- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 17 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many additional specialists were recruited among the relevant educational professionals in order to increase the provision of support available to pupils identified as having autistic spectrum disorder in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
The information requested isnot available centrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 17 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to commission research into autistic spectrum disorder among primary and secondary school pupils to understand what the underlying reasons are behind the rises in pupils being identified as having autism.
Answer
The Executive and MedicalResearch Council (MRC) have been taking forward a jointly funded researchprogramme based on the agenda outlined in the MRC Review of Autism Research.The MRC has now committed over £3 million to new research. The awards rangefrom clinical investigations in children and adults, to environmental riskfactors, brain imaging and intervention studies.
The Scottish Executive ASDReference Group is represented on the UK Wide Autism Research Co-ordinationGroup (ARCG), which has been established by the Department of Education andSkills to provide a framework to enable greater co-ordination of autismresearch activity in the UK. ARCG has a number of aims including focusing inautism research funding on identified gaps such as biomedical research andresearch on interventions.
In addition, the ScottishInter-collegiate Guidance Network (SIGN) Council are developing a guideline forprofessionals working with children and young people up to age 18 on evidencebased approaches to diagnosis, assessment and early clinical interventions forautism. The SIGN Guideline development will cover surveillance and shouldconsider the evidence base for routine screening.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 08 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 17 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were waiting for a first appointment at a sleep centre in each year since 1999, broken down by sleep centre.
Answer
This information is not held centrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 15 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of primary schools in the Scottish Borders were over-occupied in each year since 2000.
Answer
Audit Scotland haspublished, annually, a set of performance indicators for education which includethe percentage of each authority’s primary schools with an occupancy level of 101%or more.
Copies of the Audit Scotlandperformance indicators publications are available in the Scottish ParliamentInformation Centre as follows:
| 1999-2000 | Bib. number 11197 |
| 2000-01 | Bib. number 18781 |
| 2001-02 | Bib. number 26239 |
| 2002-03 | Bib. number 30712 |
| 2003-04 | Bib. number 35203 |
and on the Audit Scotland websiteat www.audit-scotland.gov.uk.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 05 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 15 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what average time was taken in each year since 2000 to complete special educational needs assessments in the Scottish Borders compared with the national average.
Answer
The information requested isnot collected by the Scottish Executive. Audit Scotland, however, publishes detailsof a range of performance indicators in relation to local authority services, includingthe average number of weeks taken to complete statutory special educational needsassessments for Records of Needs.
More information on these indicatorsis available at:
http://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/pi2002/documents/pamphlets/03pi04ac.pdfhttp://www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/performance/documents/2005report/servicespdf/EChS.pdf.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by George Reid on 15 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what contingency plans it has in place for the Parliament to meet in the event of temporary closure of the Holyrood site.
Answer
I refer the Member to myletter to all MSPs of 11 May 2006. A copy of the letter is available at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/nmCentre/news/news-06/pa06-046.htm.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 12 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to monitor any impact on bus service levels arising as a consequence of local authority obligations to fund the national concessionary fare scheme.
Answer
There are no consequences onlocal authorities to fund the Scotland-wide Free Bus Scheme for Older and DisabledPeople as it is funded by the Scottish Executive through Transport Scotland. Whenthe Scheme was being set up, a fair split of resources was agreed with the Conventionof Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) which ensured that the funding available tolocal authorities to support bus services was protected. Nevertheless, we will ofcourse continue to monitor the provision in respect of bus services over time.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tavish Scott on 12 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that local authorities may cut bus services to fund the national concessionary fare scheme.
Answer
The Scotland-wide Free BusScheme for Older and Disabled People is being run by Transport Scotlandusing resources withdrawn from the local government finance settlement whichwere previously used for funding the free local off-peak bus schemes andadditional resources allocated centrally. The resources withdrawn from the settlement are the subject of an agreement withCOSLA which ensures that local authorities continue to be resourced forconcessionary travel on modes other than bus and that resources used forsupported bus services are protected. Accordingly,there is no need or justification for local authorities to cut bus services tohelp fund the scheme.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 11 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities require drivers in circumstances other than transporting children to and from school to undergo enhanced Disclosure Scotland checks and what these circumstances are.
Answer
This is a matter for thelocal authorities. The information requested is not available centrally.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 May 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 10 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body what progress has been made in respect of a Scottish food fortnight in the Members¿ Restaurant.
Answer
I acknowledge Ms Grahame’sinterest in this matter. She will be pleased to learn that we are arranging aScottish food fortnight in the Members’ Restaurant starting on the 4 ofSeptember to coincide with Scottish Food Fortnight campaign for 2006 and weintend to advertise this to members in early June.
