I refer the memberto the question S3W-6924 on 5 December 2007. All answers towritten parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the searchfacility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-6924 on 5 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

JP courts will beestablished in Grampian Highland and Islands when the existingdistrict courts come under the management of the Scottish Court Service. We expect this to happen in June 2008.

Business will be transferredfrom sheriff courts to JP and district courts during the first half of 2008, inline with the Crown Office’s revised marking guidance and the new power that thedistrict and JP courts will have to disqualify people from driving in cases otherthan “totting-up” cases. As in other areas of Scotland, there will be on-going communication between the Justices’ Training Committeeof Grampian Highland and Islands, the Crown Office and the Judicial StudiesCommittee to ensure that justices of the peace and legal advisers are properly equippedto deal with any new types of cases that are transferred to the JP or district courts.

During the last threemonths almost all JPs throughout Scotland, including thosein Grampian Highland and Islands, have undertaken a three day course of residentialtraining organised by the Judicial Studies Committee.

Since 10 December 2007, planning and reporting on the training of JPs in Grampian Highlands and Islands has been the responsibility of the Justices’ Training Committee for thatsheriffdom. This committee is made up of justices of the peace, a sheriff and alegal assessor. The committee is currently considering the training needs of differentparts of the sheriffdom, and is discussing with the Scottish Government the possibilityof holding a further residential event for JPs before June 2008, when courts inGrampian, Highlands and Islands come under the management of the Scottish Court Service.

We have no plansto increase the number of community wardens. For future years, funding forcommunity safety and antisocial behaviour will be included within the overalllocal government finance settlement. It will be the responsibility of eachlocal authority, in conjunction with their Community Planning Partners, toallocate funding on the basis of their local needs and priorities – taking intoaccount their statutory obligations and the jointly agreed set of national andlocal priorities, including the Scottish Government’s key strategic objectivesand manifesto commitments.

We will belooking at the role of community wardens and considering their potential futureuse as part of the current review of antisocial behaviour.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-6929 on 29 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions areavailable on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can befound at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I replied to the memberon 26 November 2007.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-5268 on 29 October 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-6007 on 8 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

The Directorate forPlanning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) has received two valid planning appealsfrom Tesco Stores Ltd against the failure to give decisions on applications forplanning permission by Glasgow City Council for retail development on land to thesouth of Beith Street, Glasgow. The appeals are in the early stage of processing and the public local inquiryis likely to take place in spring 2008. In keeping with the majority of appealsdetermined by DPEA, these appeals will be determined by a reporter from DPEA actingunder powers delegated by Scottish ministers.