Mr. RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to establish in Scotland street lighting projects, monitoring the connection between lighting and crime, along the lines of the four projects announced by the Home Office on 18 July.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonI am fully aware of the four new street lighting projects which are to be monitored by the Home Office in an attempt to assess their impact on levels of crime. We will be closely following developments on the four projects, and their relevance to Scotland will be considered in the light of the results which are expected to become available early next year. The outcome of the current research study in Wandsworth on the relationship between street lighting and crime will be of similar interest, in the context of the safer cities projects which have already been announced.