Chamber and committees

The Scottish Executive is providing local authorities with over £8 million this year, and for the next three years, for the in-service development and training of classroom-based staff and others working with children with special educational needs (SEN), including dyslexia. The Scottish Executive asks local authorities, in considering their staff development requirements, to take account of training required in dyslexia.The Executive is also funding the Scottish Dyslexia Trust through the SEN Innovation Grants Programme 2002-04 to develop resource materials in a range of formats to help teachers and parents work effectively with children with dyslexia.

I plan to meet the General Secretary of the EIS in the near future to discuss a range of issues, including industrial relations in the further education sector. I have also arranged to meet the Chairman and the Chief Executive of the Association of Scottish Colleges on 5 November; the agenda has still to be finalised.

£4.5 million is being made available over three years to implement the inclusiveness recommendations from the Beattie Committee to improve support for students in further education. The BRITE (Beattie Resources for Inclusiveness in Technology and Education) Centre has been established through this funding. The centre offers a programme of staff development aimed at building the capacity of staff within colleges to identify and support the needs of students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia. A vast range of assistive technologies are available in the support of learners. I recently allocated an additional £10 million to the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC) to support colleges in the investment of major items of equipment and the purchase of auxiliary aids to support learners with special needs or disabilities.Dyslexia in Scotland raises awareness of dyslexia throughout Scotland and provides a national support and information service for people with, or who have an interest in, dyslexia. The Scottish Executive is providing funding of £27,810 for 2002-03 to assist with the cost of maintaining its Scottish headquarters.

The Health Technology Board for Scotland (HTBS) has not investigated the use of needle fasciotomy as a treatment for Dupuytren's Contracture, nor is this topic on its work programme. To be investigated by the HTBS, the topic would need to be proposed to the HTBS. The HTBS work programme and topic proposal forms are available to the public on the HTBS website at: www.htbs.co.uk, or by contacting the HTBS.

Good progress has been made. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is currently preparing to collect the data required for the European Pollutant Emission Register (EPER). Statutory notices, requiring those affected to report on emissions for 2002, will be issued by SEPA in November 2002. The information must be passed to the European Commission by June 2003.SEPA will provide online access to Scottish EPER emissions data by summer 2003 as a first stage in the development of a comprehensive online pollution inventory.As I explained in the answer given to question S1W-29496 on 25 September 2002, SEPA has been allocated, subject to parliamentary approval, additional resources over the three-year period covered by the 2002 Spending Review. The resources include funding to enable the agency to implement its plans for an online pollution inventory.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 statistical service of the Scottish Executive is developing a range of small area information through the Scottish Neighbourhood Statistics (SNS) project. This is a major project aimed at significantly increasing and improving the availability, quality and fit for purpose of economic and social data across Scotland. The work is being taken forward in consultation with key data owners and providers across the public sector with the aim of giving users within and outwith government free access to information via a web-based dissemination system. The initial dissemination system is planned for spring 2003 and will provide users with data for a range of pre-defined geographies including postcode sector and ward. However, the main focus of the work is to deliver by April 2004, a comprehensive range of information and to provide users with a wider range of data at an even smaller area level, which they will be able to aggregate into the actual geographic areas they require for their specific policy development, service delivery or analytical needs. This will include wards. Users will be able to access data for specific subject areas, but more importantly will be able to use the full range of data to provide context and background.

My officials and officials from the State Veterinary Service are in regular contact with Superfast Ferries. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday 3 October and will take place at Rosyth. Officials from the local authority, Port Authority and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise will also be present.

The Induction Implementation Group, established to develop the detail of the Teacher Induction Scheme, have been exploring the option of a second intake to the scheme. We have sought initial views from all councils and have discussed the matter at a meeting of the Association of Directors of Personnel.A final conclusion will be reached as soon as possible, however, it is clear a number of significant obstacles remain to creating a second intake point. Officials are therefore also examining whether alternative means exist of addressing the concerns of these graduates.

The Executive fully supports the work of SCOTS in taking forward the local authority condition survey of local roads. An official from the Executive's Roads Network Management and Maintenance Division is a member of the project working group which is monitoring progress.

The review is well advanced and is expected to be completed in the autumn.