Chamber and committees

The residential properties known as Milagro and Cauldwellknowe Farm which are owned by the Scottish Ministers are tenanted.

The tenancy of Nether Howcleugh will expire on 31 March 2010.

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

There are no plans for any significant change at HMP Dumfries.

I have asked Mike Ewart, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

In the current financial year, an upgrade of the perimeter security and CCTV system was completed, at a total cost of £549,670. In addition, during 2009-10, funding was provided for capital items at HMP Dumfries which totalled £82,622.

Additional capital investment will be made as required and as funding permits.

Skills Development Scotland issue contracts rather than licenses to training providers.

The information contained in the answer to question S3W-27811 on 11 November 2009, on the total financial contract value for training providers based in Dumfries and Galloway therefore provides the answer to this question as well. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Skills Development Scotland has contracts with 11 training providers based in Dumfries and Galloway. Nine of these training providers have contracts for the delivery of Skillseekers and 10 have contracts for the delivery of modern apprenticeships.

The full financial contract value of the contracts issued to training providers based in Dumfries and Galloway is £319,725 for skillseekers and £750,566 for modern apprenticeships.

This may differ from end year values based on performance/uptake in-year. These figures include the costs for trainees who are trained by Dumfries and Galloway-based providers but live outside of the area, but excludes the value of contracts for other providers not based in the Dumfries and Galloway area, who have Dumfries and Galloway resident trainees.

Social care staff employed to provide personal care to children and adults in care homes and the community will be vaccinated against influenza A (H1N1) in the initial priority group as announced on 13 August. These staff have been identified as an initial priority group for vaccination due to the fact that they have contact with a large number of individuals and may be at increased risk of exposure to the A (H1N1) virus. They are also a possible transmission route of the virus to vulnerable patients who they care for.

In addition, unpaid carers who fall into an at-risk category themselves or who are a household contact of someone with a compromised immune system are included in the initial priority groups for the vaccine.

The Scottish Government will continue to monitor the need for other groups to be vaccinated beyond the first priority groups over the coming months and further decisions on vaccination will be informed by independent scientific advice.

The following table provides the breakdown of additional apprenticeship places for Dumfries and Galloway by sector and age:

Sector	Modern Apprenticeship level 2, 16-19	Modern Apprenticeship level 3, 16-19	Modern Apprenticeship level 2, 20+	Modern Apprenticeship level 3, 20+	Total
Automotive	9		6	8	23
Construction				6	6
Engineering		2		2	4
Food and Drink	1		19		20
Hospitality			1	10	11
Management				25	25
Retail	5	5	5		15
Sport, Health and Social Care			5	45	50
Transport and Logistics				30	30
Total	15	7	36	126	184

 

The following table provides the breakdown of the total number of apprenticeship places for Dumfries and Galloway for 2009-10 by sector and age:

Sector	Modern Apprenticeship level 2, 16-19	Modern Apprenticeship level 3, 16-19	Modern Apprenticeship level 2, 20+	Modern Apprenticeship level 3, 20+	Total
Administration		56			56
Animal Care, Land and Water Based		11			11
Automotive	4	27	2	13	46
Construction	5	86	2	29	122
Engineering		21		12	33
Food and Drink	9		23		32
Hospitality	1	11	1	20	33
Management		10		25	35
Personal, other Services and media	2	6			8
Retail and Customer Service	5	30	5		40
Sport, Health and Social Care		39	5	45	89
Transport and Logistics		20		30	50
Total	26	317	38	174	555