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We provided an overview of our empowering communities agenda in the Social Justice Action Note published in June (copies available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, Bib no. 6978). We are further developing this agenda through practical action to support those from Social Inclusion Partnerships and Working for Communities Pathfinders involved in regenerating disadvantaged areas. This will include: work to achieve greater clarity and awareness of roles and responsibilities of those within the partnerships; ensuring adequate support to enable those from the community to be equal partners; ensuring training opportunities, such as our national skills programme Working Together Learning Together, are explored and prioritised, and facilitating the sharing of good practice, for example through promoting networking arrangements.Looking beyond these practical actions to support those working in our communities, we intend to explore much wider-ranging opportunities that will enable local people to directly influence decisions which affect their neighbourhoods.

The sale and supply of fireworks is a consumer protection matter and as such is reserved.

The UK Government undertook a comprehensive review of the controls on fireworks in 1996, which led to the introduction of the Fireworks (Safety) Regulations 1997. The 1997 Regulations control the type and size of fireworks which can be sold to the general public and prohibit the sale of most fireworks to anyone under 18 years of age. It is an offence, which can result in a fine of up to £5,000 and/or a prison sentence, to supply to the general public the more powerful types of fireworks specified in the Regulations. The Regulations also require that all fireworks intended for sale to the general public, whether manufactured here or imported, must comply with the British Standard on the safety of fireworks, BS 71124 Part 2: 1998.The UK Government is keeping this matter under review.

In better aligning demand for and supply of services, the Scottish Executive expects Best Value to be a useful tool in establishing where funds are being applied to less than optimum effect, and could be better recycled within the authority.

The consultation paper, Best Value in Local Government: Next Steps, suggests that in the absence of an incentive scheme which rewards councils for continuous improvement, the public purse might benefit from a requirement that they should redistribute at least 2% of their annual budgets this way every year.

We are currently considering comments on this suggestion.

Best Value is central to the Executive's drive to modernise local government. Best Value is about ways of working which improve local authority service delivery. These include linking budgets and other resources to key service priorities, ensuring that decision-makers receive full and accurate information about service performance, and seeking out benchmarking partners.

The long-term aim is to achieve the quality and range of services local residents and businesses want at prices they can afford. Best Value reviews should include mechanisms for consultation with customers and council tax payers, and for being open about performance outcomes in priority services.

In better aligning demand for and supply of services, we expect Best Value to be a useful tool in establishing where funds are being applied to little effect and could be better recycled within the authority. The Executive's consultation paper, Best Value in Local Government: Next Steps, suggests that councils' plans should include an estimation of the resources they intend to release and redistribute through implementation of Best Value. The paper suggests a floor target for this of 2% of total budgets each year.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-10710.

I refer the member to the answer I gave to question S1W-10710.

The Executive's consultation paper, Best Value in Local Government: Next Steps, published in June 2000, invited views on the development of a long-term legislative framework for Best Value in Local Government. This includes the development of a legislative definition for Best Value.

The closing date for responses to the consultation paper was October 20. Ministers will outline their intentions by the end of the year.

The Executive has committed itself to extending the principles which already underpin Best Value in local government to the wider public sector in Scotland. To that end the then Minister for Finance, Jack McConnell, announced on 20 September our intention to introduce Best Value Reviews covering the main public spending programmes in Scotland and for this process to be overseen by a new Best Value Board. Further details will be announced shortly.

The Scottish Executive has established a Joint Scrutiny Forum (JSF) to consider the organisation and implementation of the scrutiny of Best Value in Scottish local authorities.

The JSF aims to support inspection systems (where relevant) and procedures which co-ordinate the Best Value scrutiny of Scottish local authorities to avoid duplication between Inspectorates, the Accounts Commission and Scottish Executive Departments. The JSF also encourages the development of methods for joint working and robust scrutiny processes to ensure that Best Value is rigorously appraised.

The members of the JSF are HM Inspectors of Schools, Social Work Services Inspectorate, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, HM Inspectorate of Fire Services, the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate, Scottish Homes, Audit Scotland (for the Accounts Commission for Scotland) and the Scottish Executive Development Department.

The JSF will meet on a quarterly basis. Further information, including newsletters, can be accessed at the Best Value website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/bestvalue/.

The Scottish Executive is working in partnership with local authorities and others to further develop Best Value in local government.

The Accounts Commission has recently completed its first audit of Performance Management and Planning (PMP) in local authorities. It found that the majority of services scrutinised were making progress in developing effective PMP systems. The Commission will continue its support of authorities. The Executive and local authorities are also facilitating a number of seminars on PMP and Best Value in particular service areas.

The Scottish Executive expect that improved PMP and performance information systems in local authorities will assist councillors and service managers in focussing available resources on key service priorities.

Local authorities publish annual Public Performance Reports (PPR). These reports provide councillors, officials and members of the public with key information about the council's performance in the different service areas. PPR are a key part of Best Value, showing performance against key indicators. The need for PPR was agreed between the then Secretary of State for Scotland and CoSLA in July 1998, and set out in Scottish Office Development Department circular 5/99. The Best Value Task Force issued guidance on the development of PPR systems in June 1999.

The Scottish Executive is encouraging local authorities to adopt benchmarking processes as part of their wider development of PMP systems. A number of benchmarking standards are being utilised by authorities.