Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-25548.

The Scottish Executive Trade Union Side have and are continuing to play a full and active part in helping to implement the Diversity Strategy. Indeed, as the Executive's Partnership Agreement intended they are represented and engaged with management on a number of working groups charged with taking the strategy forward.

The original announcement was predicated on the programme being operated by Wellpark Enterprise Centre, in collaboration with Scottish Enterprise. Under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, Wellpark Enterprise Centre would have been covered by an exception under section 34 of the act allowing the organisation to operate a scheme of this nature. Given the difficulties faced by Wellpark, the programme is now being operated directly by Scottish Enterprise. As a public body set up by enactment, Scottish Enterprise would not be able to deliver the programme exclusively targeted at women, as this would be unlawful under section 29 of the act.

The Executive appreciates that some aspects of effectiveness are difficult to evaluate. However:(a) its staff survey indicates that the percentage of staff who agreed that the Scottish Executive "values its staff" increased from 38% to 49% from 2000 to 2001. There was also a 2% reduction, over the same period, in the number of individuals who felt that they had been discriminated against (from 10% to 8% of staff);(b) an active programme of equality proofing is currently being pursued, and(c) the Executive's Outreach Project has participated in 11 career fairs and given presentations at six universities and 10 schools since December 2000. It has also held a week-long development programme for minority ethnic students and has in place a diversity placement scheme for summer 2002 which will provide six-week, paid work opportunities for around 20 minority ethnic graduates and undergraduates.

We report to the Parliament's Finance Committee on a wide range of organisational issues, including progress against our diversity strategy, on an annual basis, or more frequently at its request.

A Victim Liaison Office will be operational in each region of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service by summer 2002. At present there is no target date to establish a Victim Liaison Office in Dumbarton. However, further expansion of the Victim Liaison Office will be considered in light of the evaluation of the operation of the pilot offices in Aberdeen and Hamilton and the implementation of the Management Review of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

The Victim Liaison Office is a major strand of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Action Plan on the Scottish Strategy for Victims. I have already given a commitment that there would be a Victim Liaison Office within each region of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service by summer 2002. Offices have been established in Aberdeen, Hamilton, Peterhead, Glasgow and Kilmarnock. Further offices will be opened in Edinburgh and Dundee by August 2002.The principal aims of the service are to provide information to eligible victims, witnesses and bereaved next of kin about the criminal justice process in general and the progress of the case that affects them and to facilitate referrals to other agencies for specialist support and counselling as required.The Victim Liaison Office provides its services to the following categories:

• Victims in serious cases where the nature of the charge is indicative of proceedings before a jury;

• Next of kin in deaths cases which are reported for consideration of criminal proceedings, and in deaths cases where a Fatal Accident Inquiry is to be held;

• Next of kin in cases where the Procurator Fiscal will invite the next of kin to discuss the circumstances of the death;

• Victims in cases of domestic abuse;

• Victims in racially aggravated cases and cases where it is known that the victim perceived the offence to be racially motivated;

• Cases involving children who have been cited as prosecution witnesses;

• Victims in cases involving sexual offences, and

Any other victim, witness or next of kin where the Victim Liaison Office considers that because of particular vulnerability the provision of services would be beneficial.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service Action Plan on the Scottish Strategy for Victims contains a commitment to have a Victim Liaison Office operational in each region of the service by summer 2002. Offices have already been established in Aberdeen, Hamilton, Peterhead, Glasgow and Kilmarnock. The first phase of the Victim Liaison Office roll out will be complete by August 2002 when additional offices will be operational in Edinburgh and Dundee.Decisions about the further expansion of the Victim Liaison Office will be made in light of the evaluation of the pilot sites at Aberdeen and Hamilton and the implementation of the Management Review of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Nicol Stephen and Peter Peacock have recently met all the authorities who have submitted bids for support for school Public/Private Partnership projects to assist in informing decisions on the bids. They indicated to the authorities that further consideration would be necessary before decisions could be taken on individual bids. We expect to decide the way forward this month.

The Scottish Executive is providing £16.75 million of Childcare Strategy funding, in the current year, to local authorities to deliver affordable, accessible, good quality childcare, including full-time nursery places, to meet the local childcare needs of working parents.