- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 6 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria are applied when determining the probationary placements of recently qualified teachers.
Answer
The computer programmeselects students at random and seeks to match them to available posts in thestudents’ preferred local authorities, in order, until a match is found.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive when the final phase of the Strategic Funding Review will be completed.
Answer
I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-16844 on 31 May 2005. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility forwhich can be found at:
http://www.scottish.parliament/webapp/wa.search.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 6 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how many probationary teachers have been placed in schools in their (a) first, (b) second, (c) third, (d) fourth and (e) fifth choice of local authority area in each year since the introduction of the teacher induction scheme, including 2005.
Answer
The information requested is as shown in the table:
| | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 |
| 1st Choice | 1,390 (65%) | 1,336 (67%) | 1,618 (73%) | 2,034 (69%) |
| 2nd Choice | 335 (16%) | 315 (16%) | 293 (13%) | 463 (16%) |
| 3rd Choice | 220 (10%) | 194 (10%) | 150 (7%) | 201 (7%) |
| 4th Choice | 111 (5%) | 83 (4%) | 103 (5%) | 127 (4%) |
| 5th Choice | 82 (4%) | 67 (3%) | 62 (3%) | 113 (4%) |
Note: Percentages may notsum to 100 due to roundings.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 30 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 6 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what appeals procedures are in place for probationary teachers who are dissatisfied with the local authority to which they have been allocated.
Answer
There are no formal appealsprocedures, given that allocations are based on students’ own preferences.
If a local authority agreesto release a probationer who is dissatisfied with their allocation, ScottishExecutive officials will endeavour to re-allocate the probationer. However,this is dependent upon a vacancy being or becoming available elsewhere, whichcannot be guaranteed. Probationers who seek release from the local authority towhich they have been allocated must recognise that they run the risk of losingtheir place on the induction scheme.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 2 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to extend the number of schemes funded through the strategic waste fund.
Answer
For the current Spending Review period (2005-06 to 2007-08), we have allocated £364.296 million to the strategic waste fund for local authorities and £45.553 million to the other waste initiatives line.
Through the strategic waste fund, we are providing resources to local authorities to prevent waste arising, to improve recycling and composting facilities, to invest in infrastructure to divert waste away from landfill and to support education and awareness campaigns. Through the other waste expenditure line we are supporting a variety of initiatives including: the community recycling sector (through our INCREASE programme); the Waste and Resources Action Programme, Remade, the Scottish Waste Awareness Group, the Community Recycling Network for Scotland, Envirowise, Business Environment Partnership, Eco-Schools, a project to help remove litter from the North Sea and research.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 2 June 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has for the provision of separate kerbside collections of plastic containers.
Answer
It is the responsibility of local authorities to draw up schemes to encourage recycling and, if they so wish, to seek financial support through the Strategic Waste Fund. Through the Strategic Waste Fund, we have funded a number of co-mingled kerbside collections of recyclate which include plastic bottles. In a number of other local authorities, plastic will be collected at recycling points and centres. Separate kerbside collection of plastic containers by themselves is not generally seen as viable at the moment, given the different types of plastic and the light weight of the materials. Information on recycling facilities across Scotland can be found on the “Sort It” section of the Scottish Waste Awareness Group’s website at
http://www.wascot.org.uk/.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 May 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 19 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance was issued to NHS boards to safeguard their staff who were displaced by single system working.
Answer
NHS Scotland employers are required to follow the Organisational Change Policy applied to change as a consequence of the move to single system working. Under this policy employers should give priority to displaced staff.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 13 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it is giving to strengthening the powers of planning enforcement officers.
Answer
Planning enforcement has a vital role in ensuring public confidence in the planning system as a whole. Under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, planning authorities have primary responsibility for enforcement and the act provides a range of enforcement powers to address breaches of planning control. Guidance issued by the Scottish Executive emphasises the importance attached by the Executive to effective enforcement of planning control.
The Executive is committed, under the Partnership Agreement, to consider improving the planning system in Scotland. In order to meet its commitments under the agreement, the Executive is reviewing the planning process, including planning enforcement.
It is our aim to publish a white paper before the parliamentary summer recess, setting out in detail our proposed reforms which will include proposals for strengthening planning enforcement.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 11 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it gives to local authority planning departments who are concerned with the conduct of developers who continue to develop without permission.
Answer
Under the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, planning authorities have access to a range of powers to enable them to ensure that development is carried out in accordance with planning permission.
Local authorities are individually responsible for allocating resources to planning enforcement within their budgets.
Planning authorities have responsibility for determining whether or not a development is in breach of planning legislation and, if so, for determining the appropriate remedial action to be taken.
- Asked by: Margaret Jamieson, MSP for Kilmarnock and Loudoun, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 April 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 5 May 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what actions can be taken by local authority planning departments who obtain interim interdicts against developers who then breach the interdict by continuing to develop without approval.
Answer
Where a planning authority has sought, and been granted, an interdict from the Court of Session or the sheriff, it would be a matter for the court to determine if the terms of the interdict had been breached, and if so, to determine the appropriate action to be taken against the developer.
