Rural Scotland People, Prosperity and Partnership

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Access to information and advice

• The Scottish Office will publish the results of research on how access to information and advice might be improved. It will recommend that local bodies agree a common approach to providing information in a way that meets local needs, which might include: well-publicised helplines; freephone or local call rate facilities; local contact points; and greater shared use of existing premises.

• A key recommendation was that Tayside Regional Council's booklet on rural grants, which was sponsored by the Scottish Agricultural College, should be extended to cover the whole of rural Scotland. This is now being taken forward by Rural Forum in conjunction with the relevant local councils, with assistance from The Scottish Office.

• Citizens Advice Scotland has received funding from Scottish Power and British Telecom to provide a national telephone advice facility which will be available at local call rates and will therefore be of particular benefit to people living in rural areas.