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The availablestatistics on court proceedings and recorded crime cannot be combined in anymeaningful way to derive rates of conviction. However, the available statisticsdo illustrate that the conviction rate for rape, in particular, is very low.

The prosecutionof rape presents a particular challenge. It can be very difficult to obtaincorroborated evidence to convince a jury of the accused’s guilt beyondreasonable doubt. Prosecutors cannot raise proceedings where there is insufficientevidence in law to do so. In cases where the accused does not deny the act ofsexual intercourse but maintains that the complainer consented, the trial mayfocus entirely on the question of whether the complainer consented to sexualintercourse with the accused.

The ScottishGovernment is committed to addressing the low conviction rate for rape andserious sexual offences. It is clearly very important to have a robust legalframework that reflects the values of modern society. That is why we haveannounced that we will introduce a Bill on rape and sexual offences in thelight of the Scottish Law Commission’s forthcoming report.

It is equallyimportant that we ensure that cases are handled as effectively as possible. TheCrown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s Review of the Investigation andProsecution of Rape and Sexual Offences recommended improved specialisttraining and guidance to prosecutors. The implementation programme is wellunderway with 18 recommendations having been implemented and work ongoingtowards full implementation by June 2009.

NHS Quality ImprovementScotland published a national overview in 2006 thatreviewed services across the country against four Quality Indicators for LearningDisabilities selected as strongly representative of key elements of hospital closure.These were making sure services are in place to meet people’s needs when hospitalsare no longer there; in-patient services for those who need them, and ensuring thetransition into the community is planned in partnership with people with learningdisabilities, their carers and local communities and involving people in decisionsabout their lives.

They found improvementsto all of these areas and also set out a number of recommendations for continuedimprovements to offer better services for children and adults with learning disabilitiesand their carers.

The rolling stockprocurement plan continues to be developed by Transport Scotland alongside the wider procurement plan to address the requirementsof both the Major Projects, including Airdrie to Bathgate, and the increasing demandsfor rail services. Transport Scotland is confident that it can successfully procurethe rolling stock needed to continue growing Scotland’s railways, and the procurement plan is on schedule to meet the deliverydeadline for the Airdrie to Bathgate project of December 2010.

The procurement ofrolling stock for the Airdrie to Bathgate project is an operating rather than capitalcost, and therefore has no impact on the £300 to £375 million capital cost projectionfor the Airdrie to Bathgate project.

Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area andcan be contacted for more information if required.

The Scottish Governmentrecognises the specific references to independent living in work carried out bythe Disability Rights Commission and by the Scottish Parliament’s Equal OpportunitiesCommittee and is currently considering what further steps need to be taken to advanceindependent living in Scotland and we will announce our plans later in the year.

The Humanitarian Health Fund is part of the International Development Fund. The Fund and Policy are presently under review as a conversation takes place to assess the most strategic way forward for Scotland’s investment in international development. Decisions as to the nature and totality of the funding for future grants will be made in accordance with the review outcomes.

The Scottish Governmentis aware of the calls for national measures to promote positive attitudes towardsdisabled people which were made in the Equal Opportunities Committee’s DisabilityInquiry Report Removing Barriers and Creating Opportunities (November2006), in the Disability Working Group’s report (November 2006). These reportswill inform our consideration of what steps need to be taken to further promotedisability equality and advance independent living in Scotland and we will announceour plans later in the year.

Under the DisabilityDiscrimination Act 1995 (DDA), service providers and public authorities are requiredto make reasonable adjustments to allow access for disabled people. The ScottishGovernment will ensure that the services that it provides, and the public functionsthat it delivers, meet the requirements of the DDA. We expect other organisationsto do the same.

Work to ensure disabled peoplecan readily access buildings where the Scottish Government is a major occupier hasbeen on-going for a number of years. Access Audits have been performed for all ofour properties and a range of works carried out to improve access for visitors witha disability. A further range of works have been identified to be carried out duringthe current financial year.

We also recognisethe role that local access panels can play and have provided support to developtheir capacity over recent years.

The Scottish Governmentis committed to equality of opportunity for disabled people and is keen to ensurethat disabled people and disability organisations receive support and informationthat meets their needs.

Wecurrently support the work of a number of national disability organisations to helpus to improve the flow of information to disabled people and disability organisations.For example, the Scottish Government funds a number of organisations to publicisethe availability of direct payments for self-directed support including UPDATE,(Scotland’s National Disability Information Service), the Scottish Personal AssistantEmployers Network (SPAEN) which provides information and support to those individualsinterested in employing personal assistants, the Scottish Consortium of Direct PaymentSupport Organisations (SCDPSO) which provides a forum for direct payments supportorganisations throughout Scotland to work together, and Contact a Family Scotlandfor a direct payments information service.

We are happy to lookat how we further improve the flow of information and will continue to explore thiswith disabled people and disability organisations.

The Scottish Governmentwill take forward its commitment to improved social inclusion for disabled peoplethrough the delivery of its five strategic objectives and overarching purpose, whichcommit all public services to creating a fairer Scotland with opportunities for all Scots to flourish through increasing sustainableeconomic growth.

A number of policiesand programmes act to deliver this commitment in relation to disabled people. Forillustration, disabled people mare a priority group for all seven of the targetareas for the Workforce Plus employability framework, and the Scottish Governmentdirectly supports a programme run by the Child Poverty Action Group to enhance theprovision of high-quality advice on the tax credits and benefits to families affectedby disability.

The Scottish Governmentis committed to consultation and engagement with disabled people. We currently funda number of national disability led organisations to assist us with this. We regardthis as an important feature of our work and will want to continue to provide support.