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The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 is a UK reserved matter. It is the duty of the serviceproviders at ports and airports, under Part III of the act which covers goods,facilities and services, to avoid discrimination against disabled people inrespect of matters like timetables, booking facilities, waiting rooms etc atairports and ferry terminals.

In Scotland theMobility and Access Committee for Scotland who advise ministers on transport needs of disabled people and how to improve accessibilityof transport have helped ferry operatorslook at accessibility issues. This included accessibility for people withvisual impairments.

The provision of buspassenger information is a matter for individual transport operators and localtransport authorities. I understand that the bus industry is in discussionswith the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland regarding achievableimprovements to bus passenger information, including provision of “talkingbuses”.

Any decision whether or notto operate an authorised PETS route, is a commercial decision which has to bemade by those transport providers who operate into UK ports andairports. The only operator to have expressed any interest in operating a PETSroute into Scotland is Superfast Ferries and discussions with them areon-going.

The Scottish Executive was not represented in Aalborg. However, the Executive maintains a number of linkswith European counterparts, allowing us to share experience of deliveringeGovernment services.

It is a matter for eachlocal authority to put in place appropriate staffing arrangements to ensureeffective service delivery within the best value framework. The guidance on theduty to make arrangements to secure best value states that “a local authoritywhich secures best value will be able to demonstrate that it ensures that allemployees are managed effectively and efficiently, that they know what isexpected of them, their performance is regularly assessed and they are assistedin improving.” The guidance is available on the Scottish Executive website at www.scotland.gov.uk.

I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is asfollows:

Such prisons provide bestvalue for the taxpayer, a source of innovation and a spur to the state sectorto become more competitive and experience of contracting for complex publicservices which will be helpful when negotiating for the two new prisonsannounced by the Scottish Executive on 5 September 2002.

I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

Prisoner Custody Officercertificates are issued by SPS to relevant staff (those who are required tomanage prisoners) once they have met the required physical, academic andDisclosure Scotland requirements and completed SPS approved training.

I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is asfollows:

These include therequirement that the medical care should meet all statutory requirement andstandard of the NHS (10.3.1). Also that all medical and nursing staff areappropriately qualified and hold a current registration certificate (10.3.6).

Health care in HM Prison Kilmarnock issubject to the normal range prison service external scrutiny which includes HerMajesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons, the Complaints Commission and visiting committees.

I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. His response is as follows:

Kilmarnock holds short-term and remand prisoners from itscatchment area. Long-term prisoners (LTP) from the west of Scotland anda small number of protection prisoners. For this latter group and LTP outwiththe catchment area, allocation is from other establishments as places arise.

Within the contract which ispublished on the SPS website at www.sps.gov.uk,clause 30 of the Minute of Agreement lays out the escort arrangements.

I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is asfollows:

Prisoners who cause damagein any prison may be dealt with under prison rules or by referral to police. Iftransferred before either of these procedures are completed they may becontinued on arrival.