Donald Gorrie

7 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many names have been placed on the list of individuals considered unsuitable to work with children in each year since the list was established.

Answer · Robert Brown: The Protection of Children (Scotland) Act 2003 commenced on 10 January 2005. As at 16 December 2005, 56 individuals have been placed on the Disqualified from Working with Children List. A further 28 individuals have been provisionally listed while their refer…

6 Dec 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure that national and local youth organisations and local authorities have the capacity and resources to provide training for volunteers and paid staff to take a more active role and enable them to provide real benefit to young people.

Answer · Robert Brown: The Scottish Executive is considering the issue of training for youth workers and volunteers in the context of the national Youth Work Strategy on which we will be engaged in consultation early next year.</p>

30 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to continue funding the Active Schools project at national level and ensure funding at local level.

Answer · Patricia Ferguson: Active Schools is an integral part of the Executive’s commitment to increasing levels of physical activity in our young people. Following the 2004 Scottish Budget funding of £12 million has been committed annually to supporting Active Schools. At a local leve…

29 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many discretionary fatal accident inquiries have been held in each year since 1995 following a charge of careless driving.

Answer · Elish Angiolini: Information is only available for periods post-April 2002. No discretionary fatal accident inquiries have been held since that date following a charge of careless driving.</p>

29 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of its and the Parliament’s commitment to engaging with the public and the current funding position of the Scottish Civic Forum which was set up to facilitate that engagement, the First Minister will respond personally to the concerns about its funding, raised with him b…

Answer · George Lyon: It is customary practice for the First Minister to ask the Minister or Deputy Minister with portfolio responsibility for a topic to reply to any letter about that topic. In this case, I responded fully to the convener’s letter setting out the Executive’s posi…

29 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to (a) individuals and (b) organisations has been of applying for registration to Disclosure Scotland in each year since its inception.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Since Disclosure Scotland began in April 2002 the cost of a disclosure application has been £13.60. Responsibility for paying this fee rests with the applicant although some employers reimburse them. Applications for standard and enhanced disclosures must be …

29 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost to it has been of processing all applications to Disclosure Scotland in each year since its inception.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Disclosure Scotland is financed by the share of income Scottish ministers receive from the sale of certificates and through additional support from ministers as necessary. Disclosure Scotland began operations in April 2002, and the income from the sale of cer…

29 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications have been processed by Disclosure Scotland in each year since its inception.

Answer · Cathy Jamieson: Disclosure Scotland began processing applications in April 2002. It has processed the following number of applications in each financial year since.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>Financial Year</p></td> …

29 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what grants it has made to the Millennium Volunteers Project in each year since its inception.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Millennium Volunteers programme in Scotland has been supported by Scottish Executive grant funding amounting to £4,396,642. Details are as follows:</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>Year</p></td> <td>…

29 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it assesses the comparative value for money of grants to national youth organisations dealing with young people and volunteers.

Answer · Robert Brown: There is a rigorous process of assessing and evaluating individual applications to the Children, Young People and Families Unified Voluntary Sector Fund against the objectives and detailed criteria agreed by ministers. Value for money aspects are considered a…

28 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that young people who do not suffer from behavioural difficulties or police, drug, or alcohol-related problems can benefit from positive youth work.

Answer · Robert Brown: The Scottish Executive is currently providing local authorities with a block grant of £8.1 billion for all their revenue services including community learning and development, a component part of which is youth work. The allocation of these funds, together wi…

28 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to restore the annual training grant to national youth organisations which was discontinued in 2002.

Answer · Robert Brown: Support from the Children, Young People and Families Unified Voluntary Sector Fund can include support for training, provided the purpose of the training accords with the wider criteria for the Fund agreed by Ministers.</p> <p>The training of staff and volunt…

28 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what annual grants it or the Scottish Office have made to (a) the Scout Association, (b) the Guide Association, (c) Youth Scotland, (d) the Boys’ Brigade and (d) the Girls’ Brigade in (i) 2005, (ii) 2000, (iii) 1995, (iv) 1990, (v) 1985 and (vi) 1980.

Answer · Robert Brown: The funding for years 2000 and 2005 is contained in the following table.</p> <table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>Year</p></td> <td> <p align=center>2000</p></td> <td> <p align=center>2005</p></td> </t…

28 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans its (a) Education, (b) Justice, (c) Health, (d) Environment and Rural Affairs, (e) Finance and Central Services, (f) Enterprise and (g) Transport and Lifelong Learning Department and the Office of the Permanent Secretary have to simplify and reduce the length and number of the …

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: A new voluntary sector grant application pack, including a range of standard grant conditions, has been rolled out across the Scottish Executive. This will help reduce the bureaucracy and workload associated with applying for Executive grants. Work is also un…

28 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the explanation is for its policy of providing funding for new projects but not providing ongoing funding for projects that have proven to be successful but require continued financial support.

