Seòmar agus comataidhean

I refer the member to the answer to question S5W-02973 on 27 September 2016. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at : http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

No tribunal to consider removal from office has been established under section 95 of the Scotland Act 1998 in order to investigate whether a judge of the Court of Session or the Chairman of the Scottish Land Court is unfit for office by reason of inability, neglect of duty or misbehaviour.

In terms of section two of the Judiciary and Courts (Scotland) Act 2008, as Head of the Scottish Judiciary, the Lord President is responsible for making and maintaining appropriate arrangements for the investigation and determination of any matter concerning the conduct of judicial office holders. The Lord President will only draw matters to the attention of the First Minister if he wishes her to constitute a tribunal to investigate and report on whether a judge of the Court of Session or Chairman of the Scottish Land Court is unfit to hold that office by reason of inability, neglect of duty or misbehaviour.

Section 95(1) to (5) of the Scotland Act 1998 relates to the appointment of the Lord President of the Court of Session, the Lord Justice Clerk, judges of the Court of Session, sheriffs principal and sheriffs. Section 95(6) to (11) provides for the removal of judges of the Court of Session and the Chairman of the Scottish Land Court.

The Scottish Government is considering the analysis of responses to the consultation together with the findings of a survey of public attitudes towards succession law of just over 1000 people representative of the Scottish population and a targeted Survey Monkey on disinheritance which received over 800 responses. That consideration will determine the content and timing of legislation to reform the law of succession, including succession legal rights.

The Scottish National Party’s election manifesto contained the following commitment:

“By reforming and modernising the law of succession in Scotland we will ensure a clear and fair legal framework for the law of inheritance, relevant to modern Scottish society and the rights of individuals and families”.

A copy of the work plan and budget for financial year 2016-17 has been placed in the Parliament’s reference centre (Bib number 58049).

The payment of £38,013 to Christian Engineers was the final grant instalment from the Scottish Government's international development fund to the project in Pakistan 'Community level drought resistance in Thar'. The project, which began in June 2013 and ended in March 2016, aimed to build the capacity of 30 villages in the Thar Desert to resist drought more effectively so that residents, especially women in 900 vulnerable households, would have improved water security and healthier, more stable lives.

More information on this project and all other international development fund projects can be found on the website: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/International/int-dev

The Scottish Government is committed to rigorous monitoring and evaluation procedures for all publicly funded activity. The Scottish Government’s international development team monitors projects regularly, requiring formal six monthly narrative and financial reports on progress against agreed objectives. Only once a report is satisfactory will the next tranche of project funds be released. The team is additionally in regular contact with the grant holding organisations throughout the year. The team also work closely with finance colleagues to ensure robust processes and financial transparency throughout. More information on the Scottish Government's monitoring and evaluation processes for its international development work, including managing the grants, can be found on the website: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/International/int-dev/MandE-Reporting

In December 2015 the Scottish Government made payments to ASH Scotland totalling £146,025. The money provided by the Scottish Government is not used for lobbying and is deployed towards agreed annual work plans which help take forward the national tobacco strategy.

The three payments to Tearfund relate to the Scottish Government's international development programmes in South Asia, Malawi and Sub-Saharan Africa. The payments were the second of a biannual grant made to the projects in the year 2015-16 to deliver agreed project aims and objectives. The grants were made as follows:

a) £82,628 for the project in the South Asia programme 'Supporting sustainable agriculture & livelihood initiatives for vulnerable farmers' in Sindh Province, Pakistan.

b) £70,032 to the Malawi project 'Girls and Boys Empowerment Project in Rural Chitipa'.

c) £149,940.95 for the Sub-Saharan Africa project 'Ending Poverty One Village at a Time' in Rwanda.

More information on these projects and all other international development fund projects can be found on the website: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/International/int-dev

The Scottish Government is committed to rigorous monitoring and evaluation procedures for all publicly funded activity. The Scottish Government’s international development team monitors projects regularly, requiring formal six monthly narrative and financial reports on progress against agreed objectives. Only once a report is satisfactory will the next tranche of project funds be released. The team is additionally in regular contact with the grant holding organisations throughout the year. The team also work closely with finance colleagues to ensure robust processes and financial transparency throughout. More information on the Scottish Government's monitoring and evaluation processes for its international development work, including managing the grants, can be found on the website: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/International/int-dev/MandE-Reporting

The Scottish Book Trust delivers a range of initiatives which help to promote reading for pleasure. The main programmes funded by Scottish Government are Bookbug, Read, Write, Count and the First Minister's Reading Challenge.

The Bookbug programme provides bags of books and literacy materials from birth to primary 1. A report on Language Development and Enjoyment of Reading from the Growing Up in Scotland study concluded that parents who received and used the pack read or looked at books more frequently with their child than parents who did not receive or use Bookbug. The study (published in 2016) also concluded that the relationship between receipt of and use of the Bookbug pack and home learning activities did not appear to be confined to the most advantaged socio-economic groups.

The Growing Up in Scotland study can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/06/2715

The Bookbug for the home programme provides additional ‘outreach’ support to families in disadvantaged circumstances, training practitioners to take elements of the Bookbug approach into family homes. The most recent evaluation report on Bookbug for the home (April 2015) found evidence to show that it equips early years professionals to support parents to interact more with their children and to develop a relationship with books.

Though it is too early to draw conclusions on either First Minister's reading challenge or read, write, count, the grant arrangements for both programmes include a requirement on book trust to evaluate the impact of the programmes.

The Scottish Book Trust deliver a range of additional initiatives using funding from creative Scotland. This includes book week Scotland - Scotland's annual celebration of reading and writing. In 2015 book week Scotland delivered 761 events and activities across 32 local authority areas. 79% of schools reported having organised book week Scotland events in the school.