Seòmar agus comataidhean

The contract was published on the Scottish Prison Service website (www.sps.gov.uk) on 8 March 2002.

Western Isles Islands Council lost £23 million following the collapse of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International. Since there was no immediate prospect of recovering the money and no chance of continuing to be in a position to discharge its statutory obligations without revenue borrowing, the council wrote to the Secretary of State in August 1991 requesting special borrowing consent to replace the £23 million. Exceptionally, on account of the scale of the loss in relation to the council's total financial resources, the Secretary of State granted the council consent to borrow in terms of paragraph 1(2) of schedule 3 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1975 to make good the shortfall and maintain its day-to-day cash flow requirements during the remainder of 1991-92. Since the loss was consequent on ultra vires investment activity, the terms of the consent specified that the interest and repayment costs of the borrowing must be met entirely by the council without any grant aid or other financial assistance from the Government.

Nineteen applicants were ineligible because they had a working central heating system and one applicant had not occupied the house for the required 12 months. The remaining 23 was made up of those who had not returned their application forms to EAGA at the time the earlier question was asked. All of those applications have now been processed and qualify for grant. Many have now received their package of measures.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22325.

The Local Government Spending Review 2000 provides an extra £1.2 billion in support for local government over three years - an increase in real terms of 10.5%. It is the Scottish Executive's view that this should enable all local authorities to provide the necessary support for all women's refuges. It is therefore the responsibility of Scottish Borders Council to allocated funding according to its priorities. The National Group on Domestic Abuse, which I chair, will be looking at funding for service provision as part of its future work programme.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22560.

Borders Local Volunteer Development Agency currently receives funding of £31,500 from the Scottish Executive, as part of our funding package for the national network of Volunteer Centres. Each Volunteer Centre is required to raise funding of a similar scale from other sources, which can include local authorities.We understand that its decision with regard to the level of future resources has not been disclosed by Borders Council to Borders Local Volunteer Development Agency, but a reduction has been indicated. As with all voluntary organisations that we sponsor, the funding position of Borders Local Volunteer Development Agency will be kept under review.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-22571.

Lord Bonomy's criticisms were caused by the late intimation to the court that an accused person was due to attend hospital for an operation on the day his case was called in to court for trial.A memorandum issued by the Lord Justice General will come in to effect on 25 February 2002. It sets out a protocol for both the Crown and Defence requiring them to exchange the necessary information to avoid unnecessary delay in cases being brought before the High Court and in their further continuation or adjournment to a later date.

I hope that it will be possible for Borders Council to resolve its budget difficulties without reducing funding to voluntary bodies carrying out important work. However, it is entirely a matter for each local authority to establish its expenditure priorities within the budget available to it. It would not be appropriate for ministers to intervene in the individual spending decisions of a council.