proposal without the consent of the Scottish ministers. In summary, these circumstances are where the school concerned is more than 80% full, or where the alternative school is five or more miles distant in the case of a primary school and 10 or more miles distant in the case of a secondary school from the school proposed for closure. There are further provisions concerning denominational schools, but these do not mean that the consent of ministers is required for all proposals involving the closure of denominational schools.

This is not a subject on which the Scottish Executive has issued specific guidance. We expect authorities to take account of integrated issues as set out in the joint Scottish Executive/COSLA school estate strategy. The Education (Publication and Consultation Etc.) (Scotland) Regulations 1981, as amended, set out the legal framework on consultation on school closures, and guidance on those regulations was issued to authorities in 1981.

No default notices have been issued to Amey Highways Ltd in respect of litter clearance on the M876 and M9.

The Performance Audit Group (PAG) carries out inspections on the M876 and M9 every two weeks. These inspections examine the overall condition of the route and any Operating Company on-going operations or works contracts.In addition, PAG carries out detailed monthly monitoring of cyclical activities, including litter clearance, at a pre-selected sample of sites across the trunk road network. These sites include one on the M876 and M9.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-34645 today. 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/webapp/search_wa.

Responding to Domestic Abuse - Guidelines for Health Care Workers in NHS Scotland has been widely distributed to all chief executives of boards and trusts, directors of nursing and midwifery, medical directors, directors of public health and other senior members of NHS staff in Local Health Care Co-operatives and Royal Colleges. Copies have also been issued to child health commissioners in NHS boards and to relevant non-NHS organisations. An electronic copy of the guidelines is available on both the Scottish Executive website and the SHOW (Scottish Health on the Web) website and the guidelines were publicised through the Health Department Bulletin, which is issued to senior staff in the NHS and partner organisations.The Scottish Executive will organise a national workshop in summer 2003 for NHS professionals and key partners, including NHS managers, to raise the profile of the guidelines further and enable stakeholders to consider how to achieve effective implementation.

For monitoring purposes the Scottish Executive Health Department will include NHS boards' progress in responding effectively to domestic abuse in the NHS Performance Assessment Framework in 2004.

The available information on persons proceeded against where rape or assault with intent to rape was the main offence is given in the table, which is extracted from the Scottish Executive Justice Department's court proceedings database. Information by procurator fiscal area is not available.Persons Proceeded Against Where the Main Charge Was Rape or Assault With Intent to Rape by Police Force Area, 1997-2001

Main Offence	Police Force Area	Year of Sentence
		1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Rape	Scotland	65	66	56	50	61
	Central	2	4	7	6	1
	Dumfries and Galloway	2	-	2	2	2
	Fife	3	16	6	-	9
	Grampian	3	7	8	2	3
	Lothian and Borders	15	13	18	14	10
	Northern	2	3	1	2	3
	Strathclyde	30	19	12	21	23
	Tayside	8	4	2	3	10
Assault With Intent to Rape	Scotland1	33	37	26	22	28
	Central	2	-	3	-	3
	Dumfries and Galloway	-	1	1	-	-
	Fife	5	3	3	4	5
	Grampian	-	3	2	-	-
	Lothian and Borders	7	3	4	3	3
	Northern	1	4	-	2	-
	Strathclyde	13	16	6	11	10
	Tayside	5	7	7	2	6

Note:1. Scotland total for 2001 includes one case where force is not known.It should be noted that the police record crime by reference to the number of individual crimes reported. Statistics on crimes prosecuted and convictions obtained are recorded by reference to individuals, who might be reported or prosecuted in relation to more than one crime at a time. Where a person is proceeded against for more that one crime or offence, only the "main charge" is recorded for statistical purposes. It should be noted that these statistics do not include the crime of attempted rape (for which statistics are not requested).

Arrangements for third party reporting are a matter for the police in consultation with local authorities, community organisations and other relevant agencies.

Responsibility for the protection of the health of local populations rests jointly with the local NHS board and the local authority. Monitoring of the local incidence of disease is a matter for these bodies. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is responsible for monitoring the environmental impacts of landfill sites, such as landfill gas and leachate, dust and noise and vibration.