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Domestic abuse could be prosecuted under a variety of charges, such as assault. However, in the convictions data held centrally, such cases cannot be separately identified from other offenders convicted of these offences. The latest available statistics on incidents of domestic abuse were published in November 2003 in a statistical bulletin Domestic abuse recorded by the police in Scotland, 2002 (Bib. number 30075).  Table 13 in this bulletin provides figures for each police force area on the number of identified perpetrators of crimes or offences of domestic abuse cleared up by the police who were referred to the Procurator Fiscal.

The Executive considers that best practice is demonstrated where service users and their carers are involved in the assessment of needs and development of an appropriate care plan and where the range of interventions from preventative measures to community and hospital based care are available.

The Scottish Executive is taking action on a number of fronts: -

A Route Accident Reduction Plan study for the A82 from Tyndrum to Inverness has been completed and the recommendations are being considered for early action.

A Route Action Plan has been commissioned on the A82 which will seek to identify measures to improve road safety and reduce journey times on the route. The study will be carried out on the sections between Tarbet and Crianlarich and North Ballachullish and Fort William.

In the short-term we are committed to four structural maintenance schemes at Tarbet – Weavers Cottage, Weavers – Kenmore Wood, South of Inveruglas and South of Inverarnan giving a total investment of £3.1 million.

The first of the schemes, south of Inveruglus estimated at £800,000, is programmed to start on site in February 2005. The other schemes will start during the current three year programme but the timescales of the programme can be subject to change.

In addition, the annual accident analysis of the trunk road network is underway in order to identify and prioritise sites for investigation. The A82 is included in this exercise and any remedial action required will be carried out in 2005-06.

As you are aware I have arranged to meet with you on 16 December 2004 to discuss your concerns about road safety on the A82 and the measures which I have set out in more detail.

Children’s services becameeligible for direct payments in June 2003.  The number of parents of childrenwith disabilities receiving direct payments between June 2003 and the end ofMarch 2004 is given in the following table:

Direct Payments Clients Aged0-15 years by Local Authority, 2003-04 

Local Authority	Total Number of Clients 0-15 Years
Aberdeen City	10
Argyll and Bute	2
East Ayrshire	1
Highland	2
North Lanarkshire	2
Stirling	1
West Dunbartonshire	1
Scotland	19

Source: SEHD annual surveyof direct payments.

The information asked for is contained in the following table:

Number of Recipients of Direct Payments, year to 31 March

Local Authority	2002-03	2003-04
Aberdeen City	11	40
Aberdeenshire	11	19
Angus	30	32
Argyll and Bute	0	29
Clackmannanshire	18	23
Dumfries and Galloway	27	39
Dundee City	0	9
East Ayrshire	17	25
East Dunbartonshire	0	1
East Lothian	7	13
East Renfrewshire	0	2
Edinburgh, City of	89	120
Eilean Siar	5	4
Falkirk	0	19
Fife	120	190
Glasgow City	15	26
Highland	43	55
Inverclyde	0	0
Midlothian	0	4
Moray	7	17
North Ayrshire	0	19
North Lanarkshire	11	18
Orkney Islands	1	16
Perth and Kinross	19	20
Renfrewshire	3	7
Scottish Borders	50	87
Shetland Islands	0	4
South Ayrshire	31	32
South Lanarkshire	0	4
Stirling	0	8
West Dunbartonshire	0	13
West Lothian	19	17
Scotland	534	912

Source: SEHD annual survey of direct payments.

The information can also be found on the SE website:

Direct Payments Scotland 2004 (Table 8):

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00370-00.asp.

Direct Payments, 2003 (Table 1):

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00294-00.asp.

This information is not held centrally in the format requested.

Implementation is primarily a matter for local authorities, health boards and their planning partners, working in partnership with people with learning disabilities and their families.

It will be monitored through NHS Quality Improvement Scotland learning disability review visits, the NHS Performance Assessment Framework, and Community Care and learning disability statistical information collected and published by the Scottish Executive Analytical Services Division.

The Scottish Executive will respond to local authorities and their partners on new Partnership in Practice agreements being completed now for the years 2004-07. All agreements will be publicly available on the Scottish Executive website, with this feedback.

There are no performance indicators in place to monitor the uptake of direct payments. Consideration is being given to introducing these for direct payments in 2005-06.

The information requested is provided in the table:

Year Ending	Local Health Care Co-operative (LHCC)	Total In-patient/Day Case Discharges	“Elective” In-patient Discharges	Emergency In-patient Discharges	Day Case Discharges	First Out-patient Appointments
31-Mar-02	Total	22,355	7,670	4,152	8,224	9,672
	Argyll and Bute Local Healthcare Co-Operative	3,896	1,913	771	769	1,713
	Inverclyde Local Healthcare Co-Operative	2,360	1,046	275	715	631
	Levern Valley Local Healthcare Co-Operative	1,145	333	243	434	596
	Lomond Primary Care Co-Operative	4,383	1,459	849	1,678	2,508
	Paisley Local Healthcare Co-Operative	4,028	1,172	591	1,930	1,441
	Renfrew Local Healthcare Co-Operative	2,402	504	695	913	931
	West Renfrew Local Healthcare Co-Operative	4,141	1,243	728	1,785	1,852
31-Mar-03	Total	22,131	7,398	3,949	8,796	11,106
	Argyll and Bute Local Healthcare Co-Operative	3,725	1,746	699	881	1,786
	Inverclyde Local Healthcare Co-Operative	2,404	1,035	270	806	750
	Levern Valley Local Healthcare Co-Operative	1,130	316	187	544	662
	Lomond Primary Care Co-Operative	4,050	1,351	812	1,548	2,612
	Paisley Local Healthcare Co-Operative	4,238	1,218	570	2,123	1,846
	Renfrew Local Healthcare Co-Operative	2,400	468	709	958	1,244
	West Renfrew Local Healthcare Co-Operative	4,184	1,264	702	1,936	2,206
31-Mar-04 (provisional)	Total	20,258	6,318	3,176	8,573	10,154
	Argyll and Bute Local Healthcare Co-Operative	3,484	1,533	567	948	1,632
	Inverclyde Local Healthcare Co-Operative	2,505	954	317	920	631
	Levern Valley Local Healthcare Co-Operative	1,074	254	168	546	533
	Lomond Primary Care Co-Operative	4,085	1,206	706	1,729	2,256
	Paisley Local Healthcare Co-Operative	3,539	991	438	1,763	1,561
	Renfrew Local Healthcare Co-Operative	1,584	340	453	586	1,396
	West Renfrew Local Healthcare Co-Operative	3,987	1,040	527	2,081	2,145

Source:SMR00, SMR01.

Notes:

1. Any GP practices, at any particular time, may not be a member of an LHCC.

2. Some Argyll and Clyde residents treated in Greater Glasgow may not belong to an LHCC or, if so, not to an Argyll and Clyde LHCC. Such cases are excluded are from the table.

Consultation on the draft Bankruptcy and Diligence (Scotland) Bill ended on 30 September and the responses are currently being analysed. I can confirm that Scottish ministers fully intend to bring forward legislation in the life time of this Parliament to modernise the laws of personal bankruptcy and diligence in Scotland.