I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-29600 on 21 March 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at: http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

Betting, gaming and lotteries are reserved matters and their regulation is therefore primarily the responsibility of the UK Government. The Gambling Commission was set up by the UK Government under the Gambling Act 2005 to regulate commercial gambling. Further information about online gambling legislation can be found on the commission’s website: http://www.gamblingcommission.gov.uk/Gambling-sectors/Online/Remote.aspx

In the context of the Smith Commission, the Scottish Government argued for the full devolution of gambling policy to Scotland on the grounds that this would enable problem gambling in Scotland to be tackled more effectively. However, the subsequent Scotland Act 2016 included only a limited power in respect of the number of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals in new betting shops.

The Scottish Government has allocated over £10.3 billion to local government for 2016-17. It is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate the total financial resources available to it on the basis of local needs and priorities having first fulfilled its statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national and local priorities including the Scottish Government's key strategic objectives.

The Scottish Government is committed to working with local government to help improve the condition of roads and pavements throughout the country. We do this through the Road Collaboration Programme which is supporting all councils in Scotland to explore opportunities to share services. A number of regional partnerships have now been established including the Edinburgh, Lothians, Borders and Fife Forum and the Tayforth Roads Collaboration Forum.