Irene McGugan

10 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what role Scotland Against Drugs has in recommending drugs education material and resources for schools.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Scotland Against Drugs supports schools in a number of ways, including the provision of teacher training and education, and promotion of alternatives and awareness programmes in many schools.<P>Scotland Against Drugs has however no formal role in recommending…

10 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a list of the drugs education material and resources which have been approved by it and made available to schools and, if not, what plans it has to draw up such a list.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21650.

10 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding, and what support, was made available to schools for the provision of drug education in each of the past three years, broken down by education authority.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21650.

10 Jan 2002 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether every school is required to make resources available for the provision of drug education and whether every school does.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Scottish Executive's <I>Drug Action Plan:</I> <I>Protecting our Future</I> sets the national standard that all schools will provide drug education to every pupil and will have written procedures for managing incidents of drug misuse, in line with national…

2 Jan 2002 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been achieved by any Cabinet sub-committee dealing with children's services.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Cabinet Sub-Committee on Children's Services met for the first time on Wednesday 19 December 2001, chaired by the First Minister. It discussed a range of issues relating to better integrated children's services and child poverty and agreed key priorities …

20 Dec 2001 · SPCB Written Question

To ask the Presiding Officer when Scots language translations of the Parliament's information leaflets will be available.

Answer · David Steel: The Parliament's Factfiles are available in Gaelic, and a Welcome Guide is available in French, German, Italian and Spanish. We are currently developing our policy on translations of public information material into other languages, and a decision will be ta…

20 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the speech by the then Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care on mental health law on 14 November 2001 (Official Report, Col.3821), what support will be given to local authorities and NHS boards for them to make advocacy services available for all mental health service …

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As stated in <I>Our National Health</I>, the Scottish Executive is committed to the development of advocacy services for those who most need them. The Executive's policy statement, <I>Renewing Mental Health Law, </I>says that the new mental health legislation…

20 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the speech by the then Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care on mental health law on 14 November 2001 (Official Report, Col.3821), whether local authorities and NHS boards will be more likely to resist requests for collective advocacy services to be made available if t…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21326.

20 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the speech by the then Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care on mental health law on 14 November 2001 (Official Report, Col.3821), whether bodies such as Patients' Councils will be without collective advocacy services until a legislative requirement is introduced to ma…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: A number of Patients' Councils are in existence, with support from the relevant NHS Boards. The precise support provided to collective advocacy, at a local level, is a matter for the relevant local agencies.

20 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to the speech by the then Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care on mental health law on 14 November 2001 (Official Report, Col.3821), what efforts are being made to provide a definition of "collective advocacy" and how collective advocacy will "develop through loca…

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive is committed to the provision of advocacy services for those suffering from mental disorder. Discussions continue with advocacy groups in the Mental Health Legislation Reference Group and in other ways to develop legislation which best …

20 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when a strategic implementation plan will be in place to take forward the recommendations of the report of the Action Group on Languages, Citi'ens of a Multilingual World, in order to secure the place of languages in the school curriculum.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21322.

20 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to its response to the report of the Action Group on Languages, Citi'ens of a Multilingual World, what extra resources will be allocated to assist with the implementation, including further teacher training, of the 5-14 guidelines on modern languages.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-21322.

20 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when the revised 5-14 curriculum guidelines on modern languages as referred to in its response to the report of the Action Group on Languages, Citi'ens of a Multilingual World, were made available to schools, teachers and parents.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The distribution of 5-14 guidelines for modern languages began on 18 October 2001 and was completed by Learning and Teaching Scotland on 15 November 2001.

20 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to its response to the report of the Action Group on Languages, Citi'ens of a Multilingual World, what its definition is of an "entitlement" to learn a foreign language and whether it will ensure that this definition is publicised among all stakeholders.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: I will announce arrangements for the funding and support of foreign language education, including guidance on pupil's entitlement to language learning, in the near future.

19 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what contacts it has with the Department for International Development in respect of plant breeding programmes.

Answer · Ross Finnie: We have had no contact with the Department for International Development on the matter of plant breeding programmes.

19 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken, or plans to take, to maintain and develop the innovative plant breeding research programmes at the Scottish Crop Research Institute.

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive continues to fund the maintenance and genetical characterisation of potato and soft fruit germplasm collections at the Scottish Crop Research Institute, and continues to support the development and application of innovative, molecular p…

19 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will encourage multiple retailers and others in the private sector to invest in new varieties of soft fruits.

