Seòmar agus comataidhean

Construction work at St Philip’s School began at the end of June 2004. Good Shepherd and Kibble Schools plan to start construction of their secure developments by March 2005, with the Kerelaw and Rossie developments due to start later in the financial year 2005-06.

The development timelines are typically around 3.5 years, the first 24 months involving detailed design, financial and project planning and construction work thereafter taking around 18 months.

Secure accommodation is provided for young people who meet secure criteria under S. 70 (10) of the Children (Scotland) Act and those sentenced to detention under sections 205 (2) and 208 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995. The providers of secure accommodation in Scotland are:

Rossie Secure Accommodation Services: 25 places.

St Mary’s School Kenmure, Bishopbriggs: 31 places.

Kerelaw School: 24 places.

Howdenhall and St Katharine’s (Edinburgh) Secure Service providing 12 places.

The Elms, Dundee providing four places.

The latter three are local authority provision. Rossie and St Mary’s are independent charitable organisations.

At this stage, it is too early to say what the policing cost of the G8 Summit at Gleneagles will be. This will depend on a range of factors, some of which will not become clear until nearer the time.

As at 8 July 2004, two restriction of liberty orders had been imposed by Dumbarton Sheriff Court.

Police officers from across the UK are expected to be on duty for the G8 Summit at Gleneagles. Overall responsibility for policing within the Tayside Police area is a matter for the Chief Constable of Tayside Police. Tayside Police will call on mutual aid from other police forces in Scotland and in the rest of the UK, as appropriate, and planning for this is in hand.

The UK Government has agreed to make available extra funds to the Scottish Executive to help meet the agreed additional policing costs arising from the G8 Summit at Gleneagles.

Operational policing is a matter for individual Chief Constables. While anevent of the nature of the G8 Summit will clearly require a significant police presence, there is at this stage no reason to believe that police cover in Tayside or elsewhere in Scotland during the event will be reduced below what is operationally appropriate.

Since academic year 2000-01, Scottish domiciled students undertaking full-time higher education courses in Scotland have been entitled to free tuition. The fees are paid on behalf of eligible students by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland. They are not deferred and do not have to be repaid by the student. Students who have been ordinarily resident in the UK for the three years prior to the first day of the first academic year of the course, and who were ordinarily resident in Scotland on that day, are eligible for free tuition provided that they have not previously received support from public funds to undertake a course at the same academic level.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-9271 answered on 29 July 2004. All answers towritten parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, thesearch facility for which can be found at: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

The information requested isnot held centrally.