Chamber and committees

There are 12 miles on the A77 around Kilmarnock without safety barriers. Subject to the availability of funding, safety barriers will be installed by 2000-01.

There are 12 miles on the A77 around Kilmarnock without safety barriers. Subject to the availability of funding, safety barriers will be installed by 2000-01.

As published in the Departmental Report Serving Scotland's Needs, Cm 4215, the Total Budget for Scotland for 2000-01 is £16,691 million. For 2001-02 the Total Budget is £17,428 million. No Budget has been set for 2002-03 or subsequent years.

I refer the Member to the answer I gave to his question S1W-745.

I refer the Member to the answer I gave to his question S1W-745.

Under the terms of the Statement of Funding Policy published by HM Treasury on 31 March 1999, the Secretary of State for Scotland is voted provision by the UK Government in respect of the expenses of his Department, including any grants which he makes to the Scottish Consolidated Fund. The determination of his Department's expenditure and of the level of grants which he makes to the Scottish Consolidated Fund is a matter for the Secretary of State and for the UK Government.I understand that any premises to be acquired will be largely allocated to office accommodation for civil servants in The Scotland Office.

12 miles, on the A77 around Kilmarnock. Subject to the availability of funding, safety fencing will be installed by 2000/01.

12 miles, on the A77 around Kilmarnock. Subject to the availability of funding, safety fencing will be installed by 2000/01.

Under the terms of the International Convention On The Transfer of Sentenced Persons and other bi-lateral agreements, the enforcement of the sentence on a person who is sentenced to life imprisonment for murder in a foreign jurisdiction and who is transferred, with his or her consent, to Scotland is governed by Scots law. This means that they would, on release, be subject to the same legal disabilities as a person sentenced to life imprisonment in this country. In other words, he or she would be released on life licence and would be liable to be recalled to custody for a breach of the conditions of that licence.

As regards those persons who are deported to the United Kingdom or who return to Scotland voluntarily on completion of a prison sentence in a foreign jurisdiction, there are no statutory powers under which they can be made subject to compulsory supervision nor can they be imprisoned other than as a result of a sentence of imprisonment imposed for a crime committed in this country. Consideration is, however, at present being given to what measures might be put in place to deal with such cases. This is a complex area both legally and practically, not least because of the need to ensure that any statutory disabilities placed on such persons do not result in an aggravation of their sentence in breach of Article 7(1) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

While those returning to this country on completion of their sentence cannot be made subject to compulsory supervision, the law recognises the need of released prisoners for advice and support. There is a statutory duty on local authorities to make available advice, guidance and assistance to people who request such a service within 12 months of release, including persons deported, or otherwise returning, to this country.Also, by virtue of section 20 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, a sex offender order can be made against a person who has been punished under the law in force in a country or territory outside the United Kingdom for an act which constituted an offence under that law and which would have constituted a sexual offence to which Part 1 of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 applies if it had been committed in any part of the United Kingdom. An order can be made if the person has acted so as to give reasonable cause that an order is necessary to protect the public from serious harm. Once a sex offender order is made, the person becomes subject to the registration requirements of the 1997 Act. Breach of an order is a criminal offence.

The Scottish Executive monitors traffic volumes across the Scottish road network and is responsible for the motorway and trunk road network. Responsibility for local roads rests with the appropriate local authority. The Scottish Executive is: considering proposals for the upgrading of the A8000 from the A90 south of the Forth Road Bridge to the M9 Spur, within the Strategic Roads Review; working with the City of Edinburgh, West Lothian and Fife Councils and the Forth Road Bridge Joint Board, within the Forth Transport Infrastructure Partnership, on measures to address congestion on and around the Forth Road Bridge; and encouraging local authorities to address transport problems within their areas through their Local Transport Strategies.