Kezia Dugdale

21 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the value of the Young Scots Fund is and how much has been allocated, broken down by (a) recipient and (b) value of grant.

Answer · Fiona Hyslop: The £50 million Young Scots Fund is a manifesto commitment covering the five year term of this Parliament. £25.4 million has been allocated to the fund in the current Spending Review period for the three financial years 2012-13 to 2014-15. The focus of the Y…

21 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will establish Youth Employment Scotland as noted in the SNP 2011 manifesto.

Answer · Angela Constance: Youth Employment Scotland comprises of a series of commitments to support young people on which we have made the following progress: Over 25,000 modern apprenticeship starts in 2011-12 and a commitment to provide at least 25,000 modern apprenticeship opport…

20 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will accept anonymous contributions to its Your Scotland, Your Referendum consultation.

Answer · Bruce Crawford: All responses will be accepted. Respondents can indicate on the Respondent Information Form if they wish to remain anonymous. Any response submitted without a Respondent Information Form will also be treated as anonymous.

20 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last reviewed its comment moderation policy for websites carrying the Scottish Government logo.

Answer · Bruce Crawford: Scottish Government moderation policy was reviewed earlier this year.

20 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many reported incidents of racism in the last year for which figures are available involved an online element.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Information held centrally on the number of racist incidents recorded by the police cannot identify whether the incident involved an online element. The 2012-13 Scottish Crime and Justice Survey, however, includes a new section on harassment. This will provi…

20 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funds have been made available to the police to counter any increase in cyberbullying.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Decisions on allocating funding are a matter for individual police authorities/joint boards together in discussion with their chief constables. It will therefore be for them to decide the level of funding to be made available to address cyberbullying.

20 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it (a) monitors and (b) collates figures relating to reports of cyberbullying to the police.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: The police recorded crime data collected centrally is based on an aggregate return from each of the eight police forces in Scotland and is published in the annual Recorded Crime in Scotland statistical bulletin. Whilst the term cyberbullying is not a specifi…

20 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the adequacy of legislation regarding internet-based harassment and cyberbullying.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: There are a number of statutory offences which may be used to prosecute people who misuse the internet for harassment, including the offences of “threatening and abusive behaviour” (Section 38 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010), “stalk…

20 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made representations to (a) Twitter and (b) Facebook regarding their cyberbullying policies.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Government is represented on the UK Council for Child Internet Safety, where all aspects of internet safety are discussed, including cyberbullying. The Council brings together over 170 organisations and individuals from government, industry, law …

20 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what its definition of cyberbullying is.

Answer · Michael Russell: In partnership with the Scottish Anti-Bullying Steering Group, the Scottish Government published A National Approach to Anti-Bullying for Scotland’s Children and Young People in November 2010. This approach indicates that bullying can be understood as behavio…

20 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met the police to discuss trends in cyberbullying.

Answer · Kenny MacAskill: Online safety in Scotland is monitored by the Scottish Government led Stakeholder Group on Child Internet Safety. The group last met on 14 March 2012 and includes representation from the police. The issue of cyberbullying is discussed regularly.

20 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with (a) teaching unions and (b) youth work organisations regarding cyberbullying.

Answer · Michael Russell: The Scottish Advisory Group on Behaviour in Schools, which provides advice to national and local government on all aspects of behaviour in schools, includes representation from trade unions. Cyberbullying has been discussed at the group. The Scottish Governm…

20 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to (a) educate children and young people and (b) inform parents and guardians about the dangers of cyberbullying.

Answer · Michael Russell: The experiences and outcomes under health and wellbeing within Curriculum for Excellence outline expectations for learning around respect, positive relationships, access to support and rights and responsibilities. In addition, the experiences and outcomes und…

20 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4M-06057 by Michael Russell on 19 March 2012, whether it will publish an updated version of Skills for Scotland: A Lifelong Skills Strategy.

Answer · Michael Russell: Skills for Scotland: Accelerating the Recovery and increasing Sustainable Economic Growth was published in October 2010. Skills policy also features strongly throughout the updated Scottish Economic Recovery Plan published in February 2011 and the Government…

20 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S4W-06078 by Michael Russell on 19 March 2012, whether it plans to change the specialised bursary provision for the (a) MSc in Social Work and (b) Professional Graduate Diploma in Education.

Answer · Michael Russell: A review of the postgraduate social work bursary scheme is underway. This will provide options for ministerial decision about the future of this scheme. There are no current plans to change the bursary provision for the Professional Graduate Diploma in Educa…

20 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it believes local government can take to create jobs.

