Chamber and committees

This is an operational matter for the Enterprise Networks.

Effective strategic and tactical tasking and co-ordinating arrangements established in Scotland, together with a willingness of agencies to work together, mean that law enforcement is well placed to respond to a crack cocaine threat.In March 2002, the Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency (SDEA), in collaboration with the National Criminal Intelligence Service, produced an assessment of the impact of cocaine and crack cocaine in Scotland and made recommendations on how enforcement agencies might best respond to the problem. This will be updated in the current financial year. The SDEA is also represented on the Association of Chief Police Officers' Crack Cocaine Group, which provides Scottish Police Forces with information on developments in England and Wales.Since 1997, Grampian Police have proactively targeted individuals involved in the sale or supply of crack cocaine. Long- and short-term operations have been mounted in relation to these individuals, in addition to the continual application of disruption techniques. Grampian Police Drug Squad have forged links with the West Midlands Police and Metropolitan Police in order to improve the flow of intelligence, and this is steadily reaping benefits.Data on the extent of the problem and the number of seizures of cocaine and crack cocaine are provided in the response to S1W-33149 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.

Out of its own budget, the Scottish Executive spent over £30 million on Scotland-wide measures designed to alleviate hardship and to assist with economic restructuring. Where recovery measures were made available to affected businesses, there was no distinction between agricultural and non-agricultural businesses. In Scotland the total cost of livestock compensation of the 2001 foot-and-mouth disease outbreak was £171 million. The additional costs associated with eradication such as disinfectant or the costs associated with burial sites amounted to a further £70 million. Under the Scottish Executive - State Veterinary Service Concordat, HM Government is responsible for all disease control and eradication costs. This is subject to European Union reimbursement of up to 60 per cent.

The following table details the resources allocated to NHS boards for drug treatment services since 1999-2000. Allocations for 2003-04 are expected to remain at 2002-03 levels. NHS boards are also free to utilise resources for drug-specific initiatives from their hospital and community care allocations. It is for the Drug Action Teams (DATs) and their local partners, including NHS boards, to determine how these resources are spent, taking into account local needs and circumstances. Some detail on spend is included in DAT Corporate Action Plans, which can be accessed on the national drugs website at http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.orgFunding for services addressing alcohol problems is provided within resources allocated to NHS boards and local authorities, but is not specifically identified. The Executive has, however, made £3.375 million available through central budgets in this financial year to support local and national action to tackle alcohol problems. No decisions have been taken on resources for both drugs and alcohol beyond 2003-04.

NHS Board	Allocation 1999-2000(£000)	Allocation 2000-01(£000)	Allocation 2001-02(£000)	Allocation 2002-03-04(£000)	Per Capita12002-03-04	Per Problem2 User2002-03-04
Argyll and Clyde	901	984	1,111	1,338	3.18	247.6
Ayrshire and Arran	535	609	737	987	2.66	322.6
Borders	96	118	160	162	1.51	276
Dumfries and Galloway	96	124	298	258	1.79	219
Fife	445	514	698	789	2.25	275.2
Forth Valley	172	226	462	557	2.00	252.3
Grampian	972	1,085	1,283	1,313	2.53	242.6
Greater Glasgow3	3,502	3,670	4,387	4,488	4.99	280.9
Highland	137	181	300	414	1.99	402.2
Lanarkshire	497	607	862	1,449	2.58	285.5
Lothian	2,776	2,922	3,214	3,539	4.48	416.4
Orkney	16	20	24	32	1.66	1111
Shetland	37	42	46	55	2.49	505.6
Tayside	1,151	1,225	1,348	1,483	3.90	344.6
Western Isles	20	25	43	87	3.28	1345.4
Total Scotland	11,352	12,352	14,973	16,951	3.32	303.7

Note:1. The populations used for years 2001 and 2002 are projections based on the 2000 population.2. Problem drug misuse is defined as use of opiates and benzodiazepines. Source: Estimating the National and Local Prevalence of Problem Drug Misuse in Scotland, November 2001.3. Funding does not include additional resources of £250,000 allocated to Greater Glasgow NHS Board in 2001-02 or £500,000 in 2002-03 to meet the treatment costs of the Glasgow Drug Court Pilot.

The most recent decommissioning scheme in Scotland was The Fishing Vessels (Decommissioning) (Scotland) Scheme 2001. The decommissioning package was announced on 8 March 2001, and the scheme was open for applications between 31 August and 31 October 2001. The first vessel was certified as having been decommissioned under the scheme on 23 January 2002 and a certificate in respect of the last vessel was issued on 23 September 2002.

The information held centrally relates to breath tests of drivers involved in injury road accidents. The latest available statistics are published at Table 19 in Road Accidents Scotland 2001, a copy of which is available in the Parliament's Centre (Bib. number 85156). Information on the number of positive breath tests carried out as part of festive drink drive campaigns is compiled by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland. This information is given in the following table:Positive Breath Tests Recorded During Drink Drive Campaigns Over the Christmas Festive Period, 1998-99 to 2002-03

Force	1998-99*	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	% Change 2001-02 to 2002-03
Central	62	27	n/a	50	35	-30
Dumfries and Galloway	38	17	n/a	18	25	39
Fife	51	42	n/a	49	61	24
Grampian	116	76	n/a	52	52	0
Lothian and Borders	163	123	n/a	127	140	10
Northern	95	61	n/a	68	62	-9
Strathclyde	362	270	n/a	413	310	-25
Tayside	81	63	n/a	64	60	-6
Total	968	679	n/a	841	745	-11

Source: Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland.Note:*Campaign in 1998-99 was 39 days in duration, following years were all 28 days.

The following table shows the number of Scottish based vessels and the main vessel fishing method as declared by owners when re-licensing their vessels.Active Scottish Based Vessels, by Main Fishing Method and Overall Length Group, 31 December 2001

Main Vessel Fishing Method	Vessel Length (Metres)		All Vessels
	10m and Under	Over 10m
Demersal (whitefish)	74	473	547
Pelagic	0	36	36
Shellfish	1,571	441	2,012
Total	1,645	950	2,595

Source: Scottish Fisheries Statistics 2001.

Annex XVII of the new total allowable catches and Quota Regulation sets out the provisions of the new effort control (days at sea) regime. Article 6 requires that member states which acquire additional fishing days from the Commission related to decommissioning must report periodically to the Commission on progress made with such decommissioning. The regulation specifies when such reports must be made, but it does not specify a timetable for any associated decommissioning. In practice, the adequacy of the progress made by each of the reporting deadlines would therefore be a matter for discussion between the Commission and member state concerned.

Annex XVII of the new total allowable catches and Quota Regulation sets out the provisions of the new effort control (days at sea) regime. It stipulates that days at sea will be derived from the mesh size of the fishing gear carried by particular vessels. The detailed implications of that are likely to feature in the domestic implementing regulations, which are still under consideration.

As provided for by Article 6 of Annex XVII to Regulation 2341/2002, the Commission has undertaken to provide an additional six days to the relevant fishermen. This will be confirmed in due course as an official Commission decision recorded in the Official Journal of the European Communities.