Chamber and committees

The Executive will continue to give support and priority to initiatives which afford greater protection to children and young people, including those which raise public awareness and promote safer use of the internet. There is a range of web content filtering software available and many computers in public places already have this installed. It is planned that content filtering software will be provided in all of the 1,000 locations where new facilities for public access to the web are currently being created by Digital Scotland.

The Scottish Executive is committed to raising awareness about domestic abuse, improving information about the scale and nature of the problem and ensuring that victims get the protection and support they need. This is being achieved through the implementation of the Action Plan in the National Strategy to Address Domestic Abuse in Scotland. Raising awareness in this way is designed to encourage the reporting of domestic abuse.As regards the criminal justice system, the Prosecution Code sets out the legal, evidential and public interest criteria which apply to all cases, including domestic abuse, and which are taken into account in considering the actions to be taken in relation to a report of a crime. The prosecution views allegations of domestic abuse seriously and where a report alleging such abuse is submitted to the procurator fiscal, the allegation is fully and thoroughly investigated.

We do not keep records of the number of press releases issued on particular topics. The total number of press releases issued in the categories "Law and Order" and "Justice" in that period was 213. A full archive of these press releases can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/search.aspx?d=last

A Depute Procurator Fiscal recruitment exercise is currently under way. The closing date for applications was 15 March 2002. Interviews will be held in April. Successful applicants are expected to take up post from June onwards. Sixteen trainee solicitors will take up post in August 2002 and recruitment will commence in October for trainees to take up post in 2003.

The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a wide range of issues.

The funding is a contribution towards the start up costs for the new barrier free refuge. It will help pay for the specialised furniture and fittings necessary to provide access for the disabled.

Costs incurred by Aberdeen City Council in providing 24-hour surveillance of Mr Beech will be reimbursed by the Scottish Executive under the 100% funding arrangements for criminal justice social work services.

Grampian Police were alerted in advance to Mr Beech's intention to move to Aberdeen. Subsequently there has been very close co-operation between the relevant statutory agencies and the voluntary sector over the appropriate arrangements for him.

Glasgow Women's Aid has been granted £50,000 from the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund for a contribution to the set up costs of the barrier free refuge being developed under the Refuge Development Programme. Sustainability is not an issue for this project as the set up cost is one off expenditure for 2002-03 only.

Forty-eight applications were received for the first round of the Domestic Abuse Service Development Fund. Most were for two year funding and covered the financial years 2000-01 and 2001-02. A further 10 projects were approved later to take up the full funding provision available.