Chamber and committees

The Executive has recently published an analysis of the public consultation on the recommendations in the report of the Scottish Charity Law Review Commission (the McFadden report). Whilst the majority of respondents agreed with the general thrust of the report's recommendations, it is clear that a number of the proposals need some refining if they are to be translated into durable practice. Officials are now approaching the organisations which have agreed to participate in the Charity Law Advisory Forum which I announced on 23 October 2001. The published analysis will provide important context for the forum's work. We will be expecting the forum to provide advice on the practical aspects of implementing the recommendations in the McFadden report to enable ministers to decide how best to proceed. That advice will be key, not only to the analysis of issues and proposals for legislation but also to the eventual successful implementation of reforms. In addition to the responses received to the public consultation on McFadden, the forum will have available to it the outcome of our Social Economy Review and any relevant recommendations arising from the Cabinet Office Performance and Innovation Unit's report on charities and not-for-profit organisations.The following organisations have agreed to be represented on the forum: Association of Charity ShopsAssociation of Chief Officers of Voluntary Organisations in ScotlandAssociation of Chief Police Officers in ScotlandBritish Heart FoundationCapability ScotlandCharity CommissionChurch of ScotlandCOSLACouncils for Voluntary Service Scotland Inland Revenue (Charities)Institute of Charity Fundraising ManagersLaw Society of ScotlandRoman Catholic ChurchRoyal Botanic Gardens EdinburghRoyal Society for the Protection of BirdsScottish Charities OfficeScottish Charity Finance Director's GroupScottish Council of Independent SchoolsScottish Credit Union PartnershipScottish Federation of Housing AssociationsVolunteer Development Scotland.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24449.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-24408.

Evidence from pilot schemes in the west of Scotland has shown that the group lending model is suitable for women, and women are expected to be the main beneficiaries of the extended scheme. Evaluation of the programme will, however, assess carefully the impact of the scheme on any mixed gender groups established.

Currently, 0.5% of senior civil service grades within the Executive have identified themselves as coming from an ethnic minority background and 1% have self-declared a disability.

Twenty-four members of staff currently work permanently from home on a full-time basis and nine do so part-time. Information on staff who work from home on an ad hoc basis is not held centrally. However, 370 staff currently have information technology installed which allows them to work from their home computer.

The Executive currently provides the following childcare facilities for its staff:Two workplace nurseries, both in Edinburgh, which currently provide care for 66 children, andThree subsidised holiday play schemes, in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness. The schemes were attended by 41 children over the Easter and summer breaks last year.Twenty-seven staff are currently awaiting nursery places.We are currently undertaking a review of our childcare strategy provision to ensure that the childcare support we provide best meets the needs of staff, their families and those of the Executive.

The range of measures is set out in our Diversity Strategy, launched in November 2000. Our efforts in the last year have been concentrated in three main areas: awareness raising within the organisation; diversity proofing personnel processes with the aim of removing unnecessary barriers, and outreach work with under represented groups. With regard to monitoring, we produce regular reports against targets for the Executive's Management Group and for Cabinet Office.

The number of any job reductions cannot be confirmed until Babcock Naval Services has reviewed its requirements. However, Scottish Enterprise Dunbartonshire (SED) is currently considering the potential impact on the local economy and will meet shortly with representatives from the Clyde Base.Once the scale of any job losses is known, SED will assess the likely cost of the assistance offered to any employees affected. Support will be provided for those affected through dedicated local response teams in conjunction with the Executive's PACE framework. It will be for SED to discuss with Scottish Enterprise any requirement for additional financial assistance which cannot be met from its existing budget.

We cannot identify the number of private sector households that will benefit from the central heating programme by local authority area, but Eaga's budget will provide for 4,600 owner-occupiers and private sector tenants across Scotland in 2002-03 to receive central heating. Allocations for local authorities and housing associations have not yet been finalised for 2002-03, because most of them are still finishing the programme for 2001-02, and so it is not possible to provide the information requested at (b) and (c). The budget for this sector means that around 6,000 local authority tenants and 1,200 housing association tenants should benefit from the programme in 2002-03.