Seòmar agus comataidhean

The Scottish Government is not considering creating a definition for furnished and unfurnished homes for the purposes of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 and the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) (Scotland) Order 1997. It will continue to be for local authorities to determine what they consider to be a furnished or unfurnished home.

Under the proposals in the Local Government Finance (Unoccupied Properties etc.) (Scotland) Bill and subsequent regulations, councils could charge increased levels of council tax on certain homes after they have been unoccupied for a year or more. The government proposes these increases could be applied whether the property is furnished or not.

Under the Postgraduate Students’ Allowances Scheme the Scottish Government provides £3,400 towards the cost of tuition fees for all eligible Scottish domiciled and EU postgraduate students studying vocational one year postgraduate diplomas and the nine month taught element of some masters courses.

A list of eligible courses can be found via the Student Awards Agency for Scotland website: http://www.saas.gov.uk/student_support/special_circumstances/postgrad_list.htm.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for the provision of advice to the government on matters relating to food safety.

Sweeteners such as aspartame are regulated under harmonised European Union (EU) legislation on food additives and may only be used once their safety has been rigorously assessed. Aspartame has been extensively tested and reviewed for safety by independent experts at national, EU and international level.

The FSA supports the conclusions of these reviews and considers aspartame can be safely consumed at current permitted levels. As with any approved food additive, there is an ongoing need to review any new relevant information as it becomes available.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for the provision of advice to the government on matters relating to food safety.

The FSA considers aspartame can be safely consumed at current permitted levels.

Despite extensive safety testing some people consider they experience adverse effects after consuming food and drink containing aspartame. The FSA considered it was important to increase its knowledge and to see whether these reports can be put onto a more scientific footing so it funded a double-blind study by the University of Hull. The FSA expects to receive the results of this research in December 2012.

Companies are attracted to Scotland for a range of reasons such as skills availability, a supportive government and pro-business environment, a clear economic strategy and a strong track record in attracting investment. The success of Scottish Development International in attracting inward investment has helped create or support over 32,000 planned jobs over the last five years and support Scottish businesses in their international ambitions.

I can confirm that no company has informed the government that they intend to or have withdrawn business as a result of the Scottish Government plans to hold a referendum in 2014 and that despite UK Government claims of business uncertainty they have yet to provide any evidence for these claims.

The Scottish Government is committed to tackling violence in Scotland, wherever it occurs. Recorded crime in Scotland is at a 37 year low, violent crime has reduced by 17 percent in the last year and crimes of handling an offensive weapon are their lowest in 18 years.

These reductions have been delivered through a combination of tough enforcement, early intervention and education. I would like to recognise the significant and sustained efforts of our local partners in tackling and preventing violence.

This includes the 17,436 police officers who are working in our communities. This visible police presence is helping to make Scotland a safer place to live – as shown in the recent results of the Scottish Household Survey that over three quarters of adults (78%) say they feel very or fairly safe while walking alone in the neighbourhood after dark, whilst almost all (97%) say they feel safe when they are alone in their home at night.

Our courts are also sending a clear message that violent behaviour will not be tolerated. For example, in terms of tackling knife crime, those who are caught carrying knives are being given longer sentences than ever before. The average length of custodial sentences for carrying an offensive weapon has increased, from 118 days in 2005-06 to 288 days in 2010-11 and is at its highest for a decade. The Lord Advocate’s prosecution guidelines for knife carrying are also sending a clear zero tolerance message. Under these guidelines, anyone caught in Scotland’s town and city centres in possession of a knife will be prosecuted on indictment before a sheriff and jury. This means an increase of the potential maximum prison term for offenders from one to four years.

Furthermore, in March 2011, we published the first National Strategy for CCTV in Scotland. This government believes that CCTV systems can play a crucial role in the prevention, detection and, as recent high profile court cases have shown, the prosecution of crime.

In addition to these enforcement measures, we believe that addressing the root causes of violent behaviour and knife crime is key to preventing violence in the future and making Scotland’s streets safer. That is why we are investing in a range of educational initiatives, including No Knives Better Lives, which are raising awareness of the dangers and consequences of violence amongst young people and supporting them to make positive choices.

We have also invested over £46 million, recovered from the proceeds of crime, into the highly successful CashBack for Communities Programme. CashBack improves self-confidence, self-esteem and provides positive opportunities for the young people who take part, while also supporting those communities worst hit by crime and anti-social behaviour. Since its launch in 2007 more than 600,000 young Scots have participated in a wide range of positive activities in their communities.

In its response to the recent consultation on a review of bands under the England and Wales Renewables Obligation, the UK Government announced its decision re retain support for electricity generated using geothermal energy at the current level. The Scottish Government has conducted a similar consultation exercise, and we will announce our decisions shortly.

Meanwhile, in order to encourage commercial interest in this energy source, the Scottish Government has commissioned a research programme aimed at identifying the next steps to take forward the commercial exploitation of deep geothermal energy, including high level mapping of potential and the scope for licensing. The study will also include a costs and financial risk assessment which should identify the likely capital and operating costs for exploring and developing the geothermal energy resources identified. We expect the results to be available by spring 2013.

We have no plans to ask the Scottish Court Service to produce a summary of justice of the peace and sheriff court decisions for the media. The Scottish Court Service does already publish the decisions of the Court of Session, High Court of Justiciary and sheriff courts on their website where there is a significant point of law or particular public interest.

http://www.scotcourts.gov.uk/opinionsApp/index.asp?txt=False.