Sandra White

26 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the main proposal of the Equal Opportunities Commission's report, Britain's Hidden Brain Drain which urges the UK Government to extend the right to request flexible working to all carers and mothers and fathers rather than only those with young or disabled children…

Answer · Allan Wilson: The Scottish Executive is committed to encouraging the growth of flexible working and welcomes the Equal Opportunities Commission’s (EOC) report. We understand the detail of the EOC report is still being considered by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI…

19 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers from ethnic minority backgrounds have left the police within (a) one year of joining, (b) two years of joining, (c) three years of joining and (d) four years of joining in each year since 1999.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: This information is not held centrally.</p>

19 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much additional ring-fenced funding has been provided to police forces to enable them to meet recruitment targets for ethnic minority police officers in each year since 1999.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: The recruitment of police officers is a matter for Chief Constables. Each Chief Constable is to prepare an action plan for the implementation of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS) diversity strategy, launched in April 2004, and repor…

19 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many times it has met the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland this year specifically to discuss the recruitment of ethnic minority people to police forces.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Officials have met with SEMPER (Supporting Ethnic Minority Police staff for Equality in Race), the police ethnic minority support association on three occasions.</p>

19 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of ethnic minority police officers are in the top 20% pay bracket, broken down by police force area.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Latest figures, at 31 March 2004, show that 12% of ethnic minority police officers are in the 20% who receive most pay. This equates to those in the ranks of sergeant and above.</p> <p>The numbers in each force are shown in the following table.</p><table bor…

19 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total relocation costs were to it of employing new staff in each year since 1999.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Information about the salarycosts of new staff recruited due to relocation is not held centrally.</p>

19 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of men employed part-time by it have been in the top 10% pay bracket in each year since 1999.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The percentage of male permanent staff employed part-time in the Scottish Executive core departments who were in the top 10% pay bracket at 1 April in each year since 1999 is shown as follows:</p> <p>1999: 15.0%</p><p>2000: 7.1%</p><p>2001: 14.3%</p><p>2002: …

19 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of women employed part-time by it have been in the top 10% pay bracket in each year since 1999.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The percentage of female permanent staff employed part-time in the Scottish Executive core departments who were in the top 10% pay bracket at 1 April in each year since 1999 is shown as follows:</p> <p>1999: 3.7%</p><p>2000: 4.5%</p><p>2001: 4.4%</p><p>2002: …

19 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of females employed by it have worked part-time, expressed also as a percentage of its total workforce, in each year since 1999.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The proportion of female permanent staff employed in the Scottish Executive core departments who were working part-time at 1 April in each year since 1999 is shown in the following table, expressed also as a percentage of the total permanent workforce.</p> <t…

19 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of males employed by it have worked part-time, expressed also as a percentage of its total workforce, in each year since 1999.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The proportion of male permanent staff employed in the Scottish Executive core departments who were working part-time at 1 April in each year since 1999 is shown in the following table, expressed also as a percentage of the total permanent workforce.</p> <tab…

19 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors educational attainment by ethnic minority pupils and for how long it has done so.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive and the Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) closely monitor the attainment levels of minority ethnic pupils to ensure that emerging trends and patterns are identified.</p> <p>Attainment data by ethnic background for S4 pupils in loca…

19 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many registered blind or visually impaired staff it has employed, expressed also as a percentage of its total workforce, in each year since 1999.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The number of permanent staff in the Scottish Executive core departments who have self declared a visual impairment in each year since 1999 is shown in the following table.</p> <p>Staff with a Self-Declared Visual Impairment</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 c…

19 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many registered deaf or hard-of-hearing staff it has employed, expressed also as a percentage of its total workforce, in each year since 1999.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The number of permanent staff in the Scottish Executive core departments who have self declared a hearing disability in each year since 1999 is shown in the following table.</p> <p>Staff with a Self-Declared Hearing Disability</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0…

9 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its departments have undertaken an ethnic impact assessment in the last two years, broken down by department.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Departments are expected to consider the impact of their policies on race equality. Whilst many policy areas have taken account of the need to address issues of race equality, we have been developing more formalised mechanisms to undertake and record impact a…

