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The RSPB sometimes assist in wildlife crime investigations but it is the responsibility of the police to lead enquires and it is for the police to judge whether or not the specialised assistance of the RSPB is required. The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland and the RSPB are in the process of setting up a protocol for the reporting and investigation of crimes against birds.

Highland Council's free personal and nursing care total allocation in 2002-03 was £4.106 million. Of this, £2.092 million was based on the most recent information available on the number of residents funding their own care in residential and nursing homes in that area. In addition, the council received £2.014 million which was distributed pro rata through the Grant Aided Expenditure formula for social work services for home-based older people. The Spending Review 2002 settlement reflects the Care Development Group's (CDG) costing assumptions for free personal care. The group took into account, as key influences, demography along with other relevant health and social factors, change in the unit costs of care, supply of informal care and possible shifts in care provision. Their assumptions estimated an increase in demand from unmet need and a shift from informal to formal care of approximately 12% building up over the first two years of the policy to 2004-05. The Executive provided resources in excess of those identified by the CDG.The Executive will be collecting data from local authorities on the uptake of free personal and nursing care on a quarterly basis. This will inform whether any adjustment of allocation is necessary.

I have asked Graeme Munro, Director and Chief Executive of Historic Scotland to reply. His response is as follows:The term historic buildings can refer to both listed buildings and scheduled monuments, although the latter covers a much wider range of types of monument. No record is kept by the Scottish Executive of the number of historic buildings for which a new use has been found. Records on changes to scheduled monuments are available for the last five years but these do not distinguish between different types of work for which consent is sought. Thus it is not possible to provide information on scheduled monument applications for the re-use of historic buildings.The granting of consent for a change of use to a listed building is a matter for the relevant planning authority to determine. Where a change of use involves an alteration or extension to a building listed at category A or B for which listed building consent is required, the local planning authority, if they are minded to grant consent, refer the matter to Historic Scotland for clearance. No such referral is required for buildings listed at category C(S), except in the case of demolition. Historic Scotland dealt with some 12,000 clearances in the five years up to 31 March 2002, with 97% cleared within 28 days.Monuments of national importance are added to the schedule for the purpose of preservation and this guides all consent decisions. The granting of consent for any works to a scheduled monument for the purpose of repairing it or any part of it or of making any alterations or additions to it is a matter for Historic Scotland under statutory powers delegated by the Scottish ministers. The total number of scheduled monument consent applications received in the five years up to 31 March 2002 totalled 1,097. In the vast majority of those cases the work was considered to be appropriate and consent was granted, often subject to conditions. Only a very small number of those applications involved the re-use of historic buildings and in those cases the preservation needs of the monument were the principle consideration.

The following table provides details of the cost of medical negligence claims over the last 10 years.

Financial Year	Total Award	Total Expenses	Total Cost
1992-93	£1,794,429	£277,558	£2,071,987
1993-94	£1,892,312	£252,290	£2,144,602
1994-95	£3,051,962	£342,016	£3,393,978
1995-96	£3,554,930	£569,043	£4,123,973
1996-97	£4,059,883	£535,621	£4,595,504
1997-98	£3,521,199	£623,936	£4,145,135
1998-99	£3,303,709	£653,383	£3,957,092
1999-2000	£2,955,357	£555,778	£3,511,135
2000-01	£3,925,462	£890,870	£4,816,332
2001-02	£6,462,315	£815,534	£7,277,849

There has been no comparison undertaken between compensation paid in these cases and what the levels of compensation may have been paid under a "no fault" health insurance scheme.There are currently no plans to alter the way in which compensation is claimed and settled for acts of possible clinical negligence. However, you will be aware that in response to the reports published earlier in the year, by the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Church of Scotland, the Scottish Executive established an expert group to look at current compensation arrangements for patients injured by the NHSScotland. This group is due to report by the end of 2002.

The Scottish Household Survey (SHS) collects data from a sample of Scottish households on an annual basis. In the three years from 1999 to 2001, on average 7% of people living in rural areas said that they did not have a bus service.The Executive supports transport in rural areas through the Rural Transport Fund (RTF). This supports over 400 new or enhanced bus and ferry services and over 100 Rural Community Transport Initiative projects.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body did not see the contents of the quarterly accounts of Flour City International for the financial period to 31 July 2001.

Improvement works, such as the provision of footpaths, are identified and carried out on a needs basis taking into account safety and operational issues and setting these within the budgetary restraints and competing priorities across the entire trunk road network. A feasibility study into the provision of a footpath between South Laggan and the Well of the Seven Heads store is currently being undertaken by BEAR Scotland Ltd. In parallel, liaison with relevant agencies will also take place and the possibility of alternative funding arrangements will also be considered.

Consultation meetings with industry interests throughout the UK are still taking place. Against that background we have advised industry that we shall accept written comments until the end of the year. Copies of responses received will be made available (except where respondents have requested that they be withheld) through the Scottish Executive library and the Parliament's Reference Centre in the New Year.

My answer to question S1W-26364 on 13 June 2002 provided details of a meeting on 4 September 2001, which was attended by representatives of Flour City International Inc, Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd, Bovis Lend Lease (Scotland) Ltd and the Holyrood Project Team. The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group has informed me that this was the only such meeting held and that issues concerning the MSP Building Cladding Package were discussed. He has also informed me that he is not aware of any meeting between Bovis Lend Lease (Scotland) Ltd and the representatives of Flour City International Inc or Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd, who attended the meeting on 4 September 2001, in connection with the new Scottish Parliament building project, prior to January 2001.

Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd submitted unsuccessful tender bids for four packages, other than their successful bid for the MSP Building Cladding package. The Convener of the Holyrood Progress Group has informed me that identities of unsuccessful tender bidders would normally be classed as commercially confidential, we do not see any problem in providing this information in respect of Flour City Architectural Metals (UK) Ltd, who are in receivership, but in this instance has provided the following information on the unsuccessful bids.

Trade Package	Date Tender Received
1. Assembly Building Specialist Glazing	04 May 2001
2. Assembly Building Windows	01 June 2001
3. Assembly Building Stone Cladding	12 June 2001
4. MSP Building Roofing	15 August 2001