Parliamentary questions

Nicola Sturgeon

676 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

26 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Her Majesty's Government regarding the extension of the Disability Discrimination Act to education, as recommended by the Disability Rights Taskforce.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Equal Opportunities, including the Disability Discrimination Act, are reserved. The Executive is working closely with the UK Government to ensure that legislation to implement the education recommendations of the Disability Rights Task Force Report will fully…

26 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to provide details of the proposed consultation on national priorities in education.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: We will be issuing a consultation paper on national priorities later this month. The paper will go to a wide range of interested groups including education authorities, school boards, teaching unions, employers and pupil councils. My officials will also be ho…

26 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to give its response to the recent consultation on regulation of early education and childcare.

Answer · Peter Peacock: We expect to set out in March our conclusions following the consultation exercise on regulation of early education and childcare.

26 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is the membership, remit and estimated timescale for reporting of the Ministerial Strategy Committee on Continuing Professional Development for Teachers.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Strategy Committee on Continuing Professional Development for Teachers will be chaired by the Deputy Minister for Children and Education. The membership is being finalised and, alongside practising teachers, will include eminent figures from business, edu…

25 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-3276 by Mr Jack McConnell on 21 January 2000, whether it will quantify the estimated end year flexibility within the Education, Culture and Sport budget and specify what it has been allocated to.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: As a result of the end year flexibility arrangements £1.8 million was held within the Education, Culture and Sport budget. This was allocated on the basis of £1 million to Scottish Opera and £0.8 million to Historic Scotland.

19 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to introduce legislation to place local authorities under a legal duty to assess and meet the care and support needs of children and young people leaving care.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995, local authorities already have a duty to provide advice and assistance with a view to preparing a young person for when he or she is no longer looked after by a local authority. Local authorities are also required to ad…

19 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the responses to the consultation on the proposed transfer of Department of Social Security resources for young care leavers to local authorities.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Copies of individual responses may be obtained in the usual way from the Scottish Executive unless individuals have asked that their reply remain confidential.

19 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the announcement by the Minister for Children and Education on 12 January 2000, whether it will confirm the membership of the working party set up to examine the proposed transfer of Department of Social Security resources for young people leaving care to local authorities.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The working party comprises the following people nominated by their respective statutory and voluntary organisations:<TABLE BORDER CELLSPACING=1 CELLPADDING=7 WIDTH=618><TR><TD WIDTH="72%" VALIGN="TOP" ROWSPAN=3>Associa…

19 Jan 2000 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the announcement by the Minister for Children and Education on 12 January 2000, whether it will outline the remit and timescale of the working party set up to examine the proposed transfer of Department of Social Security resources for young people leaving care to local author…

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The working party will examine how best local authority resources, enhanced by the transfer of DSS resources, might operate for the good of young people requiring throughcare and aftercare and offer advice to Scottish Ministers. This will include consideratio…

19 Jan 2000 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will report on its progress in reducing class si'es.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: We are making excellent progress. Under regulations made in April 1999, P1 classes with a single teacher may not have more than 30 pupils this academic year. Two schools have been granted temporary exemptions and we are holding an application from a third aut…

15 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive by what date the Working Group on Teachers' Disciplinary Procedures has been asked to submit its report.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: I expect the working group to report by June 2000.This question was originally answered on 11 January 2000.

14 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will quantify the savings made from the phasing out of the assisted places scheme.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Over time, the assisted places scheme budget will reduce to nil from a budget of £13.9 million in 1998-99. The allocations made to the scheme as a result of the comprehensive spending review are shown in the table below.Assisted Places Sche…

14 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an estimate of any unallocated provision in the education, culture and sport budget as a result of end year flexibility arrangements.

Answer · Jack McConnell: All estimated end year flexibility within the education, culture and sport budget has been allocated.

