Every child has the right to be safe from neglect and abuse. Where there is a concern that this is not the case there are a number of steps commonly taken by support services.

Local people who have to travel miles for specialist health care have welcomed news that a contractor has been chosen for the long-awaited St Andrews community hospital and health centre.

A report by the Accounts Commission has praised Scottish Borders Council’s progress in improving its operations. However, it has also highlighted a gap which remains between its ambitions and current performance.

Suicides in Scotland have increased significantly in the past 15 years, figures show, and experts yesterday called for increased efforts to target those most at risk. A major study analysing data from 1989 to 2004 has revealed that the suicide rate in men has increased by 22 per cent, while in women it is up 6 per cent.

Thousands of pensioners are to have their right to free food-preparation enshrined in law to force reluctant councils to pay for the service, under plans being proposed by ministers. Pensioners have been denied free help by many local authorities who claim that existing guidance from the Scottish Executive is ambiguous.

Campaigners took their fight for a hepatitis C public inquiry to the courts yesterday, hoping that the Scottish Executive would be forced into a U-turn. Relatives of two people who died after contracting hepatitis C through contaminated blood transfusions in the 1980s asked a judge to overturn a decision by ministers to refuse an inquiry.

The problems of cheap alcohol and Scotland’s binge-drinking culture are to be debated at Holyrood. The Scottish Executive has admitted that its first alcohol strategy, introduced five years ago, failed to change the culture.

New powers allowing police to issue on-the-spot fines for anti-social behaviour have come into force. Dumfries and Galloway Police has promised to use the legislation to help tackle disorder issues across the region more promptly.

The level of ambulance cover on an island is “unacceptable” at present, according to a Highland councillor. Drew Millar claimed that for the whole of the Isle of Skye there was one ambulance with no paramedic in its crew during an eight-hour period last week.

Ten teenagers have been responsible for a massive crime wave in Edinburgh involving mor than 1600 offences, it has been revealed. Children as young as 14 have carried out hundreds of crimes such as robbery, serious assault, housebreaking, fire-raising and extortion.