- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 5 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any ministers or deputy ministers have written to the Home Office regarding the impact of immigration and asylum legislation and Home Office practice on their responsibilities under the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.
Answer
Scottish ministers have not writtento the Home Office specifically on this issue. However, it has been discussed aspart of on-going discussion with the Home Office around asylum practice.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 5 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to encourage the Scottish diaspora in Australia to return to Scotland to live and to help reverse the population decline.
Answer
The Scottish Executive engageswith the Scottish diaspora to further Scotland’s interests for the long-term benefitof our economy and society. We aim to encouragethe diaspora’s active participation and engagement in promoting Scotland as a greatcountry to visit, live, learn, work, do business and invest.
During the First Minister’s visitto Melbourne, Australia in March 2006, he hosted one diaspora event and launchedthe quarterly diaspora E magazine, Scotland-Now.
The First Minister’s visit markedthe beginning of a long-term engagement with the Australian Diaspora to showcasewhat 21st century Scotland has to offer and to encourage some of these bright, talentedpeople to come here to live and work.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 5 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken, and intends to take, to encourage the Scottish diaspora in Australia to invest in the Scottish economy.
Answer
The Scottish Executive engageswith the Scottish Diaspora to further Scotland’s interests for the long-term benefit of our economyand society. We aim to encourage the diaspora’sactive participation and engagement in promoting Scotland as a great country tovisit, live, learn, work, do business and invest.
During the First Minister’s visitto Melbourne, Australia in March 2006, he hosted one diaspora event and launchedthe quarterly diaspora E magazine, Scotland-Now.
Scottish DevelopmentInternational (SDI) is already highly active in the Australian market, with a presencewhich covers all the Australian states and which supports both the trade and inwardinvestment agendas in a way that is knowledge driven and highly integrated. the Executive works closely with SDI, where appropriate, to further Scottish interestsincluding encouraging inward investment.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 5 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it takes to protect the cultural heritage in relation to indigenous crafts.
Answer
The Scottish Arts Council andthe National Museums of Scotland (NMS), both non-departmental public bodiessponsored by the Scottish Executive, are currently preparing an exhibition of contemporaryScottish crafts,
Cutting Edge, which will run from February to June in 2007.The exhibition will be taken on tour to Kilmarnock, Aberdeen and,hopefully, Glasgow.
Previous exhibitions and toursinclude the Celebrating Scotland’s Crafts exhibition at the NMS in June 2000which subsequently toured Scotland and the USA in 2002-03.
The NMS have an internationalcollection of craft items, which includes many Scottish crafts and has been involvedin showcasing Scottish crafts at both the Smithsonian Institute and during TartanWeek.
Scotland’s indigenous crafts are also well represented in collectionsin non-national museums throughout Scotland.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 5 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it takes to encourage the maintenance and future sustainability of indigenous crafts.
Answer
The Scottish Arts Council (SAC)supports many traditional craft makers and organisations. Indigenous craft makersare also supported through wider crafts initiatives such as the web promotion toolwww.craftscotland.org. This web resource, initiated by SAC as part of its CreativeIndustries strategy, provides makers with a means to promote their work nationallyand internationally.
A conference for indigenous craftmakers in 1996 revealed a rich diversity of crafts nationwide. In September 2005,the SAC hosted the Living Traditions Indigenous Crafts Conference at Birnham,Perthshire. The purpose of this conference was to review developments in the sectorand consider future needs.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 5 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to encourage the Scottish diaspora in Australia to contribute to reducing the skills shortage in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Executive engageswith the Scottish diaspora to further Scotland’s interests for the long-term benefitof our economy and society. We aim to encouragethe diaspora’s active participation and engagement in promoting Scotland as a greatcountry to visit, live, learn, work, do business and invest.
During the First Minister’s visitto Melbourne, Australia in March 2006, he hosted one diaspora event and launchedthe quarterly diaspora E magazine, Scotland-Now.
We will encourage Australians,through marketing and promotional activities, to find out about living and workingin Scotland by going to
www.scotlandistheplace.com and contactingthe Relocation Advisory Service if they have specific enquiries. We also use casestudies of Australians who are already in Scotland - for study or work purposes - to help us showcase whatScotland has to offer.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 5 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how it ensures that part-time staff in the public sector receive appropriate training for their continuing professional development.
Answer
Part-time workers are protectedagainst discrimination by the Part Time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment)Regulations 2000. Under the regulations part-time workers are entitled to receivethe same access to training and development opportunities as full-time employees.
It is for individual employersto ensure that staff receive appropriate training. As an employer, the ScottishExecutive delivers learning opportunities on the principle of equal opportunity,recognising the variety of working patterns we operate and using the full rangeof learning opportunities available to us.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 5 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-28405 by Mr Tom McCabe on 26 September 2006, how much has been received to balance any change in the cost of council tax benefit subsidy in each year since 1999.
Answer
The Scottish Executive received£35 million in respect of 2002-03 and £57 million in respect of 2003-04 to balanceany change in the cost of council tax benefit subsidy.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 4 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to local authorities in relation to treatment of asylum seekers under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has notissued guidance on the treatment of asylum seekers under the Mental Health (Careand Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 September 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 4 October 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what monies are spent abroad on advertising Scotland as a place to invest.
Answer
The Scottish Executive, throughits trade and investment arm, Scottish Development International (SDI), plans tospend £225,000 abroad in 2006-07 on advertising Scotland as a place in which andwith which to do business.
SDI’s total overseas marketingbudget for 2006-07, of which advertising is a subset, is £3 million. Other principalmarket activities funded out of this budget include direct and e-marketing campaigns,public relations, events and exhibitions.
