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In the financial year2006-07, Planning Aid for Scotland will receive up to £225,283 from the ScottishExecutive. This is made up of the following four streams:

Core funding - £100,000from the Scottish Executive Planning Division;

Funding for a VolunteerDevelopment Officer - £24,000 from the Planning Development Budget;

Reach Out - £43,796from the Race Equality, Integration and CommunitySupport Fund, and

Planning for People - £57,487from the Sustainable Action Fund.

No staff at Historic Scotlandwere disciplined following allegations of staff purchasing irregularities in 2004-05,because the individual concerned resigned. Subsequent to that, however, the individualwas subject to the appropriate legal process, resulting in a custodial sentence.

Scottish ministers were askedto call in a planning application for the proposed Tesco supermarket at the formerGovernment Buildings, 53 Market Street. Ministers took the view that no issues ofsignificant national importance had been raised to warrant their intervention inthe case.

A planning application by Asdafor the development of a retail unit at Currie Road has recently been notified to Scottishministers and is currently being considered.

The Scottish Executive has discussednature conservation issues with Scottish Natural Heritage and Historic Scotlandhave had contact with the council both over the proposed demolition of the GovernmentBuildings in relation to the planning application by Tesco for a supermarket at53 Market Street.

One member of Crown Officeand Procurator Fiscal Service staff was suspended from duty during theinvestigation into the allegations and has since been successfully prosecuted. Theformer member of staff resigned before being dismissed.

The following table showsnumber of Scottish Executive staff who have been disciplined as a result ofmisconduct broken down by year and core department.

Department NumberPer Year

Department	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02	2002-03	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	Total
Development Department	0	4	2	2	0	0	0	8
Education Department	0	3	2	2	0	1	0	8
Environment and Rural Affairs Department	0	2	2	3	6	5	6	24
Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning Dept	0	1	2	3	1	0	0	7
Finance and Central Services Department	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	2
Health Department	1	0	1	0	2	1	0	5
Justice Department	0	2	0	1	2	1	1	7
Office Of The Permanent Secretary	2	4	2	6	5	4	0	23
Total	3	16	11	18	17	12	7	84

 

In the period 1999-2000 to2005-06, one member of staff was disciplined as a result of expensesirregularities and one as a result of travel and related expensesirregularities.

Historic Scotland, a ScottishExecutive agency, sought to recognise the historic merit of the Government Buildings(former Textile College) in Galashiels by listing the property as a buildingof special architectural and historic interest in 2004. In doing this, they tookthe exceptional step of listing in the faceof a live planning application, against stated policy. Ensuing action by Tesco Supermarketsaw the listing reduced by the Court of Session in June 2004.

In the absence of statutory protectionHistoric Scotland no longer has any formal locus in the case or remit under planninglaw to intervene. However, in May 2006 the agency formally invited the Scottish Borders Council to alert them shouldTesco decide not to demolish the buildings on the site, as this could give themthe opportunity to consider statutory protection afresh.

The funding allocated to theAdditional Support Needs Tribunal since its inception to 31 March 2006 totals£626,543. This figure includes running costs of £274,862.

The Additional Support NeedsTribunal has sat on two occasions to date.

Six referrals have been madeto the Additional Support Needs Tribunal since its inception as follows:

one in December 2005

two in January 2006

two in May 2006

two in June 2006.

In addition, tribunal staff havehad a significant programme of work to complete in establishing the tribunals. Thisincludes scoping and designing a new electronic case management system; producingguidance for parents, local authorities and members/conveners; establishing a telephonehelpline and website; designing and completing training events for tribunal members/conveners,and undertaking outreach visits as well as user group meetings. Staff are also involvedin short term placements to fully utilise staff capacity, for example, in helpingto establish the new Scottish Charity Appeals Panel.

The staffing position is beingkept under close scrutiny and will be reviewed in the autumn as we gain a fullerpicture of potential referral activity.

Scottish ministers have receivedno representations from the Scottish Information Commissioner in respect of additionalresources. The statutory responsibility for funding the Commissioner rests withthe Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body.