Answer · Tom McCabe: Decisions on the period for which financial support is available are taken in accordance with the objectives of individual schemes and there can be no presumption of continuing funding once a scheme has run its course. Recipients of financial support should b…

22 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what training and support it provides to voluntary organisations in respect of (a) maintaining appropriate behaviour with young or vulnerable people and (b) the operation of the disclosure system.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive has established and funds the Central Registered Body in Scotland (CRBS) which provides free disclosure checks for volunteers in the voluntary sector working with children, young people and vulnerable adults. In addition, the CRBS provi…

22 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to emphasise to organisations working with vulnerable people that their staff and volunteers should remain vigilant in respect of inappropriate behaviour and not rely entirely on the disclosure system.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-20937 on 5 December 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at <a href="http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webap…

22 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to enable an individual who works for more than one organisation to make a single application for a disclosure certificate, rather than having to make multiple applications.

Answer · Robert Brown: The Executive is currently developing plans for a new vetting and barring system for those working with vulnerable groups following the recommendations made in the Bichard report. Features planned for the new system include the continuous updating of informat…

22 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how its policies demonstrate its belief in the value of outdoor education to young people.

Answer · Peter Peacock: Ambitious, Excellent Schools, our agenda for education set out our commitment to develop more out of school hours opportunities across a wide range of activities to help young people develop their skills and confidence.  </p> <p>As part of this commitment we …

22 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to enable the voluntary sector to offer pay and conditions comparable with those in the public or private sectors.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive is not in a position to influence voluntary sector pay and conditions. However, the Executive fully recognises that pay and conditions are a crucial element of securing a viable future for the voluntary sector. The Scottish Council for …

22 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reverse any decline in the numbers of (a) youth clubs and other youth organisations, (b) young people attending youth organisations and (c) voluntary helpers involved in youth organisations.

Answer · Robert Brown: Recent research suggests that there may have been an increase in young people attending a youth club or other club. The Being Young in Scotland survey reports an increase in attendance at youth clubs or other clubs from 25% in 2003 to 38% in 2005 with those a…

22 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with voluntary sector organisations in respect of their assessment of the effectiveness of the Scottish Compact.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: In partnership with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) on behalf of the voluntary sector, the Scottish Executive commissioned GEN Consulting to develop a framework and collect core baseline monitoring data to assess the implementation of …

22 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has to monitor and review its effectiveness in respect of the Scottish Compact with voluntary organisations.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: In 2004 the Scottish Executive commissioned the consultancy firm GEN Consulting to monitor the effectiveness of the Scottish Compact. Work involved establishing a baseline of data on awareness of and compliance with the Compact by Scottish Executive Departmen…

22 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of providing funding for projects which have proved to be successful but require additional support to build on their achievements after their initial funding has been spent.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Many voluntary organisations benefit from continued long-term funding from Scottish Executive grant schemes. Before a decision is taken to renew funding, account is taken of the organisation’s performance with its previous grant and the success and impact of …

22 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is in respect of providing a second year's funding to the Youth Achievement Awards promoted by Youth Scotland.

Answer · Robert Brown: The Youth Achievement Awards were previously supported by Scottish Executive project grant under the Children and Young People’s Grant scheme. These grants (now available through the Children, Young People and Families Unified Voluntary Sector fund) support t…

22 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation has been carried out with voluntary organisations in respect of the Executive owning the intellectual property rights of material related to projects to which it contributes a grant or other financial support and what agreement has been reached on this issue.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: On behalf of the voluntary sector, the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) helped develop a standard set of conditions containing the clause on intellectual property rights that will be attached to future grant offers made to the voluntary sec…

22 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve the facilities for music tuition, practice and rehearsal at the Music School of Douglas Academy.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Executive is providing East Dunbartonshire Council with funding of £715,000 this year towards the costs of the Music School at Douglas Academy. This represents a 35% increase over last year’s grant. It is entirely for the council to decide how to deploy t…

22 Nov 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the quantity, quality and condition of the buildings provided for music tuition and rehearsal at the Music School of Douglas Academy enable the students to fulfil their potential.

Answer · Peter Peacock: East Dunbartonshire Council has responsibility for the management of its entire school estate, including the music school at Douglas Academy. We understand that the rebuilding of Douglas Academy features in the council’s plans for a public private partnership…

26 Oct 2005 · General Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to receive the report of the recent public inquiry into the route orders for the proposed upgrade of the A80.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Inquiry Reporter has advised that the report is likely to be completed in spring 2006.</p>

21 Sep 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many grants, allocated under the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund have not been taken up by the applicants and what the total sum was of such grants.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The total number of approvedgrant applications across all three strands of the 2005-06 application round of the Scottish Rural Partnership Fund (SRPF) which were not taken up amounted tonine. The value of those grants was £377,697.</p>