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Credit unions have important roles in encouraging members to save in times of financial difficulties and in providing them with access to affordable credit, particularly for those who may not be able to access mainstream financial services and products. Many credit unions allow members to save through payroll deductions as well as paying in cash and benefits direct. Additionally, a number of them promote financial capability by facilitating budgeting skills workshops for members.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3F-1200 on 20 November 2008:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-08/sor1120-02.htm#Col12616.

I believe the vast majority of Scotland''s children and young people are making a meaningful and positive impact within their communities. This report raises the gap that currently exists between reality and perception. The reality being:

99% of head teachers believe that all or almost all pupils are generally well behaved in class.

Over 185,000 young people are actively engaged with voluntary youth organisations across Scotland.

And less than 1.5% of young people commit crime.

To show his personal commitment to this issue the First Minister recently hosted a dinner with opinion-formers in the public and private sector. The aim of this was to move forward an ambitious agenda for our young people through Young Scot Active, an element of which will specifically target unfair and negative reporting on young people. This work is being further echoed in the development of the Youth Justice Framework and the Anti Social Behaviour review.

Funding is available through the Scottish Investment Fund and will shortly be available through the Third Sector Enterprise Fund and the Social Entrepreneurs Fund. Funding may also be available through the Fairer Scotland Fund which is deployed and managed by Community Planning Partnerships.

(i) The most recent comparable figures for the UK are provided by ONS, for 2004 and are shown in the following table.

At birth, and at 65 years of age, Scottish men and women have lower life expectancies, healthy life expectancies and disability-free life expectancies than people in the rest of the UK.

From birth, and over the age of 50, men and women can typically expect to live in good health for 15 and 19 years respectively, or free of disability for 11 and 13 years for men and women respectively.

From age 65, men and women can typically expect to live in good health for around 11 and 14 years respectively and around nine and 10 years free of disability.

Table 1 Life Expectancy, Healthy Life Expectancy (HLE) and disability-Free Life Expectancy (DFLE) at Birth and Age 65: by Country and Sex, 2004

Country	Life Expectancy Years	Healthy Life Expectancy Years	Disability-Free Life Expectancy Years
At birth
Males UK	76.6	67.9	62.3
England	76.9	68.3	62.6
Wales	76.3	66.5*	60.6*
Scotland	74.2	65.6*	61.0*
Northern Ireland	76	66.8*	59.7*
Females UK	81	70.3	63.9
England	81.2	70.6	64.2
Wales	80.7	68.3*	62.2*
Scotland	79.3	69.6	63.4
Northern Ireland	80.8	68.4*	60.3*
At age 65
Males UK	16.6	12.5	9.9
England	16.8	12.7	10.1
Wales	16.4	11.8	9.3
Scotland	15.5	11.5*	9.3
Northern Ireland	16.4	12.8	8.8*
Females UK	19.4	14.5	10.7
England	19.6	14.6	10.8
Wales	19.2	13.2*	9.6
Scotland	18.4	13.9	10.5
Northern Ireland	19.3	13.6*	8.7*

Source ONS http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=12964.

(ii) and (iii) Comparable EU and OECD figures on health expectancies are not available, mainly due to differences in methods used to calculate HLE and DFLE.

Financial close and the subsequent contract award are expected to be concluded by the end of the year.

Deciding on sentences for women offenders is entirely a matter for Courts. The Scottish Prison Service is required under law to receive anybody who is sent to them from Court. Expectant mothers and mothers of babies and young children are no exception.

Nobody likes the idea of a baby being brought up in prison but separating mothers and their newborn babies can have a lasting and damaging effect. The Scottish Prison Service together with social work services considers each case on its individual merits taking into account the demands of parenting very young children in a prison environment. Decisions to maintain a baby with its mother or to separate them are always based on the best interests of the child.

The Scottish Government has not published specific advice to registered social landlords who act as factors for owner-occupiers living in the same building as their tenants.

There is some related guidance on the general subject of refurbishing blocks of flats that contain both social rented housing and owner-occupied housing given that the social rented element is required to meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard. This is discussed in paragraphs 2.9-2.12 of the Scottish Housing Quality Standard Delivery Plan Guidance published in July 2004 which is available here:

http://www.communitiesscotland.gov.uk/stellent/groups/public/documents/webpages/cs_007224.pdf.

In addition, the Scottish Housing Regulator''s Performance Standards covers activities such as factoring and sets out a broad expectation for social landlords that provide factoring services should be:

 fair, efficient and effective factors for other property owners and manage factoring funds on behalf of owners in a proper and accountable manner (Performance Standard AS5.2).

The electronic link to this and wider guidance on Performance Standards is available here:

http://www.scottishhousingregulator.gov.uk/stellent/groups/public/documents/webpages/shr_as5.2factoring.hcsp#TopOfPage.

The Scottish Housing Regulator has published a set of high-level performance standards that registered social landlords (RSLs) and local authorities should achieve across their range of housing services. The Performance Standards include the broad expectation that, in their factoring activities, local authorities and RSLs should be:fair, efficient and effective factors for other property owners and manage factoring funds on behalf of owners in a proper and accountable manner.

There are no specific service standards laid down for private sector property managers and factors in relation to work that they undertake or commission on behalf of their clients. Those that are members of trade or professional bodies will be required by the body to comply with any code of practice that it has established. Otherwise service delivery by property managers and factors is a contractual matter between them and their customers, enforceable in the courts.

The Scottish Government has announced plans to work with the industry to develop a national accreditation scheme for residential property managers that is open to local authorities and RSLs offering factoring services as well as private sector property managers. Property managers that join the scheme will have to meet high standards of service, including obtaining quotations for necessary works from a range of contractors, and could have their accreditation removed if they fail to meet standards.

Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) are required to pay VAT at the appropriate rates on all expenses they incur. Their main activity, the letting of social housing, is an exempt supply for the purposes of VAT. This means that RSLs are unable to reclaim from HM Revenue and Customs any input tax they incur in connection with this activity.

The table below provides a breakdown of the rolling stock that is currently operated under the First ScotRail passenger franchise in Scotland. The rolling stock fleet is owned in part by three different rolling stock leasing companies each of which has a different parent bank group:

Angel Trains is owned by a consortium of investors including the Babcock and Brown European Infrastructure Fund, Babcock and Brown Public Partnerships, AMP Capital Investors (AMP Capital) and Deutsche Bank.

HSBC Rail is a member of the HSBC Group.

Porterbrook Leasing Company Ltd is owned by Abbey, part of the Santander Group, but is being purchased by a consortium of investors including Antin Infrastructure Partners, Deutsche Bank and Lloyds TSB with completion expected before the end of 2008.

Type	Class	Number of Units	Rolling Stock Leasing Company
Diesel	156	48	Angel Trains
Diesel	158	40	Porterbrook
Diesel	158	7	Angel Trains
Diesel	170	50	Porterbrook
Diesel	170	9	HSBC Rail
Electric	314	16	Angel Trains
Electric	318	21	HSBC Rail
Electric	320	22	HSBC Rail
Electric	322	5	HSBC Rail
Electric	334	40	HSBC Rail
Locomotive Hauled Coaching Stock (form part of Sleeper services)	Mark 3	53	Porterbrook
Locomotive Hauled Coaching Stock (form part of Sleeper services)	Mark 2	22	HSBC Rail

 

The Scottish Government does not hold details of the ownership of rolling stock operated by other train operating companies in Scotland.