9 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many non-departmental public bodies have a specific statutory duty to promote race equality and what discussions ministers are having with those bodies without such a duty to ensure that they also promote race equality in their organisations.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Approximately 265 devolved bodies are subject to a specific duty to publish a race equality scheme or policy. The Executive reviews the position annually in consultation with the Commission for Racial Equality.</p> <p>Almost 300 public bodies and approximatel…

9 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its officials are currently devoted to working on the strategic group on ethnic minority employment announced by the Minister for Communities in an Executive news release on 21 June 2005.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Race, Religion and Refugee Integration Team within the Development Department’s Equality Unit is currently developing the framework for the strategic group, in conjunction with officials from the Development, Enterprise and Lifelong Learning and Education…

9 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) long and (b) short-term outcomes are for the strategic group on ethnic minority employment announced by the Minister for Communities in an Executive news release on 21 June 2005.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The short-term outcome of the strategic group will be to produce an action plan to address the current inequalities that exist for minority ethnic communities in the labour market in Scotland. This action plan will identify what work needs to be taken forward…

9 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the remit is of the strategic group on ethnic minority employment announced by the Minister for Communities in an Executive news release on 21 June 2005.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: As outlined in the answer to question S2W-19176 on 20 September 2005, the main task of the strategic group will be to produce an action plan to address the current inequalities that exist for minority ethnic communities in the labour market in Scotland. All a…

9 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the role is of the strategic group on ethnic minority employment announced by the Minister for Communities in an Executive news release on 21 June 2005.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The role of the strategic group will be to consider what action should be taken to address the current inequalities that exist for minority ethnic communities in the labour market in Scotland.</p>

9 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to develop a national race equality strategy encompassing all of its current race equality initiatives.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has worked with a range of organisations and interests over several years to challenge racism and to promote and deliver race equality. Last year, the Scottish Executive conducted a review of race equality work in Scotland to determine how best …

5 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the provisional date is for publishing the national language strategy.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The Scottish Executive is committed to introducing a national language strategy within the lifetime of this Parliament.</p>

5 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its officials are currently working on the national language strategy.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: The responsibility for the preparation and oversight of the National Languages Strategy resides with the Tourism, Culture and Sport Group of the Scottish Executive Education Department. Officials within this group are also drawing on the expertise of official…

5 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce a statutory duty on non-departmental public bodies to have an equalities policy.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: There are currently no plans to introduce any statutory duty on non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) to have an equalities policy. Consultation is currently under way on best value in public services, which includes equal opportunities. NDPBs already have a…

5 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has allocated to community-led anti-racist initiatives in each year since 2002, broken down by initiative.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive is committed to tackling racism, discrimination and disadvantage and to promoting race equality. It provides a range of funding to support organisations working in these areas. Whilst a number of organisations which receive funding are …

5 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanisms it has to monitor whether racism is getting worse.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: No single measurement can monitor racism but we can begin to gain an overall picture from a range of indicators, including:</p> <p>Dialogue with the experiences of minority ethnic communities.</p><p>The Scottish Social Attitudes Survey, and other surveys whic…

5 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review its anti-racism campaign and wider strategy, in light of the statement in Positive Action in Housing's 10th Annual Report 2005 that the campaign has stalled.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: We remain committed to the ”One Scotland. Many Cultures” campaign and those projects we are funding as part of the campaign. We are currently developing the next phase of media activity for the campaign, and as in previous phases, have sought views from stake…

29 Aug 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total overtime payments were for its officials in each year since 1999.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The overtime payments charged to Scottish Executive’s core Departments are as follows:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>&nbsp;</p></td> <td> <p align=center>£000</p></td> </tr> </thead> <tr> …

29 Aug 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its officials have travelled abroad on official business in each year since 1999 and how many times did these officials travel.

Answer · Tom McCabe: The information is not held by the Scottish Executive in the format requested.</p>

29 Aug 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what financial auditing procedures it has in place to monitor foreign trips by officials and ministers.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Costs incurred by Scottish Executive ministers and officials on official business abroad and in the UK are claimed in accordance with Scottish Executive rules. Local checking, where appropriate and central selective sample checking of claims takes place prior…

29 Aug 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many jointly funded initiatives and events it has held with other external bodies in each year since 1999, listing each event and how much funding it provided for each event.

Answer · Tom McCabe: This information is not held centrally.</p>