Answer · John Swinney: The single outcome agreements that each of the 32 Community Planning Partnerships enter into with the Scottish Government are expected to focus on priority areas set by the Scottish Government, which include supporting sustainable economic growth. The local …

19 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) criteria it used and (b) assessment it made to decide which local authorities would receive the £9 million youth job priority area funding announced on 18 March 2012; what (i) conditions, and (ii) objectives it has set the authorities and how it will ensure that the money is spen…

Answer · Angela Constance: The methodology used to identify the areas in receipt of funding focussed on those areas with both the highest numbers of unemployed 16 to 24 year olds and the highest 16 to 24 year old unemployment rates. All six areas are in the top 10 local authority areas…

15 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) volunteering opportunities and (b) jobs will be created as a result of the £5 million project that was announced by the First Minister on 10 March 2012.

Answer · Angela Constance: The £5 million Commonwealth Games Legacy fund will support up to 2,500 young people into opportunities linked to major cultural and sporting events hosted in Scotland in the coming years. The three year programme will form part of the Scotland-wide legacy of …

15 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met trades union leaders to discuss work experience programmes.

Answer · Angela Constance: Ministers regularly meet with trades union leaders to discuss issues relating to training and learning. I hosted the Trades Union Working Party on Lifelong Learning on Tuesday 27 March 2012. The government’s Youth Employment Strategy was on the agenda and the…

15 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its amended youth employment strategy.

Answer · Angela Constance: The Scottish Government will finalise the Youth Employment Strategy for publication in the spring of 2012.

14 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations it has carried out since 2007, broken down by (a) end date, (b) publication date of responses, (c) date of Scottish Government response and (d) number of responses.

Answer · Bruce Crawford: Listening to and consulting with the public and stakeholders is an essential part of the Scottish Government’s business. Given the wide-ranging nature of the Scottish Government’s work, there are a variety of consultation methods used. This includes public m…

8 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has budgeted to uprate the living wage paid to (a) its, (b) its agencies' and (c) NHS staff annually.

Answer · John Swinney: The Scottish Government’s budget for 2012-13 and those of other public bodies in Scotland take account of the uprate in living wage and pay policy for 2012-13. Decisions about future budgets and pay policy will be taken as part of the annual budget process.

8 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what research it is (a) sponsoring, (b) supporting or (c) aware of regarding the effects of the naloxone programme and when it will report on the benefits that are expected from the roll-out of the programme.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: (a) and (b) The National Naloxone Take Home programme is supported by a national monitoring programme led by NHS Information Services Division (ISD) which began nationally on the 1 June 2011. The impact of the programme will be measured using a baseline and…

8 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to ensure that naloxone kits can be easily replaced.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: In 2012-13 the National Naloxone programme will be further developed and expanded. National training and awareness sessions will continue to be offered to specialist and non-specialist health services and also more widely to police forces, prisons, homeless s…

8 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive to what extent on average naloxone needs to be prescribed for a person misusing drugs.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: Prior to the launch of Scotland’s national naloxone programme in June 2011, information regarding the number of naloxone kits issued was not collected. The Scottish Government has commissioned the NHS Information Services Division (ISD) to collect data on all…

8 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making on (a) rolling out the naloxone programme and (b) removing the barriers to supplying families of drug misusers with the necessary kits and training.

Answer · Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government officially launched the national take home naloxone programme in Scottish Prisons on 1 February 2011 and nationally on 1 June 2011. We are supporting the roll out with an investment of £1 million from 2010-11 to 2012-13, to provide ce…

7 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will implement the recommendations from the Limited Review of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003: Report and how it will ensure that the specific needs of people with communication difficulties are considered in the implementation of the recommendations.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government is committed to improving the Mental Health (Care & Treatment) Act 2003 and is currently in the process of considering what recommendations it’s taking forward from the McManus Limited Review as well as some other issues identified by …

7 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that public bodies are fulfilling their equality duty to people with communication difficulties who are attending a mental health tribunal.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Section 261 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 relates to the provision of information to patients with communication difficulties. Hospital managers are required to take reasonable steps to ensure that arrangements appropriate to t…

7 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many fully qualified educational psychologists have been employed by each local authority in each of the last three years.

Answer · Michael Russell: This information is not held centrally.

7 Mar 2012 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what postgraduate qualification courses retain specialised bursary provision and student support as a consequence of their unique status.

Answer · Michael Russell: In terms of bursaries for which the education budget is responsible. Bursary provision is available for the MSc in Social Work which is a postgraduate qualification. This is a two year full time course, provided at six universities in Scotland, which essenti…