Chamber and committees

The Tuning project is a two-year project led by the Universities of Deusto and Groningen and sponsored by the European Commission. The work has been taken forward by academics from universities throughout Europe and there has been no direct ministerial involvement.

The Berlin conference will take place in September 2003 and the agenda has not yet been set. Discussions between the UK Government and the devolved administrations on which ministers will attend for the UK will take place nearer the time.

The Bologna Process was initiated by a small group of European Education Ministers in Paris in 1998 and taken forward by a larger group of ministers in Bologna in 1999 and is not a formal EU process. It is an inter-ministerial process of agreed action between 33 signatory countries, including the UK, with the aim of creating a European higher education area by 2010. This will mean having readily comparable higher education systems across Europe. With its existing Bachelor/Masters structure and the development of SCOTCAT and the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework, the Scottish higher education system already fits well with the Bologna model.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-29668. 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/search_wa.

The UK Government signed up in 1997 to the Council of Europe/UNESCO Lisbon Convention on promoting transparency in mutual recognition of academic qualifications. The conference in April 2002 was held to mark five years since that convention was drawn up and to recognise the progress that has been made. The National Academic Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom (UK NARIC) provides information and advice to UK higher and further education institutions on all issues relating to the mutual recognition of UK and international qualifications.

The regulation of international trade is a reserved matter. However, the Executive continues to be in regular contact with the Department of Trade and Industry and other UK Government Departments on trade issues and how these may impact on the Executive's responsibilities.The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) applies to measures affecting trade in services taken by central, regional or local governments and authorities, and by non-governmental bodies in the exercise of powers delegated by such governments and authorities. Progressive liberalisation under the GATS concerns the reduction or elimination of the adverse effects on trade in services of such measures as a means of providing effective market access for foreign service suppliers. Requests for liberalisation by World Trade Organisation (WTO) members do not seek the privatisation of state-supplied public services. The GATS makes clear that liberalisation shall take place, if at all, with due respect for national policy objectives, and recognises the right of WTO member governments to regulate, and to introduce new regulations, on the supply of service within their territories in order to meet national policy objectives. The GATS does not therefore impact on the Executive's ability to bring forward legislation affecting education.

The social justice annual report 2002 will be published by the end of the year. There will be no changes to the milestones and baselines. There will be some additions to some of the indicators, for example new gender analysis, which will be detailed in the technical report.

Officials routinely consider proposals relating to economic development policy from a variety of external bodies and commentators, including those from other political parties.

Details of neighbourhood warden schemes are still to be developed.

Neighbourhood wardens have been discussed at meetings between the Scottish Executive and representative bodies of police officers.