Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26442.

The Executive allocates resources to local authorities to provide a full spectrum of community care services, including support for carers and the people they look after. Additional resources were allocated to local authorities from 2000-01 onwards to implement the Carers Strategy, and the Executive has made it clear to authorities that it expects these additional resources to be used to benefit carers. Detailed decisions about the use of resources are for local authorities, taking account of local needs and priorities, and authorities are answerable to their local communities for these decisions. Authorities report on their use of these resources in annual Community Care Plans, which are publicly available. We are also allocating local authorities further new resources to develop an additional 22,000 weeks of respite services across Scotland by 2003-04 each year and we will be monitoring the outcomes achieved through local outcome agreements with individual councils.

Partners of the Scottish Exchange of Educational Data (ScotXed) project, will use information held on individuals for purposes of administration, self-evaluation and, in the case of the Scottish Qualifications Authority, the processing of examination data. The Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) will use data collected through ScotXed for statistical and research purposes, to inform the development, implementation and monitoring of policy.SEED will fully comply with the Data Protection Act in the collection, processing and storing of information relating to individuals. SEED will also comply with the National Statistics Code of Practice, in the use of ScotXed information, to safeguard confidentiality of individuals. SEED will not publish information on individuals, nor shall we make any use of names or other personal details beyond technical and administrative checks to ensure the completeness and accuracy of data.

The Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) has received a small number of representations regarding the Scottish Exchange of Educational Data (ScotXed) project. Most of these representations have been queries from parents asking for clarification on issues of data confidentiality and the collection of information on ethnic background and national identity of pupils, in the 2002 Scottish School Census.SEED has provided explanations on the importance of collecting accurate information on the ethnic background and national identity of all pupils in order to meet the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. Although SEED encourages all pupils and parents to provide this information, SEED also appreciates the sensitivity of collecting this information and has provided an option for pupils and parents to state that they do not wish to disclose this information. SEED is not aware of how many parents or pupils may decline to disclose this information, which will be collected through ScotXed in September 2002.

The strategic planning for the ScotXed project is undertaken by the School Education Information Advisory Group (SEIAG), which has endorsed plans for the 2002 Scottish School Census and beyond. The SEIAG membership includes representatives of: the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Headteachers Association of Scotland, the Association of Head Teachers in Scotland, the Educational Institute of Scotland, the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association, the Scottish Qualifications Authority, Learning and Teaching Scotland, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Education, as well as representatives from the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED).Consultations have also taken place with the Scottish Council of Independent Schools, the Scottish Parent Teacher Council and with the Scottish School Board Association who have publicly welcomed the project.Regular consultations take place with each local authority. SEED hosted two rounds of ScotXed Forum Meetings in January and March 2002. Each local authority and their corresponding school management information system software supplier attended these meetings.Additional information about the ScotXed project has been made available on the ScotXed website at: http://www.svtc.org.uk/scotxed/.

The ScotXed (Scottish Exchange of Educational Data) project is a partnership of the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) with local authorities, schools, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), HM Inspectorate of Education and Learning and Teaching Scotland to promote the electronic exchange of educational information to common standards. The project will provide better quality information and link-ups between education partners in Scotland and will encourage the good use of management information by schools and education authorities.Each partner has differing information needs which will be collected through ScotXed. Schools, local authorities and the SQA require individual pupils' name and address for administrative purposes. The information required by SEED, to be collected through ScotXed for the September 2002 School Census, is detailed on the ScotXed website http://www.svtc.org.uk/scotxed/. This includes individual pupils' name and postcode but not address.SEED will be collecting the names of individual pupils to assist in technical and administrative checks to ensure the completeness and accuracy of data. SEED will be collecting the postcode of pupils in order to analyse educational data by local geographical areas. The Scottish Executive, under the Neighbourhood Statistics initiative, is committed to producing local area statistics across a range of public services including education. All ScotXed information collected by SEED will be transferred, processed and stored to comply with the Data Protection Act and the National Statistics Code of Practice, to safeguard confidentiality of individuals.

All Scottish Exchange of Educational Data (ScotXed) partners are responsible for ensuring compliance with the Data Protection Act when dealing with information relating to individuals. Schools and local authorities are the principal collectors of information relating to individual pupils, which they already hold and use for their own administrative, educational and managerial purposes. As such, schools and local authorities are responsible for the accuracy of the information they hold and can, on request, give appropriate access to pupils and their parents. Schools and local authorities are also responsible for informing pupils and parents of any disclosure of personal information by their school to any other party.The Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) will use data collected through the ScotXed project from schools and local authorities for statistical and research purposes. Under section 33 of the Data Protection Act, SEED is exempt, in relation to ScotXed data, from the obligation to provide access to information on individuals that it may hold. No disclosure of ScotXed information relating to any particular individual will occur.

Within the Scottish Exchange of Educational Data (ScotXed) project, schools and local authorities are the principal collectors of information relating to individual pupils. Much of this information is held on management information systems within schools and local authorities, and local policies and procedures will apply for retaining or deleting this data.Information transferred through ScotXed to the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) will be accumulated over time. This will enhance the long-term statistical and research capability, especially in relation to monitoring the impact over time of education policies.Within SEED, access to the complete ScotXed data will be subject to strict data security procedures.

All partners within the Scottish Exchange of Educational Data (ScotXed) project are clear about the need ensure full compliance with the Data Protection Act when dealing with information relating to individuals, including the disclosure to third parties.Under section 82 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, local authorities are required to provide information for the series of statistical surveys carried out by the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED).For the first time this year, the 2002 Scottish School Census in September will be conducted electronically as part of the ScotXed project. In order to maintain high levels of data quality and to minimise the administrative burden on schools in providing the required information, it is important that the response is as complete as possible.SEED will fully comply with the Data Protection Act in the collection, processing and storing of information relating to individuals. SEED will also comply with the National Statistics Code of Practice, in the use of ScotXed information, to safeguard confidentiality of individuals. SEED will not publish information on individuals, nor will it make any use of names or other personal details beyond technical and administrative checks to ensure the completeness and accuracy of data.

My officials wrote to Directors of Education on 14 March asking them to complete and return a questionnaire indicating the progress which has been made within their respective areas on the implementation of the guidance on the administration of medicines in schools. The responses are currently being evaluated and a summary will be placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre in due course.