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Two distinct groups are eligible for concessionary travel in Scotland - elderly people and disabled people. Data on the number of disabled people eligible for concessionary travel is not held centrally.All men and women aged 60 and over will be eligible for concessionary travel from 1 April 2003 when men aged 60 to 64 are added to those currently eligible. The 2001 census results show a total of 12,845 men and women aged 60 and over in the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency and 19,353 in the West Dunbartonshire local authority area.

Education maintenance allowances (EMAs) were first piloted in West Dunbartonshire from the start of academic year 2001-02. Five hundred and twenty-six West Dunbartonshire young people received EMAs during 2001-02 and in year 2002-03 there are currently 680 being paid EMA.EMAs are not available to young people in Argyll and Bute unless they attend a secondary school in West Dunbartonshire. In 2001-02, five Argyll and Bute young people received EMAs and in 2002-03 there are 10.

In July 2001, £24 million additional resources for child care were allocated through the child poverty package over 2001-04. The money was allocated as follows: £8.5 million was made available for child care grants for lone parents in full-time higher education to pay for child care. This grant is administered through the Students Awards Agency for Scotland. Figures for the 2001-02 allocation are not available, as payments were manual and not automated. The number of students receiving the £1,000 grant in 2002-03 is as follows:Argyll and Bute Council - 13West Dunbartonshire Council - 30£7.5 million was made available to further education colleges throughout Scotland to widen child care provision, based on locally identified needs. Responsibility for administering this money lies with the Scottish Further Education Funding Council. Information on awards made by this body is not held centrally. £8 million was made available to local authorities to help stabilise and sustain out-of-school care projects, especially in disadvantaged areas. The money was allocated over a three-year period as £2 million in 2001-02, £3 million in 2002-03 and £3 million in 2003-04. Of this, Argyll and Bute council was allocated £31,400 in 2001-02 and £47,500 in 2002-03 and 2003-04. West Dunbartonshire Council was allocated £22,800 in 2001-02 and £34,100 in 2002-03 and 2003-04.Allocation of this money within each local authority area is a matter for the individual council as they have responsibility for the allocation of funds at a local level. The information requested is not held centrally.

While this is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise, I understand that there are currently 19 microcredit groups operating across the Scottish Enterprise area supporting some 149 clients. Approximately 92% of the clients are women.

The Executive plans to publish the feasibility study in March 2003.

Within the framework of A Smart, Successful Scotland, the Executive is strongly committed to encouraging and supporting women in business. A range of new measures was introduced by Scottish Enterprise under its New Approach to Entrepreneurship strategy, launched last year. At a strategic level this includes specific targets for the number of start-ups by women supported by the network, together with practical promotional activity, for example the Executive and Scottish Enterprise jointly funding a brochure promoting successful women entrepreneurs last year.

In 2001, Scottish courts referred 562 offenders to the Drink Driving Rehabilitation Scheme as part of the sentencing procedure. In 2002, this number had increased to 1,487. The scheme itself is reserved under section 34A of the Road Traffic Offenders Act 1988, and it is the Department for Transport which monitors the provision of courses nationally, including the amount of referrals by courts in England, Scotland and Wales, the number of courses run and the total number of offenders completing a course.

The Executive is currently considering the case for a national centre for women's enterprise and I hope to announce a decision on the way forward in March.

The Scottish Executive has provided an input to the development of the Department of Trade and Industry's Women's Enterprise Strategic Framework. The Executive is currently considering the draft framework for Scottish interests.

Yes. The information is not available in the format requested, however the following road safety schemes have been implemented on trunk roads in these areas in the last four years.

Year	Route	Location	Description of Measures
1999-2000	A82	Garshake Road Junction	Right turn facility
2000-01	A82	Crosslet	Anti-skid treatment
2000-01	A82	Dumbuck Quarry	New signs, anti-skid treatment
2000-01	A82	Milton and Dumbuck	New signs, anti-skid treatment
2000-01	A82	Balloch to Tarbet Route Accident Reduction Plan	Signing, lining, anti-skid treatment, safety fence, chevrons and bollards
2000-01	A82	Stoneymollan Roundabout	Anti-skid treatment, signing, chevrons, transverse yellow bar markings and carriageway markings.
2000-01	A828	Connel to Ballachulish Route Accident Reduction Plan	Signing, lining, anti-skid treatment, chevrons and bollards
2002-03	A82	Barloan Roundabout	Anti-skid treatment, signing, chevrons, refurbishment of yellow bar markings and carriageway markings.

Information about projects undertaken by local authorities on the local road network in their areas is not held centrally.