Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-13334 on 9 June 2008. 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.

All Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service staff involved in the new summary justice system introduced by the Criminal Proceedings etc. (Reform) (Scotland) Act 2007 have received two days of training, supplemented by e-Learning packages. Staff have also been issued with prosecutorial guidance which is focussed on achieving the most appropriate outcome in each case at the earliest opportunity. As with all aspects of the new summary justice system, the guidance is kept under review to ensure that it is effective and progress with the implementation of the changes is monitored by area procurators fiscal.

While it would not be appropriate to disclose the content of the training or publish this detailed prosecutorial guidance, both seek to achieve the aims of the Summary Justice System Model which was published by the Scottish Government in 2007.

A combination of amendments to working practices and secondary legislation will be required to achieve anticipated savings in legal aid expenditure.

Savings to be achieved by Courts Directorate are dependent on the passing of the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Bill. Some changes may also be required to the Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 1986 in order to improve the efficiency of legal aid expenditure although no amendments to that legislation have been agreed yet.

The redevelopment of the Partick Interchange is a matter for Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT). Scottish Government previously provided funding to SPT towards the project through the integrated transport and public transport funds. The Scottish Government have had no recent discussions with SPT on the redevelopment of the Partick Interchange.

The redevelopment of the Partick Interchange is a matter for Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT). Delays to the programme have been due to engineering difficulties that are currently being resolved. SPT expect the redevelopment to be completed by the end of the year.

No cap has been placed on the legal aid budget. The allocation for this expenditure takes account of anticipated demand but additional funds will be provided if that demand is exceeded.

Any review of the level of funding support for drama courses is a matter for the Scottish Funding Council to take forward in discussion with the institutions concerned, namely Queen Margaret University and the Royal Scottish Academy for Music and Drama. Therefore the Scottish Government warmly welcomes the announcement by the Scottish Funding Council on 22 May 2008 that it will undertake a review of the funding of drama provision across Scotland.

On 22 May 2008 the Principal of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama issued a statement welcoming the Scottish Funding Council’s review of drama provision and confirmed that the Academy is currently in a stable financial position.

A comprehensive programme of work has been put in place to ensure that the impact of the reforms to summary justice will be effectively monitored and evaluated. This work will encompass the new fiscal fine measures contained in the Criminal Proceedings etc. (Reform) (Scotland) Act 2007.

The Scottish Police College is one of the police support services provided by the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA). Since its establishment on 1 April 2007, the SPSA has been funded through grant-in-aid from the Scottish Government and was allocated £83 million in 2007-08 and £83.6 million in 2008-09. The breakdown of budgets between the individual services it provides is an operational matter for SPSA.