Answer · Ross Finnie: This is ultimately a matter for the multiple retailers and others in the private sector. The Scottish Executive's role is to facilitate discussions amongst industry stakeholders. A representative member of the multiple retailers, along with other stakeholders…

19 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action has been taken to support soft fruit breeding programmes following its commitment in A Forward Strategy for Scottish Agriculture.

Answer · Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive continues to fund a number of research projects into soft fruit, much of this directly underpinning raspberry and blackcurrant breeding. Funding in the current financial year amounts to over £935,000. In addition, since the end of EU fu…

13 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide detailed guidance on the range and quality of writing that is to be internally assessed in the revised Higher Still assessment schemes in English and Communication.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority who provide guidance to centres.

13 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will take steps to extend the definition of "text" in the Personal Study Component of the revised Higher Still in English and Communication to allow non-literary discourse in English and Scots.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority who provide guidance to centres about the requirements of courses.

13 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to safeguard the role of Scottish literature in the revised Higher Still in English and Communication.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority. However, I endorsed the conclusions of the recent review of English and Communication which indicated that Scottish literature should remain a compulsory part of the course.

11 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-18493 and S1W-18494 by Nicol Stephen on 22 November 2001 and to the Action Programme on the youth justice system referred to by the Minister for Education and Young People on 6 December 2001(Official Report, Col 4635), how the Action Programme and …

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Action Programme will be co-ordinated and progressed by the Scottish Executive with the help of a multi-agency Youth Justice Steering Group. A three-year £23.5 million investment was made in early 2001 to implement the recommendations by the Youth Crime A…

11 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-18493 and S1W-18494 by Nicol Stephen on 22 November 2001, how the national framework for tackling youth crime will relate to the "Action Programme" referred to by the Minister for Education and Young People on 6 December 2001 (Official Report, Col …

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The Action Programme provides a national framework for priority action over the coming year. It will cover the development of national objectives, standards and measures for youth justice practitioners and outcome measures for programmes.

11 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-18493 and S1W-18494 by Nicol Stephen on 22 November 2001, whether all the recommendations in the Report of the Advisory Group on Youth Crime will be implemented in full and what the amended timescale is for such implementation.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: We have already implemented most of the Youth Crime Advisory Group's recommendations. The Action Programme to Reduce Youth Crime 2002 to be published in January will set out how we intend to take this important agenda forward.

11 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether additional funds will be made available for mental health services specifically for the provision of collective advocacy services; when any such funds will be made available, and how much any such funding is likely to be.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The provision of all forms of advocacy services are the responsibility of local NHS Boards and their local authority partners to support from within their existing allocations. This of course includes those with mental health needs. <P>The recently published …

6 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the costs would be of transitional arrangements for mature student teachers (a) currently in years 2, 3 and 4 of their Bachelor of Education degree course and (b) currently undertaking postgraduate courses, so that they will not be financially disadvantaged by any changes instigated…

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The cost of transitional arrangements would depend upon their nature and to whom they would be paid. No such decisions have been taken. The Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers will meet on 31 January 2002 to give further consideration to salary placem…

6 Dec 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation will take place regarding proposed revised placements on the salary scale for new teachers based upon their level of experience, what criteria will be applied to inform decisions on such placements and when any proposed changes will be made known.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: New salary placement arrangements are being devised by the Conditions of Service Working Group of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT). This body includes representatives of the Scottish Executive Education Department, local authorities and …

28 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the funding provision under the National Grid for Learning to (a) specialist schools and (b) specialist schools in the voluntary sector was in (i) 2000-01 and (ii) 2001-02 and will be in 2002-03, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Grants to local authorities under the National Grid for Learning programme of the Excellence Fund are determined on the basis of pupil numbers. It is up to each local authority to decide how to allocate resources among all its schools, including special schoo…

28 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the grant-aided funding of specialist schools will continue beyond 2002-03.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Ministers are currently considering funding arrangements for the seven grant-aided special schools beyond this date.

19 Nov 2001 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to make on-road cycle training available to all school children.

Answer · Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Cycle Training Scheme, overseen by the Scottish Road Safety Campaign, recommends that on-road training should be provided where possible. The safety of children being trained is paramount. Police and local authority Road Safety Units are responsi…