Chamber and committees

We are currently considering the Scottish implications of the Small Business Service proposals published by the Department of Trade and Industry. Our assessment will take account of the fact that economic development issues are devolved to the Scottish Parliament and the existence of Scotland's distinctive business support structure, including the role of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the wider enterprise network.

The Executive has no plans to issue capping limits to Scottish local authorities.

The Executive has no plans to issue capping limits to Scottish local authorities.

The Scottish Executive does not hold this information centrally.

On 6 October 1999 I announced that I wanted to review the Careers Service using the remit: "To examine the role of the careers service in Scotland, and the scope for change and development of that role in the light of trends and initiatives in education, lifelong learning, and the labour market."This review will consider all the options for the future of the careers service. The independently chaired committee is expected to report by the middle of 2000.

The provision made for new burdens for the financial years 1999-2000, 2000-01 and 2001-02 is set out in the Table below:

	1999-00 £m	2000-01 £m	2001-02 £m
Y2K Millennium Bug	10.000	-	-
Contaminated land	1.700	1.952	1.904
Assessors costs	1.000	0.975	0.952
Abolition of Advanced Corporation Tax credits	27.000	37.561	36.645
Working time regulations	0.130	0.081	0.081
Hallmarking regulations	0.009	0.003	0.003
Housing stock transfer	0.089	0.090	0.091

NoteThe figures are based on 1999-00 prices, adjusted in line with the latest GDP deflator figures published by ONS.We are currently discussing possible further new burdens with COSLA as part of the statutory consultations which take place each year on the local government finance settlement. Any further new burdens recognised for next year will be included in the 2000-01 settlement. Further potential new burdens for 2001-02 will be discussed with COSLA next year as part of the consultation for that settlement.

Those new burdens which were recognised by the Scottish Executive after consultation with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities have been taken fully into account in determining the level of Aggregate External Finance to be paid to local authorities for 1999-2000. Discussions are still taking place with the Convention about possible new burdens for 2000-01. New burdens for 2001-02 will be assessed at the time of next year's settlement.

This is a matter for the local authority concerned.

It is for local authorities to take forward the development of park and ride facilities in their areas. The Government's Preliminary Guidance on Local Transport Strategies encourages local authorities to set out their plans in interim strategies which are due this year. Also, the Scottish Executive's Public Transport Fund encourages local authorities to develop projects promoting the use of public transport such as the establishment of park and ride sites and associated bus priority measures. In the first round of the Fund 3 projects involving new park and ride sites were successful in securing additional capital allocations. Applications to the second round of the Fund are currently being considered.

Grant aided expenditure to forces last year was increased by 2.4%. Most forces reported an increase in recorded crime but some did not. There was therefore no question of funding being cut nor any apparent relationship between trends in funding and trends in recorded crime. In the case of Strathclyde the Chief Constable's Annual Report for 1998-99 records the positive measures taken to deal with increased recorded crime, with encouraging results, which are a testimony to the success of the Chief Constable and his force in tackling crime in Strathclyde. These included a new force corporate strategy and planning framework and the launch of a major initiative in October 1998 targeted on housebreaking and drugs related crime. The force achieved an increase in detection rates, to 43.2%, for the year which was the highest in the history of the force and there was also a significant slow down in the increase in crime. Information recently released by the force shows a further increase in detection rates during the period April to June 1999, with a 44.4% detection rate and a reduction in recorded crime of 6% on the equivalent period last year.