Chamber and committees

The resources for the provision of public toilet facilities are included within the annual overall block grant provided through the local government finance settlement. It is for each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it, on the basis of local needs and priorities, having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and jointly agreed set of national and local priorities, including the Scottish Government''s key strategic objectives. For its part, the Scottish Government is providing local government in Scotland with record levels of funding; £23 billion over the period 2008-10.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-26109 on 19 August 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Decisions about the relocation of Scottish Government functions will be considered in terms of ensuring the best use of the existing government estate, providing the best value for money for the Scottish Government as a whole and maintaining or improving the operational effectiveness of the function in question. This approach means that relocation is an option, and will only be pursued following a rigorous and transparent process that shows there are efficiencies for Scotland and that the move provides best possible value for money.

The Scottish Government coordinates the response to the current flu pandemic across Scotland, liaising closely with the UK Government and other administrations. The responsibility for local planning in highland Perthshire rests with the Tayside strategic coordinating group (SCG).

Planning at this local level has been ongoing for some time and the response to swine flu includes maintenance by the local authority of key service provision to all communities, including those in rural areas, during a period of sustained community transmission. Emergency services have also considered arrangements for response in rural areas during an outbreak of swine flu and have agreed a contingency to maintain effective service provision. The SCG also has the lead role in ensuring effective communication with local communities, providing advice and reassurance through press and media.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-26107 on 4 August 2009. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Basic broadband coverage, defined as 512 Kbps, is now generally available throughout Scotland. This is following successful completion of the Scottish Government''s Broadband Reach Project in May 2009. The project, delivered by Avanti Communications Ltd, is providing an affordable, basic broadband service to the demand known to the Scottish Government, in the (less than) 1% of the population previously unable to access a broadband service due to distance from the exchange.

The Scottish Government is satisfied that all known broadband demand in highland Perthshire and the Angus Glens area, which Avanti is able to serve and which wished to take up this service, has now been met.

The official measure of unemployment is based on the ILO (International Labour Organisation) definition and is produced by the Office for National Statistics. Table 1 provides information on the ILO unemployment levels and rates for young people aged 16-24 years in Scotland and the UK for the period covering January to March 2009, and the same period in 2008.

Table 1: ILO Unemployment Levels And Rates, Scotland And UK, 2008-09 (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

	Scotland		UK
	Level	Rate (%)	Level	Rate(%)
January-March 2008	56,000	13.6	642,000	13.4
January-March 2009	62,000	15.0	834,000	17.6
Change on year	6,000	1.5	192,000	4.2

Source: Labour Force Survey.

Notes:

1. Unemployment rates are based on the economically active population (those employed and unemployed).

2. Change on year for rates is the percentage point difference and is calculated on the raw (unrounded) unemployment figures.

An alternative measure of unemployment is the claimant count. This gives the number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits and is produced by the Office for National Statistics. Claimant count is always lower than ILO unemployment as some unemployed people choose not to claim benefits or are not entitled to do so, particularly those under 18 years. As claimant count data is sourced from administrative records it is available earlier than ILO unemployment. The latest claimant count data is for June 2009.

Table 2 shows the number of young people aged 16-24 years claiming unemployment related benefits in Scotland and UK for June 2009 and June 2008.

Table 2: Claimant Count Unemployment Levels And Rates, Scotland And UK, 2008-09 (Not Seasonally Adjusted)

	Scotland	UK
	Level	Level
June 2008	22,975	256,720
June 2009	39,460	457,125
Change on year	16,485	200,405
% Change on year	71.7%	78.1%

Source: Claimant Count, NOMIS.

The official source for statistics for Scotland on the number of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) is the Annual Population Survey. The numbers of 16 to 19-year-olds NEET in each year since 1997 are given in the following table:

16 to 19-Year-Olds Not in Employment, Education or Training, Scotland 1997-2008

1997	34,000
1998	37,000
1999	36,000
2000	39,000
2001	37,000
2002	36,000
2003	35,000
2004	35,000
2005	37,000
2006	32,000
2007	32,000
2008	31,000

Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS), Calendar Quarters combined for 1997-2002. The 2003 figure includes some of the boost from the Annual Scottish LFS (ASLFS). Data from 2004 onwards are taken from the Annual Population Survey (APS). The APS and ASLFS include boosts to the main LFS. This means there is a discontinuity in the series.

The Scottish Government has no plans to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the Reformation in 2010.

As is made clear in their Business Plan, published on Friday 5 June, the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) is providing advice and guidance to a range of infrastructure investment projects and programmes in Scotland, worth in the region of £2.7 billion.

The plan also reaffirms that developing innovative financing approaches to infrastructure investment is one of SFT''s core activities.