- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 17 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to address the issue of children with learning disabilities being bullied in school.
Answer
The Executive funds the national anti-bullying service forScotland, Respectme which is charged with supportingschools and communities to prevent and tackle all types of bullying. As indicatedin the recent Enable Speak Up report Respectme is working in partnershipwith Enable to develop services meet the needs of children and young people withlearning disabilities.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 17 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what system is in place to ensure that roadworks are properly managed and disruption is minimised.
Answer
When carrying outroadworks, roads authorities are expected to comply with the Code of Practice
DeliveringBest Value in Highway Maintenance. This Code of Practice has been prepared by the Institutionof Highways and Transportation and is endorsed by, amongst others, the ScottishExecutive, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Society of ChiefOfficers of Transportation in Scotland.
Utility Companiessuch as gas and electricity suppliers also carry out roadworks and are requiredto comply with the statutory Code of Practice – Safety at street works and road works issued jointly by the Scottish Executive, theDepartment for Transport and the Welsh assembly Government.
The New Roads andStreet Works Act 1991 requires utilities to serve notice on roads authorities givingadvance intimation on all proposed road works and reinstatements. It further requiresroads authorities to keep a register of road works in roads for which they are responsible.Information submitted by utility companies is circulated to other utility companiesso that, where possible, they may co-ordinate road works.
Provisions containedin the Transport (Scotland) Act 2005 will further improve the co-ordinationand planning of road works. Measures include new requirements for improving thequality of information submitted and the appointment of a Scottish Road Works Commissionerwho can impose penalties in the event of systematic failure to comply.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 17 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will meet Enable Scotland to discuss its survey which indicated that over 90% of children with learning disabilities reported being bullied in school.
Answer
Executive officialswill meet Enable later this month to discuss the Speak Up report. Respectmethe national anti-bullying service for Scotland has already met Enable to identifyfuture joint work.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 17 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the Social Work Inspection Agency’s report on its inspection of Argyll and Bute Council’s social work services.
Answer
The report of theSocial Work Inspection Agency on Argyll and Bute Council’s social work servicesis due for publication by the agency in late October 2007.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 17 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will use its powers of intervention in respect of social work services at Argyll and Bute Council if it is found that there is not a sufficiently robust improvement plan.
Answer
The report of theSocial Work Inspection Agency on Argyll and Bute Council’s social work servicesis due for publication in late October. I will consider any response to that report,and the council’s plan for improvement, at that time.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 17 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met Argyll and Bute Council to discuss social work services at the council.
Answer
A meeting was heldwith Argyll and Bute Council and the then Deputy Minister for Health and CommunityCare on 14 November 2006.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 5 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any concerns about the quality of or the level of funding for older people services in Argyll and Bute.
Answer
It is up to each localauthority to decide how it uses its resources based on its own assessment of localneeds and priorities. The Social Work Inspection Agency will publish a report onsocial work services in Argyll and Bute in the autumn. That report will cover olderpeople’s services. I expect the council to act on any recommendations that theagency may make.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 26 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will continue to support the target to end homelessness by 2012.
Answer
The Scottish Governmentis committed to delivering the homelessness legislation already passed by the Scottish Parliament. This includes a commitment to the target to abolish the current distinctionbetween households assessed as having a priority need for accommodation and otherhomeless households by 2012.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 26 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will continue to support the target to end child poverty by 2020 and halve it by 2010.
Answer
We are committedto sharing the UK Government’s long-term target to eradicate child poverty by2020 and will continue to do all that we can to ensure that Scottish policiesand programmes make the maximum contribution towards the milestone of halvingchild poverty by 2010.
We are currentlyreviewing existing policy commitments in this area and will make clear what ourpriorities are in the coming months. By developing policies that reflect ouroverarching strategic principles of making Scotland a Wealthier and Fairer, Healthier, Stronger and Safer, Smarter andGreener nation, we will take the steps which ensure that tackling child povertyis an overarching priority for the Scottish Government.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 June 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 26 June 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will help children in the severest poverty.
Answer
I refer themember to the answer to question S3W-1137 on 26 June 2007. In addition, we welcome the report by Save theChildren Scotland on this subject, published on 19 June 2007, and will be discussing the implications of thereport with them.All answers towritten parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website thesearch facility for which can be found at
http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.
