The training received and written guidance held by procurators fiscal identifies particular classes of case as generally requiring priority. These include, for example, cases involving children, cases in which the accused is in custody and cases in which a time bar is approaching. The allocation of priorities as between the several cases which a given member of staff or a given office requires to deal with at a particular time is a matter for professional judgement in light of training and experience and depends on consideration of all of the circumstances of each case.

We are addressing the timeliness of reporting with the police and other reporting agencies.

We are addressing the timeliness of reporting with the police and other reporting agencies.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The Constructing the Future report bore the name of Eric Murch as he was governor of Low Moss at the time, but as stated by Mike Crossan it was prepared in conjunction with the management team at Low Moss.

We have no plans to do so. The Enterprise Networks already target entrepreneurship in disadvantaged areas through a range of measures - including the holding of Personal Enterprise Shows in such areas. We have also introduced recently a specific Scottish Enterprise Network annual target for the number of business start-up assists from residents in disadvantaged areas.

This information is not available.

We have not attempted to quantify the costs in this manner, as appropriate data is not centrally available. However, we are aware of the disruption and inconvenience caused by adjournments to criminal trials and are keen to see them reduced. We did in fact commission research into the causes of adjournments in sheriff court summary criminal cases in 1999 and the research report was published on 19 July 2001. A summary of the main findings of the research can be found on the Scottish Executive website and the full report on the Scottish Executive Central Research Unit website.The reviews being carried out by Lord Bonomy and Sheriff Principal McInnes, of the High Court and summary justice respectively, are focusing on how the criminal justice process might be made more efficient and effective. Both reviews will be making recommendations to reduce the frequency of unnecessary adjournments.

Section 24 (1) of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill requires each local authority to establish at least one local access forum in its area. Section 24 (2) sets down the functions of these forums as being "to advise the local authority and any other person or body consulting the forum on matters having to do with the exercise of access rights or the drawing up and adoption of a plan for a system of core paths". It is also intended that forums may assist in the resolution of disputes about the exercise of access rights, the drawing up and adoption of core path plans or the use of core paths.

The Land Reform (Scotland) Bill places a number of new duties on local authorities in respect of access, including the establishment of local access forums. The financial implications of these new duties are being considered as part of the current spending review.

The breakdown of the proposed National Priorities Action Fund Inclusion Programme and special educational needs (SEN) Specific Grant for in-service training by local authority area, in both 2002-03 and 2003-04, is provided in the following table:

	Inclusion Funding	In-Service Training Funding
Education Authority	Each year in2002-03 and 2003-04	Each year in 2002-3 and 2003-04
Scotland	£20,000,000	£6,743,551
Aberdeen City	£789,565	£243,860.00
Aberdeenshire	£940,276	£314,316.00
Angus	£423,887	£133,425.00
Argyll and Bute	£325,925	£120,118.00
Clackmannanshire	£195,108	£87,574.00
Dumfries and Galloway	£553,058	£204,150
Dundee City	£558,378	£175,170
East Ayrshire	£481,870	£171,107
East Dunbartonshire	£423,835	£150,958
East Lothian	£347,795	£94,421
East Renfrewshire	£355,731	£119,384
Edinburgh, City of	£1,556,880	£421,294
Eilean Siar	£108,255	£79,029
Falkirk	£554,271	£239,294.00
Fife	£1,395,147	£460,982.00
Glasgow City	£2,376,008	£810,632.00
Highland	£830,808	£263,421.00
Inverclyde	£345,629	£123,676.00
Midlothian	£320,536	£93,362.00
Moray	£349,302	£113,528.00
North Ayrshire	£572,830	£196,810.00
North Lanarkshire	£1,351,617	£466,277.00
Orkney Islands	£79,021	£85,618.00
Perth and Kinross	£507,760	£152,392.00
Renfrewshire	£706,957	£240,084.00
Scottish Borders	£390,199	£98,780.00
Shetland Islands	£99,365	£65,900.00
South Ayrshire	£430,454	£144,918.00
South Lanarkshire	£1,246,360	£420,269.00
Stirling	£336,306	£134,115.00
West Dunbartonshire	£402,433	£137,510.00
West Lothian	£644,434	£181,177.00
Total	£20,000,000	£6,743,551

Note:In addition to the in-service training funding above for teachers and other staff, a further £1,079,450 has been allocated for training for educational psychologists each year. This funding is allocated to local authorities on the basis of trainee placements sponsored.SEN Innovation Grant Programme funding cannot be broken down by local authority area because grants are awarded to voluntary and non-statutory organisations to carry out projects in the field of special educational needs. Some of these projects will be carried out across Scotland on a national basis, whilst others will be carried out in local areas.Funding is allocated directly to the seven grant-aided special schools, and not direct to local authorities, and these schools are open to pupils from across Scotland. £8.8 million has been allocated to these grant-aided special schools for 2002-03.