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No, the budget for the new Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) will not be broken down by current board area. It will be for SFRS to determine how it manages local budget allocation.

Retained fire fighters will transfer from their current service to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) on 1 April 2013 under their current terms and conditions. Any changes to the financial arrangements and responsibilities of retained fire fighters after 1 April 2013 are a matter for the SFRS.

<>The Scottish Government has contributed £0.5 million of co-funding to the Insect Pollinators Initiative (IPI) which is a research initiative led by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. The aim of the IPI is to aid understanding and mitigation of the biological and environmental factors that adversely affect insect pollinators. More information is available at: www.bbsrc.ac.uk/pollinators/.

The Scottish Government is currently in the third year of its 10-year Honey Bee Health Strategy, the main aim of which is to achieve a sustainable and healthy population of honey bees for pollination and honey production in Scotland through strengthened partnership working between stakeholders with an interest in honey bees.

As honey bees are a flagship species the benefits accrued through the bee health strategy will bring consequential benefits to other insect pollinators. More information is available at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/06/23102211/0.

The first Scotland-wide honey bee health survey is being completed, involving inspections taking place and samples being collected from most parts of the country. Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) are currently analysing the results and a composite report will be released later in the year. The report will provide a snapshot of the nation’s bee health and will be used to inform future decisions relating to bee health and treatment of diseases, pests and emerging threats

Scotland’s biodiversity strategy is currently under review. The associated consultation document, the 2020 Challenge for Scotland’s Biodiversity (http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2012/07/5241) recognised the vital role of pollinators to Scotland and the importance of protecting them.

The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 makes it clear that the Scottish Police Authority (SPA) has a duty “to maintain the Police Service” and that the Chief Constable “is responsible for the day to day administration of the Police Service.”

Decisions on the detailed structures for the delivery of corporate functions within these organisations rest with the Scottish Police Authority and the Police Service of Scotland. The SPA Board confirmed on Friday 18 January 2013 that as they take forward this work to finalise the detailed arrangements for finance and HR, they will appoint some staff as police staff (under the direction and control of the Chief Constable) and other staff as SPA staff.

Each local authority area will have a designated Local Police Commander, who will work with locally elected councillors and Community Planning Partnerships to shape local services and prioritise local needs. This includes a statutory requirement to prepare a local police plan for each local authority area setting out the main priorities and objectives for policing in the local authority area.

All 32 local authorities in Scotland and eight regional police services are currently involved in developing and trialling new local engagement and scrutiny arrangements, which will be introduced on day one of the new service. In collaboration with COSLA and the Improvement Service, we have published national guidance on good practice in this area.

In terms of The Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, The Scottish Police Authority’s main functions are:

(a) To maintain the Police Service,

15 (aa) To promote the policing principles set out in section 32,

(b) To promote and support continuous improvement in the policing of Scotland,

(ba) To keep under review the policing of Scotland,

(c) To hold the chief constable to account for the policing of Scotland (including, in

particular, the chief constable’s carrying out of the duties imposed by or

20 mentioned in section 17).

The development of plans for the introduction of the new 101 non-emergency number is being taken forward by the Police Service of Scotland. The Scottish Government does not, therefore, hold the information requested.

This is a matter for the Scottish Police Authority and the Police Service of Scotland.

The Scottish Government will undertake the next Scottish Crime and Justice Survey in 2014-15. This survey, as in previous years, will collect information about people’s experiences of, and attitudes on, a range of crime and justice related issues, including interaction with the police. The timing of the survey will allow experiences of the initial period of the Police Service of Scotland to be assessed.

The Police Service of Scotland is also considering its own internal approach to performance measurement, which is expected to include public satisfaction surveys as an integral component of that approach.

The Police Service of Scotland announced on 16 November 2012 that every council ward in Scotland will have its own annual local policing plan in order to deliver greater accountability to its local communities at a local level and to better serve their needs.

This will result in 353 ward level policing plans being prepared across Scotland, including those wards in the Northern and Western Isles.