It is not our practice to comment on individual opinions expressed by MSPs. Ministers and officials from all four UK Agriculture Departments are already engaged in discussions which will shape the UK negotiating position for the forthcoming mid-term review of the Common Agricultural Policy. The Scottish Executive is committed in the review process to ensure that Scotland's farmers and crofters continue to receive appropriate support.

A review of rural definitions in use across the Executive revealed that around 20 different definitions of rural were in use. To ensure a more consistent approach to defining rural Scotland within the Executive, a core definition was adopted. It defines rural Scotland as being areas outside settlements of more than 3,000 residents. A framework approach ensures that, where appropriate, variations on the core definition, or indeed, alternative definitions can be adopted, where it can be demonstrated that those variations will allow individual policies or programmes to be targeted more effectively. An article giving details about this review was published in the Scottish Economic Report, published in June 2001. The Executive has no immediate plans to carry out a further review of rural definitions.

There is currently no on-going programme of graduate recruitment for general entrance to the Scottish Executive, although a one off campaign targeted specifically at graduates was held in December 2000 and resulted in the employment of 41 Graduate Administrators. Some recruitment of specialists, such as statisticians and economists, is targeted at graduates on a civil service-wide basis. The Scottish Executive co-ordinates the recruitment of graduates as legal trainees on behalf of the Government Legal Service for Scotland.The Scottish Executive also participates in the Civil Service Fast Stream Development Programme, run by the Cabinet Office, which seeks to recruit both generalist and specialist graduates. In 2001 the Scottish Executive recruited 13 Fast Streamers, 11 are anticipated for 2002.In addition to these arrangements, the Scottish Executive also offers student sandwich placement opportunities. In 2001 the Executive provided 66 such placements for students.As part of the Scottish Executive's commitment to equality of opportunity, a diversity outreach project worker is employed to raise the Scottish Executive's profile amongst black and ethnic minority communities and thereby encourage applications for employment. The outreach worker has established contacts with higher education institutions and has been actively involved in promoting the Scottish Executive as an employer of black and ethnic minority graduates. In connection with this project 15 undergraduates and recent graduates from black and ethnic minorities are to be offered six week placements in the Scottish Executive in summer 2002. A review of recruitment is currently under-way in the Scottish Executive and the recruitment of graduates is being considered as part of this review.

The information requested is given in tables 1-4 of Recruitment Advertising Costs April 1998 - December 2001, a copy of which has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 18618).

The information requested is given in tables 1-4 of Recruitment Advertising Costs April 1998 - December 2001, a copy of which has been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 18618).

The Executive does not hold this information. Local authorities incur expenditure on criminal justice services under a number of budget headings including district courts, offender services and police. They have no identifiable criminal justice budget and it is not possible to identify total expenditure from the information available.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) currently has no special arrangements in place to encourage applications for posts from students at universities and colleges.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) became an employer in its own right on 1 April 2000 and began carrying out its own recruitment from January 2000. Prior to that date, recruitment was conducted on behalf of the SPCB by the Scottish Office/Scottish Executive. Our records only go back to January 2000.Details of advertisements placed within Scottish national and regional newspapers from January 2000 are set out in the table below. All posts advertised in the press are also published on the Parliament's website. Adverts in the Herald, Scotsman or Daily Record also appear in the Sunday Herald, Scotland on Sunday and Sunday Mail respectively and are also posted on the papers' websites. The majority of posts advertised in the Edinburgh Evening News were also placed in Job Centres.

Publication	2000		2001		2002		Total to Date
	Adv.	Posts	Adv.	Posts	Adv.	Posts	Adv.	Posts
Edinburgh Evening News	8	35	4	16	-	-	12	51
The Scotsman	17	62	23	52	1	1	41	115
The Herald	13	58	17	44	1	1	31	103
Daily Record	1	2	-	-	-	-	1	2
West Highland Free Press	1	1	-	-	-	-	1	1
Stornoway Gazette	1	1	-	-	-	-	1	1
An Gaidheal Ur	1	1	-	-	-	-	1	1

Note: An individual post may be advertised in more than one publication.

The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) became an employer in its own right on 1 April 2000 and began carrying out its own recruitment from January 2000. Prior to that date recruitment was conducted on behalf of the SPCB by the Scottish Office/Scottish Executive. Our records only go back to January 2000.Details of advertisements placed in publications outwith Scotland from January 2000 are set out in the table below.

Publication	2000		2001		2002		Total to Date
	Adv.	Cost (£)	Adv.	Cost (£)	Adv.	Cost (£)	Adv.	Cost (£)
Guardian	4	18,781.88	3	9,700.25			7	28,482.13
Computer Weekly	2	14,599.65	2	12,432.00			4	27,031.65
Library Association Record	3	2,551.50	2	1,649.70	1	980.00	6	5,181.20
Supply Management	-	-	2	5,096.75			2	5,096.75
Prospects Today	1	1,248.75	-	-			1	1,248.75
Managing Information	1	666.00	-	-			1	666.00
Soc. of Archivists Newsletter	1	277.50	-	-			1	277.50
Building	-	-	1	1,568.80			1	1,568.80
The Nation	-	-	1	290.00			1	290.00
Health & Safety Practitioner	-	-	1	911.13			1	911.13
Total	12	38,125.28	12	31,648.63	1	980.00	25	70,753.91

The enterprise networks have been made aware, in discussions in the management groups overseeing the European structural funds programmes that partially fund the fishing vessel decommissioning scheme, of decommissioning plans. The actual impact of decommissioning on individual fishermen, and their ability to find alternative berths or employment if necessary, remains to be seen. The department and the enterprise networks will remain in contact over these issues.