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The Scottish Executive has a range of early intervention programmes for children under three years and keeps all of these under review.

The Scottish Executive commissioned a long-term independent evaluation of the Glasgow-based child health demonstration project, Starting Well, leading to implementation of Phase 2 of this programme. The “Growing Up in Scotland” research programme now underway, will provide information about the impact of existing services for families with children, including those under three years of age, and inform future policy development.

The Executive recognises the critical role played by successful and dynamic city-regions as engines of growth for the national economy and the contribution that cities make to national competitiveness. This is reflected in a number of recent policy statements, including the National Planning Framework for Scotland, the Framework for Economic Development in Scotland, the Infrastructure Investment Plan and the refreshed A Smart, Successful Scotland, which emphasise both the connections between cities and city-regions and the importance of collaborating to compete effectively on the international stage.

In line with the conclusions of the Cities Review, we recognise that the regeneration of particular places and communities is key to the overall success of each city and to each of the city-regions that surrounds them. Our programmes of investment in skills, transport and infrastructure are bringing clear benefits to all our city-regions.

Specific investment programmes include the Cities Growth Fund and the Vacant and Derelict Land Fund. The Executive is also supporting pathfinder Urban Regeneration Companies in Craigmillar, Raploch and Clydebank.

As part of its response to the Cities Review, the Executive approved the creation of the Cities Growth Fund, the Vacant and Derelict Land Fund and announced consultation on Urban Regeneration Companies.

The Cities Growth Fund provides a dedicated source of infrastructure investment funding for our six city-based local authorities to deliver sustainable economic growth and regeneration in each city-region. It will provide £173 million over the five years 2003-08.

The Scottish Executive allocated £20 million to the Vacant and Derelict Land Fund for financial years 2004-06 and a further £24.3 million has been made available through Spending Review 2004 for 2006-08.

The Executive is also supporting innovative delivery vehicles such as Urban Regeneration Companies (URCs). This is backed by £20 million from the Scottish Executive over the period 2004-06. To date three Urban Regeneration Companies have been granted “pathfinder” URC status in Scotland. A further £22 million has been allocated through Spending Review 2004 for the period 2006-08.

The Scottish Budget also includes funding for a wide range of other measures which benefit our cities and their surrounding city-regions. These include addressing the skills gap, tackling unemployment and supporting business growth and jobs.

A full merger with theMetropolitan Police service is not being considered as part of the WestminsterGovernment’s review of British Transport Police. If the British TransportPolice was only to be partially absorbed by the Metropolitan Police Servicethen that would mean that the policing operation in Scotlandwould remain as it is.

Responsibility for railwaypolicing in Scotland is reserved. Nevertheless, Scottish ministers recognisethat in order to protect public confidence in the police service generallythere is a need to ensure public safetyon our railways and tackle railway crime.

This information is not heldcentrally.

However, officers with the BritishTransport Police receive the same basic training as their counterparts in theeight regional forces. Thereafter, any bespoke rail safety training is providedoutwith the programme operated by the Scottish Police College.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22379 on 24 January 2006. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility forwhich can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22379 on 24 January 2006. 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/wa.search.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-22379 on 24 January 2006. 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/wa.search.