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The Principal Reporter will refer to a children's hearing any child considered to be in need of compulsory measures of care. The decision is not influenced by availability of resources available to local authorities to implement disposals from a hearing. Children's hearings make decisions based on the best interests of the child.

I have been advised by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service that it is not possible to provide a separate figure for refurbishment since some of the general maintenance expenditure on the court can include an element of refurbishment. The total spent on the maintenance and refurbishment of Jedburgh Sheriff Court in each of the last five years is set out in the following table. The expenditure in 2001-02 included a general redecoration of the court and provision of a new fire detection system.

Jedburgh Sheriff CourtMaintenance and Refurbishment Expenditure	1997-98	1998-99	1999-2000	2000-01	2001-02
	£3,800	£28,700	£18,739	£14,600	£161,985

The cost of providing night-time sanitation is not separately identifiable from the other necessary improvements in living conditions in the prison service. The independently verified costs of improving the estate were set out in the Executive's consultation paper of the future of the Scottish Prison Service estate, which show that the public sector whole life costs would be about double those of the private sector for the same quality of output.

In the period 1 January to 1 July 2002 there were a total of 5,301 applications for the central heating programme, as administered by Eaga. Four thousand, six hundred and fifty-nine of those applicants, or 88% of the total, are eligible for the programme. In the same period Eaga completed 3,651 central heating installations, of which 400 related to applications submitted after 1 January 2002. The remaining 3,251 installations related to applications submitted in 2001. Eaga do not collect figures on a local authority basis.

The terms of the question do not reflect the procedures under the central heating programme, as administered by Eaga. An application does not qualify until after a surveyor has visited the home to verify that the terms and conditions of the programme are met.When eligibility is confirmed, Eaga pass the applicant's details to a heating company. Details are generally passed on in the order in which applicants are confirmed as eligible. The period between determining eligibility and giving the applicant's name to a heating company will vary between parts of Scotland and over the duration of the programme. There are no figures by local authority area. When the heating company is authorised to proceed, the central heating is normally installed within three months.

No request for a loan has been received from Scottish Borders Council, and no loan has been agreed.

Responsibility for interpreting the legislative framework within which local authorities are required to operate rests with the individual authority and subsequently, where a ratepayer disagrees with that interpretation, the Courts.The Non Domestic Rating (Rural Areas and Rateable Values Limits) (Scotland) Order 1997 designates rural areas for the purposes of the rural (village shop) rate relief scheme. The method used is based on the General Register Office for Scotland post code method of urban/rural classification.

The Scottish Executive has no plans to extend the scope of the existing rural (village shop) rate relief scheme to post offices in deprived urban areas. Post offices in deprived urban areas may be eligible for rate relief under the small business rate relief scheme announced by Andy Kerr on 11 December 2001.The level of discretionary rate relief granted by local authorities under the rural (village shop) scheme is entirely a matter for each local authority. Information on the level of discretionary rate relief granted specifically to post offices by each local authority is not held centrally.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The available information is in the following tables:Position at Friday 1 February 2002

	Available capacity	Total	% of available capacity
South and West
Barlinnie	825	1,064	129.0%
Cornton Vale	230	232	100.9%
Dumfries	162	111	68.5%
Greenock	254	313	123.2%
Kilmarnock	548	541	98.7%
Low Moss	375	237	63.2%
Polmont	422	389	92.2%
Shotts	516	513	99.4%
Area Total	3,332	3,400	102.0%
North and East
Aberdeen	155	193	124.5%
Castle Huntly	151	132	87.4%
Edinburgh	578	658	113.8%
Glenochil	489	487	99.6%
Glenochil YOI	58	56	96.6%
Inverness	108	129	119.4%
Noranside	121	100	82.6%
Perth	582	527	90.5%
Peterhead	296	293	99.0%
Area Total	2,538	2,575	101.5%
All Scotland Total	5,876	5,976	101.7%

Position at Friday 29 March 2002

	Available capacity	Total	% of available capacity
South and West
Barlinnie	818	1,115	136.3%
Cornton Vale	230	237	103.0%
Dumfries	122	139	113.9%
Greenock	254	317	124.8%
Kilmarnock	548	526	96.0%
Low Moss	345	264	76.5%
Polmont	422	434	102.8%
Shotts	516	518	100.4%
Area Total	3,255	3,550	109.1%
North and East
Aberdeen	155	172	111.0%
Castle Huntly	151	127	84.1%
Edinburgh	578	724	125.3%
Glenochil	496	483	97.4%
Glenochil YOI	58	56	96.6%
Inverness	108	135	125.0%
Noranside	121	100	82.6%
Perth	582	567	97.4%
Peterhead	296	287	97.0%
Area Total	2,545	2,651	104.2%
All Scotland Total	5,806	6,201	106.8%

Position at Friday 28 June 2002

	Available capacity	Total	% of available capacity
South and West
Barlinnie	860	1,200	139.5%
Cornton Vale	230	266	115.7%
Dumfries	178	178	100.0%
Greenock	254	353	139.0%
Kilmarnock	548	537	98.0%
Low Moss	318	295	92.8%
Polmont	422	471	111.6%
Shotts	508	498,518	98.0%
Area Total	3,318	3,798	114.5%
North and East
Aberdeen	155	210	135.5%
Castle Huntly	156	145	92.9%
Edinburgh	578	793	137.2%
Glenochil	496	497	100.2%
Glenochil YOI	76	73	96.1%
Inverness	108	138	127.8%
Noranside	121	112	92.6%
Perth	582	543	93.3%
Peterhead	296	286	96.6%
Area Total	2,568	2,797	108.9%
All Scotland Total	5,886	6,595	112.0%"

The information requested is not held centrally.