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I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows: There is no reliable data available on the re-offending rates of sex offenders in Scotland. However, in terms of re-incarceration, information previously collected for management purposes in one location (Peterhead) indicated that 13 persons who had completed a sex offender programme have been reconvicted or recalled in the period from 1993 to 2001.

The operation of facilities for asylum seekers is the responsibility of the Home Office. However, where school education is provided by a local authority, families seeking asylum have the same means of recourse available to them as other families who have concerns about the education being provided for their child by a local authority. Those means include seeking resolution through the authority's complaints procedures or if necessary seek to challenge the decision or action of the local authority in court.In practice, such families may wish to raise their concerns through support organisations for asylum seeking families or through liaison officers appointed by local authorities.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:Sex offenders are located within the prison estate according to operational needs. There is no limit as to how many can be placed in each prison. Sex offenders are not held at Low Moss.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:Except for Low Moss and Castle Huntly, all our prisons currently hold prisoners whom we categorise as sex offenders.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:The information is not available in the form requested. Prisoners may, for a variety of reasons, be treated as sex offenders in prison though their crime may not formally be one which would meet the criteria for inclusion on the sex offender register which in any case has existed only since 1997.Apart from Low Moss and Castle Huntly, all Scottish prisons contain prisoners whom SPS treats as sex offenders but central records are not kept on the numbers.

As I indicated in the answer given to question S1W-25868, the schools cultural co-ordinators pilot programme will seek to maximise the contribution to children and young people's education of the full range of arts and cultural activities; and contemporary music has a special capacity to contribute to the pilot activities. I am delighted to report that my colleague, Mike Watson, has recently convened a group whereby representatives of the music industry can explore issues such as this with the Executive and the Scottish Arts Council. The group will look at ways in which the industry can develop in terms of adding to its considerable achievements and in its contribution to promoting the objectives of the National Cultural Strategy.

Section 245E of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 allows for an offender to apply to the court for a review of a Restriction of Liberty Order. In considering an application for review the court will take into account any information about the proposed new address, including the views of those affected by the enforced presence of the offender.

Eating for Health, the Scottish Diet Action Plan, set out dietary targets and recommended that accurate consistent healthy eating messages should be based on these. The dietary action recommended in Eating for Health is aimed at improving overall health and reducing the incidence of preventable dietary-related illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. The recommendations in Eating for Health apply to all sections of the community.Healthy eating in line with Eating for Health is promoted as part of health improvement by a range of organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors. A National Food and Health Co-ordinator was appointed in 2001 to give further impetus to implementation of Eating for Health. Information on the total resources involved in this work, which includes support for breakfast clubs from a number of sources, is not held centrally, nor is it possible to break down expenditure to identify work with adults and children separately. The Scottish Executive allocates £1 million each year to implementing Eating for Health and has prioritised diet within the £26 million Health Improvement Fund. Diet forms an important part of the £6 million National Health Demonstration Project "Have a Heart Paisley". The Executive has also created a £250,000 Breakfast Service Challenge Fund to expand services targeting vulnerable children and is reviewing current provision, and is also taking steps to improve the quality of school meals. The Scottish Community Diet Project has a specific remit to work with low-income communities and will receive funding of £1.2 million between 2002 and 2005. It supports a range of community food initiatives including breakfast clubs, community garden and allotment schemes, healthy food tasting sessions and local healthy food stores.

My predecessor, Ms Wendy Alexander, was unable to give evidence at the committee due to Cabinet business. However, she provided the committee with comprehensive and relevant evidence in the form of the recently published report of the Clyde Shipyards Task Force. This has provided the basis for evidence by other witnesses, a significant number of whom were members of the task force.

The issue of the balance between naval and commercial contracts was considered by the Clyde Shipyards Task Force which my predecessor, Ms Wendy Alexander, chaired. The task force recognises, in its report published in February 2002, that "BAE SYSTEMS Marine is predominantly a warship builder ... the Govan, Scotstoun and Barrow yards employ approximately 80% of the UK's warship design, build and integration skills base. However, given BAE SYSTEMS Marine's current business strategy, the success of this nationally important business is almost completely dependent upon continued success in winning warship design and build contracts."The task force's report also includes a recommendation that "BAE SYSTEMS Marine should continue to pursue commercial work where this is compatible with warship capacity demands and a sound business case can be made."The Govan and Scotstoun yards now have a healthy order book for naval orders and are well placed to win a significant proportion of the work on the MoD's two future aircraft carriers.