Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-3626 on 6 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-3626 on 6 September 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website the search facility for which can befound at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Students domiciledin England, Wales and Northern Ireland are liable for a tuition fee of £1,735 peryear for general degree courses and £2,760 for medical courses. There are currentlyno plans to change this and no agreement in this area has been signed.

New national guidanceon self-directed support which issued in July tasks local authorities with developinglocal infrastructures and is designed to increase uptake. This can be accessed onhttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/181224.

Along with my CabinetSecretary and ministerial colleagues, I am in dialogue with a range of stakeholdersto gather evidence and views on how we use the strategic spending review to setplans that will enable us to fulfil our purpose and achieve our strategic objectives.Increasing the uptake of self-directed support will be part of that consideration.

The draftregulations which were the subject of recent consultation proposed that thesingle survey should be no more than 12 weeks old when the property was firstmarketed. However, there was no proposed time limit on the information in the singlesurvey. Rather, it was suggested that this should be a matter for the market,reflecting the need for flexibility to address the circumstances of particularcases.

The availablestatistics on court proceedings and recorded crime cannot be combined in anymeaningful way to derive rates of conviction. However, the available statisticsdo illustrate that the conviction rate for rape, in particular, is very low.

The prosecutionof rape presents a particular challenge. It can be very difficult to obtaincorroborated evidence to convince a jury of the accused’s guilt beyondreasonable doubt. Prosecutors cannot raise proceedings where there is insufficientevidence in law to do so. In cases where the accused does not deny the act ofsexual intercourse but maintains that the complainer consented, the trial mayfocus entirely on the question of whether the complainer consented to sexualintercourse with the accused.

The ScottishGovernment is committed to addressing the low conviction rate for rape andserious sexual offences. It is clearly very important to have a robust legalframework that reflects the values of modern society. That is why we haveannounced that we will introduce a Bill on rape and sexual offences in thelight of the Scottish Law Commission’s forthcoming report.

It is equallyimportant that we ensure that cases are handled as effectively as possible. TheCrown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s Review of the Investigation andProsecution of Rape and Sexual Offences recommended improved specialisttraining and guidance to prosecutors. The implementation programme is wellunderway with 18 recommendations having been implemented and work ongoingtowards full implementation by June 2009.

NHS Quality ImprovementScotland published a national overview in 2006 thatreviewed services across the country against four Quality Indicators for LearningDisabilities selected as strongly representative of key elements of hospital closure.These were making sure services are in place to meet people’s needs when hospitalsare no longer there; in-patient services for those who need them, and ensuring thetransition into the community is planned in partnership with people with learningdisabilities, their carers and local communities and involving people in decisionsabout their lives.

They found improvementsto all of these areas and also set out a number of recommendations for continuedimprovements to offer better services for children and adults with learning disabilitiesand their carers.

The rolling stockprocurement plan continues to be developed by Transport Scotland alongside the wider procurement plan to address the requirementsof both the Major Projects, including Airdrie to Bathgate, and the increasing demandsfor rail services. Transport Scotland is confident that it can successfully procurethe rolling stock needed to continue growing Scotland’s railways, and the procurement plan is on schedule to meet the deliverydeadline for the Airdrie to Bathgate project of December 2010.

The procurement ofrolling stock for the Airdrie to Bathgate project is an operating rather than capitalcost, and therefore has no impact on the £300 to £375 million capital cost projectionfor the Airdrie to Bathgate project.

Transport Scotland has the operational responsibility for this area andcan be contacted for more information if required.

The Scottish Governmentrecognises the specific references to independent living in work carried out bythe Disability Rights Commission and by the Scottish Parliament’s Equal OpportunitiesCommittee and is currently considering what further steps need to be taken to advanceindependent living in Scotland and we will announce our plans later in the year.

The Humanitarian Health Fund is part of the International Development Fund. The Fund and Policy are presently under review as a conversation takes place to assess the most strategic way forward for Scotland’s investment in international development. Decisions as to the nature and totality of the funding for future grants will be made in accordance with the review outcomes.