Parliamentary questions
Irene McGugan
716 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
20 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to help local authorities investigate innovative techniques for pre-school provision in rural areas.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23305.
20 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what innovative and imaginative methods are being used to meet the needs of pre-school children in rural areas.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-23305.
20 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding is available to ensure quality and choice in pre-school provision in rural areas.
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The provision of pre-school education in rural areas is the responsibility of local authorities, working with partner providers in the private and voluntary sector. To take account of the additional cost of pre-school provision in rural areas, the pre-school …
18 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how and when the #87 million from the New Opportunities Fund for the promotion of sport in diverting young people from re-offending or preventing their offending, as outlined in Scotland's Action Programme to Reduce Youth Crime 2002, will be distributed.
Answer · Elaine Murray: Under policy directions issued by ministers, the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) has committed £87 million to the PE and Sport in Schools programme, under its third round of initiatives. Up to £21.75 million of this sum is targeted at supporting facilities and p…
13 Feb 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the special road scheme for the A87 Invergarry-Kyle of Lochalsh trunk road prescribes all classes of traffic for the purposes of use of the route.
Answer · Lewis Macdonald: Yes.
24 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students studying with or planning to study with the Open University and who applied to the Disabled Students' Allowance Scheme subsequently withdrew from or deferred their course since academic year 1999-2000.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) was extended to distance-learning students for the first time in academic year 2001-02. Students have a responsibility to advise the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) of any change in circumstances that might affect …
24 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there have been any delays in processing applications to the Disabled Students' Allowance Scheme since academic year 1999-2000 and what the reasons for any such delay were.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: Since academic year 1999-2000, there have not been any delays in processing applications for the Disabled Students' Allowance. The target of 21 days for processing fully completed applications is being met and in many cases exceeded. In certain cases, the pro…
24 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications to the Disabled Students' Allowance Scheme were fully processed before students currently studying with the Open University who made applications started their courses.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: To date, 31 applications for Disabled Students' Allowance from students studying through the Open University have been fully processed prior to the start of their courses.
24 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many disabled students currently studying with the Open University have applied to the Disabled Students' Allowance Scheme.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: To date, 62 applications for Disabled Students' Allowance from students studying through the Open University have been received.
17 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to implement the recommendations of the report prepared by the University of Aberdeen, Pre-School Education Provision in Rural Areas and, in particular, to address any gap between the number of eligible pre-school children and the provision of places in remote are…
Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The findings of the report are based on data collected between October 1998 and June 1999. Since then, the number of three- and four-year-olds attending part-funded pre-school education has risen significantly across Scotland. All four-year-olds now have acce…
17 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the Rural Parliament which exists in Sweden and whether it plans to establish a Rural Parliament.
Answer · Allan Wilson: We are aware of the Rural Parliament which exists in Sweden, and will consider carefully any lessons of relevance to rural Scotland. However, we have no plans to establish a Rural Parliament here in Scotland.
17 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to establish an organisation to undertake work similar to that carried out by Rural Forum and, if so, what progress has been made in determining how such an organisation will be set up and what its functions will be.
Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive, together with Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Homes and COSLA, commissioned EKOS Limited to investigate the mechanisms which exist or are required to support rural communities.…
17 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent rural benchmarking is taking place in respect of the 29 social justice milestones as referred to in the report by the Rural Poverty and Inclusion Working Group, Poverty and Social Exclusion in Rural Scotland.
Answer · Ross Finnie: Where data was readily available, analysis in the 2001 Social Justice Annual Report contained a rural/urban breakdown against the milestones. Work on rural benchmarking of the other social justice milestones is currently being carried out in-house within the …
17 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in addressing the findings of the report by the Rural Poverty and Inclusion Working Group, Poverty and Social Exclusion in Rural Scotland and what action plan and timetable have been drawn up against which progress can be monitored.
