- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 3 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-6781 by Malcolm Chisholm on 19 May 2005, whether receiving organisations' business plans have been approved in respect of the transfer of stock from each of the seven local authorities that have joined the community ownership housing programme.
Answer
I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows.
To date, none of the local authorities on the new Community Ownership Programme has had their receiving organisations’ business plans approved. However, Communities Scotland continues to provide practical support to councils and registered social landlords in working towards finalising plans for submission for approval.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 3 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive which members of the voluntary sector strategic funding review steering group and each of its three working groups are volunteers, rather than employees of, or consultants to, the organisations which they represent.
Answer
Two members of the strategic funding review working groups are volunteers. None of the steering group are volunteers. In addition, a large number of volunteers attended the consultation road-shows in Inverness, Glasgow and Edinburgh which contributed towards the work of the review. Many members of the steering group and working groups also volunteer on a personal capacity.
A full list of all members of the review steering group and working groups can be found at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/viu.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 3 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many migrants from EU accession countries have settled in Scotland as a result of the Fresh Talent initiative.
Answer
Information on the number of migrants from EU accession countries who have settled in Scotland is not available. While the most recent Accession Monitoring Report indicates that over 10,000 migrants from the EU accession countries have registered to work in Scotland between May 2004 and March 2005 there is no data available on the number of migrants who have actually settled in Scotland.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 2 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether non-European Economic Area nationals who completed an HND at a Scottish college of further education will be entitled to join the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme.
Answer
Non-European Economic Area nationals who completed an HND at a Scottish college of further education will be entitled to apply to the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 2 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the details of the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme have been finalised with the Home Office and, if so, whether the Executive will publish these details and, if not, when it expects these details to be finalised.
Answer
We have been working closely with the Home Office on finalising the arrangements for the implementation of the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme, including the draft changes to the Immigration Rules required to implement the scheme. The Home Office are currently working to lay the Immigration Rules before the UK Parliament in the coming weeks. The Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme is due to be launched before the end of June, and further details of how to apply will be available of the Home Office IND website,
www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk nearer the time.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 2 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers the Fresh Talent initiative to be sufficient to address any problems it has identified with Scotland's demographic situation.
Answer
The Fresh Talent initiative aims to provide an additional pool of talent to support the long term economic and cultural growth of Scotland. The initiative is one of a range of measures we are taking to further invigorate our economy. The Fresh Talent initiative will play its part to make sure that Scotland has the necessary skills and talent to meet the challenges of tomorrow.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 2 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many awards have been granted to each of the agreed participant countries under the Scottish International Scholarship Programme.
Answer
The Scottish International Scholarship Programme will provide places for 22 international scholars to Scotland in the coming academic year from China (9), India (6), Australia (2), South Africa (2), Singapore (2) and New Zealand (1). Scholarship places are expected to be awarded by the end of June 2005 and students will commence their studies in October 2005.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 2 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have so far been attracted to Scotland by the Fresh Talent initiative.
Answer
Fresh Talent is a long-term initiative, and measuring its overall success will take time. However, there are some more immediate evaluations that will give us some useful data.
For example:
We will know how many people successfully apply to live and work in Scotland under the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme, and we are currently in discussions with the Home Office to develop a robust and workable arrangement for monitoring and evaluating the scheme.
We will also know the number of people interested in living and working in Scotland via the number of enquiries to the Relocation Advisory Service and the numbers visiting the website. An evaluation of the Relocation Advisory Service, which is now underway, will also provide us with some useful information.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 2 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive who will have responsibility for operating the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme.
Answer
The Home Office will administer the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme. The Executive will monitor the scheme, and will publish reports on its website.
- Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Tom McCabe on 2 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many scholarships for overseas students have been granted under the Fresh Talent initiative for the coming academic year.
Answer
The Scottish International Scholarship Programme will provide places for 22 international scholars to Scotland from China (9), India (6), Australia (2), South Africa (2), Singapore (2) and New Zealand (1).
Under the Dare to be Digital competition we have provided funding for eight international scholarships from China (2), Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Taiwan and Thailand to participate in the summer 2005 competition.
