Chamber and committees

The number of injury accidents that have been reported at the Auchterarder South junction on the A9 in each of the last five years is as follows:

Year	Fatal	Serious	Slight
1998	0	0	0
1999	0	1	2
2000	0	0	2
2001	0	1	0
2002	0	0	0
Total	0	2	4

The number of injury accidents that have been reported at the Aberuthven junction on the A9 in each of the last five years is as follows:

Year	Fatal	Serious	Slight
1998	0	0	0
1999	0	0	0
2000	0	0	0
2001	0	2	0
2002	0	0	1
Total	0	2	1

The number of injury accidents that have been reported on the A9 between Keir roundabout at Dunblane and Broxden roundabout at Perth in each of the last five years is as follows:

Year	Fatal	Serious	Slight	Total
1998	2	15	22	39
1999	2	9	32	43
2000	4	11	15	30
2001	4	9	30	43
2002	1	4	17	22

Fatal and serious road accidents have been recorded on the A9, M90, A90 and A85 trunk roads within the Perth and Kinross area in each year since 1999. Accident figures for local authority roads are not held centrally. The trunk road accident figures are as follows:A9

Year	Fatal	Serious	Total
1999	4	18	22
2000	7	18	25
2001	9	13	22
2002	3	10	13
Total	23	59	82

M90

Year	Fatal	Serious	Total
1999	0	7	7
2000	0	7	7
2001	0	6	6
2002	2	3	5
Total	2	23	25

A90

Year	Fatal	Serious	Total
1999	2	8	10
2000	0	5	5
2001	2	8	10
2002	1	1	2
Total	5	22	27

A85

Year	Fatal	Serious	Total
1999	0	8	8
2000	0	15	15
2001	1	9	10
2002	1	9	10
Total	2	41	43

Good progress is being made in delivering the Plan for Action on alcohol problems. Key Executive action to date includes additional funding for local Alcohol Action Teams, development of a national alcohol information resource, publication of an alcohol problems support and treatment services framework and appointment of national alcohol liaison officer to support the work of local teams. We are currently analysing local alcohol action plans and reviewing the national alcohol communications strategy to ensure that it covers all key target groups. A full review of progress in delivering the plan will be carried out by the end of 2003.

I refer the member given to the answer given to question S2W-876 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.

The full membership of the Scottish Manufacturing Steering Group was listed in their report, Nurturing Wealth Creation: A Report by the Scottish Manufacturing Steering Group, which was published in February 2003. A copy can be found on the Executive's website at:www.scotland.gov.uk/nurturingwealthcreation.The Executive responded to the report in March 2003 and copies of that response can be found in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 27012).

I refer the member given to the answer given to question S2W-876 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.

In 2003-04 the Scottish Adult Learning Partnership was awarded £20,000 Headquarters Grant under the Further Education (Approved Associations) (Scotland) Grant Regulations 1989.

In response to a recommendation made by the Scottish Manufacturing Steering Group, the Executive is undertaking a study to compare the levels of local taxation with Scotland's competitors in Europe and the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Business rates are at the same level in Scotland as in England. The poundage rate is higher in Scotland, but rateable values are lower. At the 2000 revaluation, rateable values increased by 15% in Scotland compared to 25% in England.