13 Dec 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive in what areas of the education, culture and sport budget it has identified savings of #2.2 million to part fund a rescue package for the National Stadium.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Scottish Executive's contribution to the rescue package came from savings across a range of programmes in the Executive and was made available due to the reallocation of end-year flexibility by the Finance Minister. The money was added to the education, c…

4 Nov 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is its estimate of the total bill for outstanding repairs to Scotland's schools.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The overall management of their school building stock is a matter for individual education authorities. Detailed information of the kind requested is not held centrally.

3 Nov 1999 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is its estimate of the total bill for outstanding repairs to Scotland's schools.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The overall management of their school building stock is a matter for individual education authorities. Detailed information of the kind requested is not held centrally.

28 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by Sam Galbraith on 22 September 1999, when it intends to bring forward proposals to remove the statutory basis of the Scottish Joint Negotiating Committee.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: We shall bring forward proposals at the first opportunity.

27 Oct 1999 · General Question

Answer · Sam Galbraith: We shall bring forward proposals at the first opportunity.

25 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools inspection reports have included coverage of progress in content and nutritional standards of school meals since the publication in 1996 of the Scottish Diet Action Plan.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Reports published by HM Inspectors of Schools do not comment on nutritional standards of school meals as a matter of course. The school inspection process informs general consideration of healthy eating issues, particularly in the context of health and nutrit…

21 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is the timescale for submissions to the McCrone inquiry into teachers' pay and conditions.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The timescale for submissions is a matter for the independent Committee of Inquiry.

20 Oct 1999 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what is the timescale for submissions to the McCrone inquiry into teachers' pay and conditions.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The timescale for submissions is a matter for the independent Committee of Inquiry.

4 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will estimate the per capita funding for infertility care provided to each Health Board in Scotland.

Answer · Susan Deacon: Information on the spending by Health Boards on infertility care is not held centrally. Each Health Board determines the resources to be made available for infertility care for patients resident in its area from within its general allocation.

4 Oct 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will issue guidance to local authorities on the granting of consent to the withdrawal of children from school under section 35 (1) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: We have no current plans to issue guidance on that section of the legislation. We are supporting authorities in tackling non-attendance in a number of ways through sharing good practice and promoting a positive ethos in schools. Attendance is one of the key …

30 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had any meetings with Her Majesty's Government Minister for School Standards and if so, what were the outcomes of the meetings.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Neither my Deputy Minister nor I have had any such meetings. Officials of the Scottish Executive Education Department have regular contact with their counterparts in the Department for Education and Employment.

21 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it is making to Her Majesty's government regarding Kvaerner Govan's bid for a Ministry of Defence contract for six roll-on, roll-off ferries.

Answer · Henry McLeish: The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the Ministry of Defence on a wide range of issues, including defence contracts.

21 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the membership and terms of reference of the committee of inquiry into teachers' pay and conditions announced by the Minister for Children and Education on 17 September 1999.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Details of the membership and terms of reference of the Committee of Inquiry are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe).

21 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the proposed budget is for the committee of inquiry into teachers' pay and conditions announced by the Minister for Children and Education on 17 September 1999.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Our estimate for core expenditure relating to running costs for the Secretariat, committee meetings and the publication of a report is £160,000. In addition, resources will be available to the Committee to commission any research it considers necessary to as…

16 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an estimate of how many children are eligible to receive free school meals at the present time, and how many would be eligible if entitlement was extended to include all those children whose parents are in receipt of new working families tax credit.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: 153,177 pupils in Scotland were entitled to receive free school meals in 1997-98 at a cost of £52.3M.I refer to my answer as given in Written Answer S1W-1601.

16 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide an estimate of the cost of extending free school meal provision to all school-aged children in Scotland whose parents receive the new tax credits.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: The Working Families Tax Credit already contains an element designed to cover the cost of school meals hence no estimate has been made.

16 Sep 1999 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to issue guidelines governing nutritional standards for school meals.

Answer · Sam Galbraith: Each education authority is responsible for the nutritional standards in the school meal service which they administer.The Scottish Diet Action Plan "Eating for Health" made a large number of recommendations and included…