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Minister for Social Justice and I are currently taking forward work in response to the issues raised in the report of the Rural Poverty and Inclusion Working Group, <I>Poverty and Social Exclusion in Rural Scotland</I>. This will include engaging with ext…
17 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what the nature is of preparatory work being undertaken to identify appropriate indicators from a rural perspective in relation to the report by the Rural Poverty and Inclusion Working Group, Poverty and Social Exclusion in Rural Scotland; who is undertaking this work, and when it will be…
Answer · Ross Finnie: The Executive's Central Research Unit are currently taking forward preparatory work to identify indicators for possible inclusion in the new Index of Deprivation that is being developed as part of the Neighbourhood Statistics Strategy. This involves an analys…
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time equivalent vacancies there were for teachers in (a) chemistry, (b) biology and (c) physics in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Teacher vacancies are largely a matter for education authorities (EAs). The requested information on vacancies for each year since 1997 is not held centrally. On the basis of advice from 31 out of 32 EAs, there are the following numbers of full-time equivalen…
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time equivalent Technical Education teachers are currently in post.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The latest information available from the Teacher Census at September 1998, shows the number of full-time equivalent teachers in publicly funded secondary schools, whose main teaching qualification was in technological education, was 1,418.<P>In the primary s…
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria were used to determine how much was spent by schools on (a) chemistry, (b) biology and (c) physics and from which budgets the funds for such spending were allocated in each year since 1997.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21934.
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent by schools on teaching materials and equipment for (a) chemistry, (b) biology and (c) physics in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21934.
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent by schools on accommodation, materials and equipment in (a) science subjects, (b) business studies suites and (c) computing suites in each year since 1997, broken down by local authority area.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The information requested is not collected by the Scottish Executive. Individual education authorities and schools are responsible for the detailed decisions on the allocation of resources for particular subject areas in schools.
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time equivalent laboratory technicians are currently in post in schools.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The information requested is not held centrally.
16 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in meeting objective 3 of A Science Strategy for Scotland of ensuring that enough people study science to a standard which will enable the future needs of the country to be met.
Answer · Wendy Alexander: For details of the progress being made on the Science Strategy commitments on school science education, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1O-4498 on 24 January 2002.<P>On post-school education, progress is being made on the commitments in th…
11 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how its plans to monitor children as outlined in its Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in Which Parents May Choose to Educate Their Children at Home are connected with the proposed surveillance monitoring of all children through the collection in England of personalised school census an…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The recommendations made in the draft guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home that relate to the monitoring of home education provision are not connected with any plans in England to collect pupil level scho…
11 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children are currently being home educated by choice and how this figure was compiled and substantiated.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: In response to a Scottish Executive survey of children educated outwith school, education authorities reported that a total of 349 children were known to be receiving home education as a result of parental choice in 2000-01. The survey requested information a…
11 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive in what way the national priorities for schools are relevant to home education and which academic studies relating to home education were considered prior to the drafting of its Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in Which Parents May Choose to Educate Their Children at Home.
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The effectiveness of home education provision should be considered in the context of, but not dictated by, the philosophy behind the National Priorities which have been established for school education. The National Priorities promote the development of core …
11 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any research which exists to support the position that home educated children are in need of extraordinary measures of care and protection; whether any of this research was considered in advance of the drafting of its Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in Which Parents M…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive is not aware of any research which exists to suggest that home educated children are in need of extraordinary measures of care and protection. The Scottish Executive believes that appropriate measures should be in place to ensure the ed…
11 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the intentions set out in paragraph 2.6 of its Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in Which Parents May Choose to Educate Their Children at Home exceed the powers contained under section 37 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 and, if so, whether there is any risk of local authori…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: Section 37 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, provides that authorities have a duty to intervene if they are not satisfied that a parent is providing an efficient education that is suited to his or her child. The Scottish Executive believes that authoritie…
11 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive what views were expressed by home education organisations in advance of publication of its Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in Which Parents May Choose to Educate Their Children at Home; which of these views were reflected in the guidance; what consideration was given to the views expr…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: During initial consultation, representatives of home education organisations and local authorities raised a range of issues that have been addressed in the draft guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home. The …
11 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive why there was no indication in its website news section that its Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in Which Parents May Choose to Educate Their Children at Home had been published; whether the version which was originally posted on its website indicated to whom responses should be sent …
Answer · Nicol Stephen: When the draft guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home was issued for consultation, the Scottish Executive decided to send the document to those parties with a direct interest. This was done on 20 December 2…
11 Jan 2002 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Executive how long it took to draft its Draft Guidance on the Circumstances in Which Parents May Choose to Educate Their Children at Home; when the draft was completed; when it sent copies to (a) the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, (b) the Association of Directors of Education, (c) indivi…
Answer · Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Executive undertook work to prepare the draft guidance on the circumstances in which parents may choose to educate their children at home between July 2000 and December 2001. The draft was completed on 10 December 2001. Following printing, copies…