- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 8 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will develop guidance on how to encourage children’s play opportunities, whilst managing risk.
Answer
The Scottish Executive currentlyhas no plans to develop specific guidance in this area.
Within early education and childcare,the National Care Standards for Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16require that activities provided by staff allow children and young people to enjoyboth organised and free play. The Care Commission’s role in inspecting servicesincludes ensuring that risks are appropriately managed.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 8 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will develop a new range of playwork training material and courses to meet the needs of the education profession.
Answer
The Executive has no plans toproduce a new range of playwork training materials or courses for the educationprofession.
The Scottish Qualifications Authority(SQA), working in partnership with the relevant sector skills councils, Skills Activefor playwork and Skills for Care and Development for early education and child care,update and where appropriate develop new training courses to meet the needs of thesector. This is an on-going process designed to ensure employers, the current workforceand new entrants are appropriately trained.
Teachers also have a commitmentto continuing professional development and can access a range of training publications,best practice case studies, events and courses on play through Learning and TeachingScotland.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 8 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support the development of training for existing school staff to enable them to understand the value of play.
Answer
Teachers are contractually obligedto undertake 35 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) each year. Eachteacher, in discussion with his/her line manager, produces an annual plan of CPDactivity based on personal need taking account of school, local and national priorities.The Executive is providing £13.5 million in 2006-07 to allow local authoritiesto co-ordinate and provide CPD for teachers. This could include the developmentof training resources for teachers and other school staff relating to the valueof play.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 8 May 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place a statutory duty on local authorities to provide for children's play needs to minimum standards.
Answer
The Executive has no plansto place a general duty on local authorities in the way described.
Local authorities have aspecific duty under the School Premises (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland)Regulations 1967. These regulations also state that at every school there shallbe an outdoor area or areas laid out and surfaced for educational andrecreational activities.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 20 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-4504 by Mr Jim Wallace on 10 December 2003, what the outcome was of discussions with the Department of Work and Pensions regarding reform of arrestment and furthcoming.
Answer
The outcome of discussions withthe Department of Work and Pensions is the proposal in the Bankruptcy and DiligenceBill to stop creditors from arresting all the money in a bank account. A minimumbalance will be protected, currently fixed at £370. This reform will help all debtors,including those who rely on benefit income.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 20 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring systems are in place to track the progress of delivering continued funding to New Futures Fund projects; what the frequency is of such monitoring, and which Executive department will receive and act on the monitoring reports.
Answer
We are currently developing monitoringarrangements on the use of New Future Fund successor funding as part of the guidanceto Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs). The Enterprise, Transport and LifelongLearning Department with assistance from Communities Scotland, will be monitoringthe reports from CPPs.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 06 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 20 March 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the announcement in December 2005 regarding the funding for New Futures Fund projects, how many of the 43 projects currently receiving funding have had confirmation that they will continue to be funded for the financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08, broken down by local authority area, and what the timescales are for the remaining projects to receive notification of future funding from Community Planning Partnerships.
Answer
We do not yet have this information.We have agreed with Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) that by the end of Februarythey should have notified projects that funding has been extended until June 2006.Early in June, CPPs will set out longer term plans on how they intend to use NewFutures Fund successor funding in their areas.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 21 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been allocated to spend in (a) 2005-06 and (b) 2006-07 on further education for young people with learning disabilities.
Answer
Information on funding allocated for spend on further education for young people with learning disabilities is not held centrally.
The core funding which further education colleges receive from the Scottish Funding Council goes towards meeting the needs of all students, however some students have additional support needs which may require additional funding. The Scottish Funding Council make two additional allocations which are bursary allocations and inclusiveness funding.
Bursary allocations are paid to colleges to enable them to implement the National Policy for further education bursaries. In 2005-06 this allocation was £52.2 million. Part of the policy enables colleges to pay an additional learning needs allowance, which may be offered to a disabled student towards study or travel-related expenses. This allowance is not means-tested as it is intended to help meet the additional costs that students have due to their disability.
Inclusiveness formula funding is paid to colleges to enable them to take forward the inclusiveness agenda as defined by the Beattie report in 1999. In 2005-06, this allocation was £1.6 million.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 21 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will promote the inclusion of young people with learning disabilities in their own communities.
Answer
The same as you? national implementation group is preparing a children’s report, which illustrates how the principles of
The same as you? apply to people of all ages including children and young people. Whilst education and the transition to adult life are major features of the report, it also has a strong focus on the importance of health, play and leisure. The report, due for publication in spring 2006, emphasises the responsibilities of all organisations and individuals in ensuring young people with learning disabilities are included and given the same opportunities as everybody else.
The Standards in Scotland’s Schools Act (2000) strengthened the rights of parents of children with special educational needs to have their children educated in mainstream schools, providing children with the opportunity to play, learn and socialise together. Furthermore the further education sector has made great efforts in recent years to make college provision accessible and inclusive to all those who wish to study and participation by students with disabilities or additional support needs has increased year on year.
For details of further work to promote the inclusion of young people with learning disabilities in their own communities, I refer the member to the answers to questions S2W-22677, S2W-22678, S2W-22679, S2W-22680, S2W-22681, S2W-22682 and S2W-22683 on 13, 9, 21, 10, 7, 2 and 9 February respectively. 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/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 13 February 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what further education is provided for young people with learning disabilities.
Answer
The Executive is committed toensuring that everyone has the chance tolearn irrespective of their background or personal circumstances. Our widening accesspolicy is helping to break down barriers to participation faced by all groups includingstudents with learning disabilities.
The further education sectorhas made great efforts in recent years to make college provision accessible andinclusive to all those who wish to study and participation by students with disabilitiesor additional support needs has increased year on year.
Scotland’s colleges receive additional funding in respect of studentswho either attend a special programme or who require additional support to undertakea mainstream course.
In addition to mainstream courses,Scottish colleges provide a range of programmes and courses which allow young peoplewith learning disabilities to access further education and develop and improve theircore skills.
We recognise that for some studentswith the most complex needs, there is limited or no suitable provision in Scotland. Lastyear, we undertook a consultation to find out more about current provision; fundingpolicies and experiences of young people with additional support needs. The consultationclosed on 31 October 2005. We are currently considering options on how to bestmeet the needs of students with complex needs and will announce the next steps shortly.
