The Victim Liaison Office based at the Procurator Fiscal's Office in Glasgow deals only with cases which occur in the Glasgow area and which fall within the categories dealt with by the Victim Liaison Office, as referred to in the answer to question S1W-24819 on 3 May 2002.

The following information is collected about evictions in each of the two main social rented tenures:

Tenure	Information Collected	Frequency of Collection	Data Collected Since:	Latest Available
Rented from Council	Total number of evictionsNumber of evictions on the grounds of anti-social behaviour	Quarterly	Both from the quarter April-June 2001	July-September 2001
Rented from Registered Social Landlords	Total number of evictionsNumber of evictions on the grounds of anti-social behaviourNumber of evictions for non-payment of rent	Annually	The first since year to March 1999The others will be collected from 2001-02	For total evictions:Year to 31 March 2001

Information on evictions of private sector tenants is not collected centrally and we have no plans do to so.The latest available information on evictions in the local authority sector was published in the Scottish Executive Quarterly Housing Trends Bulletin HSG/2002/1, which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (publication date 26 March 2002, Bib. number 20348). Information on evictions by Registered Social Landlords is held by Communities Scotland.In deciding on the regular statistical information to gather, maintain and publish centrally, the Executive consults regularly with suppliers and users of our statistics through established statistical liaison arrangements, and consultation on the annual Scottish Executive Statistics Plan.

At least three year's accident figures are required in order to see how well a route accident reduction plan (RARP) is performing. An analysis of the accident figures for pre-1999 RARPs has been prepared to illustrate the reduction, or otherwise, of injury accidents along these lengths of road. The figures may be distorted by traffic growth, development in the vicinity, treatment of accident cluster sites and the carrying out of improvement schemes or major maintenance, but they do suggest that some RARPs have worked and some have not. They are attempting to deal with the most difficult type of accident to treat - the random occurrence of crashes along a length of road. The effectiveness of various types of treatment in different locations is being monitored, and should result in more effective investment in such schemes in the future.Trunk Road Route Accident Reduction Plans (1996-98)

Route	Scheme Name	CompletionDate	EstimatedCost	BeforeACCS	After ACCS
A87	Invergarry to Kyle of Lochalsh	31/10/1997	£268,330	61	41
A9	Dornoch to Scrabster	31/07/1997	£320,000	104	57
A84	Stirling to Crianlarich	30/05/1997	£150,000	83	100
A83	Tarbet to Kennacraig	01/03/1998	£575,000	98	124
A85	Lochearnhead to Crianlarich	17/12/1997	£155,000	32	34
A887	Invermoriston to Bun Loyne	28/02/1998	£61,226	6	6
A737	Beith to Dalry	31/10/1997	£65,000	34	26
A737	Howwood to Renfrewshire	15/03/1999	£24,500	29	20
A75	Gretna to Stranraer	28/02/1998	£597,000	192	209
A95	Keith to Granish*	30/01/2000	£100,000	86	64
A87	Kyle of Lochalsh to Uig*	30/04/1999	£160,000	60	69
A9	Georgemas Jct. to Thurso*	31/12/1999	£5,000	13	12
A78	Skelmorlie to Ardrossan	01/10/1998	£63,000	112	103
Total			£2,544,056	910	865

Note:*Factored to 36 months.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25548.

We report to the Parliament's Finance Committee on a wide range of organisational issues, including progress against our diversity strategy, on an annual basis, or more frequently at its request.

The Executive appreciates that some aspects of effectiveness are difficult to evaluate. However:(a) its staff survey indicates that the percentage of staff who agreed that the Scottish Executive "values its staff" increased from 38% to 49% from 2000 to 2001. There was also a 2% reduction, over the same period, in the number of individuals who felt that they had been discriminated against (from 10% to 8% of staff);(b) an active programme of equality proofing is currently being pursued, and(c) the Executive's Outreach Project has participated in 11 career fairs and given presentations at six universities and 10 schools since December 2000. It has also held a week-long development programme for minority ethnic students and has in place a diversity placement scheme for summer 2002 which will provide six-week, paid work opportunities for around 20 minority ethnic graduates and undergraduates.

The Scottish Executive Trade Union Side have and are continuing to play a full and active part in helping to implement the Diversity Strategy. Indeed, as the Executive's Partnership Agreement intended they are represented and engaged with management on a number of working groups charged with taking the strategy forward.

The original announcement was predicated on the programme being operated by Wellpark Enterprise Centre, in collaboration with Scottish Enterprise. Under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, Wellpark Enterprise Centre would have been covered by an exception under section 34 of the act allowing the organisation to operate a scheme of this nature. Given the difficulties faced by Wellpark, the programme is now being operated directly by Scottish Enterprise. As a public body set up by enactment, Scottish Enterprise would not be able to deliver the programme exclusively targeted at women, as this would be unlawful under section 29 of the act.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Action Plan on the Scottish Strategy for Victims contains a commitment to have a Victim Liaison Office operational in each region of the service by summer 2002. Offices have already been established in Aberdeen, Hamilton, Peterhead, Glasgow and Kilmarnock. The first phase of the Victim Liaison Office roll out will be complete by August 2002 when additional offices will be operational in Edinburgh and Dundee.Decisions about the further expansion of the Victim Liaison Office will be made in light of the evaluation of the pilot sites at Aberdeen and Hamilton and the implementation of the Management Review of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

The Victim Liaison Office is a major strand of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Action Plan on the Scottish Strategy for Victims. I have already given a commitment that there would be a Victim Liaison Office within each region of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service by summer 2002. Offices have been established in Aberdeen, Hamilton, Peterhead, Glasgow and Kilmarnock. Further offices will be opened in Edinburgh and Dundee by August 2002.The principal aims of the service are to provide information to eligible victims, witnesses and bereaved next of kin about the criminal justice process in general and the progress of the case that affects them and to facilitate referrals to other agencies for specialist support and counselling as required.The Victim Liaison Office provides its services to the following categories:

• Victims in serious cases where the nature of the charge is indicative of proceedings before a jury;

• Next of kin in deaths cases which are reported for consideration of criminal proceedings, and in deaths cases where a Fatal Accident Inquiry is to be held;

• Next of kin in cases where the Procurator Fiscal will invite the next of kin to discuss the circumstances of the death;

• Victims in cases of domestic abuse;

• Victims in racially aggravated cases and cases where it is known that the victim perceived the offence to be racially motivated;

• Cases involving children who have been cited as prosecution witnesses;

• Victims in cases involving sexual offences, and

Any other victim, witness or next of kin where the Victim Liaison Office considers that because of particular vulnerability the provision of services would be beneficial.