- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 11 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to amend Regulation 12 of the Fostering of Children (Scotland) Regulations 1996.
Answer
There are no plans at present to amend this Regulation.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 5 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive why Miller Civil Engineering are continuing to collect tolls on the Skye Bridge, given that they are effectively dormant for the purposes of VAT.
Answer
Miller Civil Engineering Limited do not collect tolls on the Skye Bridge. The right to collect tolls has been assigned to Skye Bridge Limited, while the operation and maintenance of the bridge is carried out on SBL's behalf by the joint venture Miller Dywidag. Both Skye Bridge Limited and Miller Dywidag are VAT registered.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by David Steel on 5 December 2000
To ask the Presiding Officer why the contract (no. TP0/00/01) with Edinburgh and the East of Scotland Deaf Society to provide sign language/deaf awareness training to the Scottish Parliament for a two-year period from 4 April 2000 has not yet been put into effect and what urgent action the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will take to start this training.
Answer
This contract was primarily awarded to provide sign language training, on a voluntary basis, to members, their staff and the parliamentary staff. Unfortunately, to date, there has been insufficient demand to run a course on signing in-house, but we have supported a member of staff through the successful completion of both Stage 1 and 2 of the BSL course at evening classes. We expect shortly to have sufficient numbers to arrange a course in-house. The contract was also awarded in anticipation of the need to provide deaf awareness training as part of our equal opportunities initiative to be launched early in the New Year.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 17 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 1 December 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what role school cultural co-ordinators will play in the promotion of the Scots language.
Answer
Cultural champions will identify ways of enabling all teachers to maximise the potential contribution of culture to young people's education, developing their self-esteem and core life skills and looking for opportunities to widen the range of experiences available to them.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 30 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether consideration has been given to funding local sports councils through the Scottish Association of Local Sports Councils.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-10920.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 30 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are plans to change the method of funding of local sports councils.
Answer
Local sports councils are part of the local delivery of sport in Scotland and their funding is a matter for individual local authorities. Sportscotland has close links with the umbrella body the Scottish Association of Local Sports Councils to which it is currently providing grant aid of £21,000 per annum.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 29 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether additional resources will be provided to the National Galleries of Scotland to assist with checking the provenance of all items in their collection and, if so, what these resources will be and over what period.
Answer
In the light of representations from the Holocaust Education Trust, the National Galleries of Scotland (NGS) have been carefully investigating the provenance of works of art acquired since 1933. No request has been made for additional funds from the Scottish Executive to assist with this work.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 17 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to offer guidance to local authorities regarding local sports clubs' ability to benefit from reduced letting costs resulting from the re-designation of many schools as Community Schools.
Answer
The determination of letting charges for school facilities is a detailed matter for individual local authorities and we have not issued guidance to them on how they should discharge that responsibility.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Angus MacKay on 16 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many disabled people have been appointed to public bodies since March 2000.
Answer
The appointments system relies on each individual to disclose whether or not they have a disability. On this basis between 1 April and 30 September 2000 one disabled person was appointed. Appointment statistics are collected on a six-monthly basis.
- Asked by: Irene McGugan, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 14 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to local authorities which receive a comparatively low financial allocation, what assurances can be given that the capacity to manage the risk posed by dangerous offenders is as great as in a local authority with a higher financial allocation.
Answer
Funding for criminal justice social work services has increased from £38,493,478 in 1999-2000 to £41,491,041 in 2000-01, an increase of 7.78%. This includes an additional sum of £300,000 specifically allocated for work with sex and other dangerous offenders. In addition, a joint Scottish Executive/CoSLA working group is currently reviewing the present formula arrangements which determine allocations to authorities. As part of this review, the Association of Directors of Social Work conducted a survey which identified resourcing of work with dangerous offenders as an area of concern. This is now being considered by the Executive.
