Chamber and committees

Education authorities have a duty, under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980, to secure adequate and efficient provision of school education for children and young people belonging to their area and this includes provision for special educational needs. School education is progressive education appropriate to the requirements of pupils, regard being had to the age, ability and aptitude of the pupils. 

As part of the normal process of inspection, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) consider the adequacy of provision for special educational needs, including that for autism. In addition, the Scottish Executive has commissioned HMIE to conduct a specific inspection of educational provision for autism across Scotland. This will take place over 2005-06 with some preliminary work starting later this year. It is a matter for the professional judgement of HMIE to determine how they conduct inspections. Further information on current procedures is available at:

www.hmie.gov.uk. 

Aggregate statistics are collected from each local authority on the number of children receiving respite care. Details collected are the age and gender of those receiving care and the setting this care takes place in – see link for exact detail http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/ED/IAC/00016135/CLASform.xls.

This information is not held centrally. The first national audit of services for people with autistic spectrum disorders in 2003 identified existing service provision, gaps and provided a basis for future planning. The statistical report of the audit findings can be found at http://sh45inta/Resource/Doc/1095/0001881.pdf. Information about the range of services provided can be found at questions 23 -24 on pages 52-60.

Aggregate statistics are collected from each local authority on the number of children receiving respite care. Details collected are the age and gender of those receiving care and the setting this care takes place in – see link for exact detail:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/about/ED/IAC/00016135/CLASform.xls.

In 2005-06, the Scottish Executive is piloting a new set of statistics on looked after children (including those receiving respite care) with the aim of introducing these statistics fully in 2006-07. This survey will collect (from each local authority) anonymised statistics for each looked after child and each episode of care they receive. It will record type of disability, from which to quantify the numbers of children with autism who are receiving respite care. When the full detail of what will be collected is agreed, this will be published on the Scottish Executive website.

I also refer the member to S2W-11641 answered 8 November 2004. 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/wasearch.

The cost of producing the Video News Release was £11,275. An additional cost of £3,000 was spent on other related work such as project management, production and editing.

As at 1 November 2004,three formal press conferences had been held inside Parliament by the Executive.The Chamber Conference Room, Committee Room 6 and Room 1.07 Queensberry Housewere the locations used.

As at 1 November 2004, therehad been approximately 36 briefings by an Executive official spokesperson. Thisis based on a weekly pattern, when Parliament is sitting, of Executive mediabriefings being held in Holyrood twice daily on Tuesdays, Wednesdays andThursdays. On two other occasions, Executive officials held media briefings atHolyrood.

Prior to the move to Holyrood, at the request of the Scottish Parliamentary Journalists’ Association,the Executive’s press office approached the Parliament’s Media Relations Office to request use of a venue as a replacement for the Government Room at the Assembly Hall, the Mound.

The SPCB was accordingly advised on 19 August 2004, that the twice daily use of the Chamber Conference Room by the Executive was being discussed at official level, as the proposed venue of first choice. The SPCB was also advised that alternative arrangements would be considered on occasions when the Chamber Conference Room was not available. Todate, the large majority of the twice daily briefings have been held in the Chamber Conference Room.

The Scottish Executive’s Promotion of Scotland Unit sought permission from the Parliament’s Media RelationsOffice to film approximately two minute’s worth of internal and external generalviews of the Holyrood building, for use in its overseas promotional video.

Its request to film insideHolyrood followed the Parliament’s procedures for broadcasters who wish to filminside the parliamentary campus. The rules governing media access at Holyroodwere agreed by the SPCB on 19 August 2004. 

Arrangements for filminginside Holyrood were agreed by the Corporate Body on 19 August 2004 in SPCB (2004)Paper 107 entitled Media Access at Holyrood.  The minutes of thismeeting and the full terms of the media access paper are available on the Parliament’s website.  The above paper notified the SPCB that use of theChamber Conference Room was being proposed for the Executive’s twice dailybriefings by its official spokesperson.  That arrangement is now in place.

In terms of using thechamber, committee rooms, the chamber conference room, the garden lobby andpublic areas, ministers have the same access as other MSPs and no separateprotocol arrangements apply for the use or booking of facilities. 

I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland, to respond. Her response is as follows:

Information is not held centrally on the funding provided by local authorities to residents’ and tenants’ associations. The Executive made available £4 million over financial years 2002-03 to 2003-04 to assist social landlords in implementing duties of the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 in relation to tenant participation. The table  shows how this was allocated by local authority.

Tenant Participation – Grant Paid (2002-03 to 2003-04)	Year 1 2002-03 Paid	Year 2 2003-04 Paid	Total
Local Authorities
Aberdeenshire Council	£33,700	£33,700	£67,400
Angus Council	£22,200	£22,200	£44,400
Argyll and Bute Council	£16,400	£16,400	£32,800
City of Aberdeen Council	£56,300	£56,300	£112,600
City of Dundee Council	£42,100	£42,100	£84,200
City of Edinburgh Council	£57,100	£57,100	£114,200
City of Glasgow Council / Glasgow Housing Association	£0	£318,100	£318,100
Clackmannanshire Council	£15,400	£15,400	£30,800
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar	£6,900	£6,900	£13,800
Dumfries and Galloway Council / D and G Housing Partnership	£0	32487	32487
East Ayrshire Council	£37,500	£37,500	£75,000
East Dunbartonshire Council	£14,900	£14,900	£29,800
East Lothian Council	£22,300	£22,300	£44,600
East Renfrewshire Council	£11,100	£11,100	£22,200
Falkirk Council	£44,800	£44,800	£89,600
Fife Council	£80,300	£40,000	£120,300
Highland Council	£37,300	£37,300	£74,600
Inverclyde Council	£23,300	£23,300	£46,600
Midlothian Council	£18,200	£18,200	£36,400
Moray Council	£16,900	£16,900	£33,800
North Ayrshire Council	£36,700	£36,700	£73,400
North Lanarkshire Council	£95,900	£95,900	£191,800
Orkney Islands Council	£4,700	£4,700	£9,400
Perth and Kinross Council	£22,200	£22,200	£44,400
Renfrewshire Council	£42,900	£42,900	£85,800
Scottish Borders Housing Association	£17,200	£17,200	£34,400
Shetland Islands Council	£7,100	£7,100	£14,200
South Ayrshire Council	£23,900	£23,900	£47,800
South Lanarkshire Council	£71,000	£71,000	£142,000
Stirling Council	£18,100	£18,100	£36,200
West Dunbartonshire Council	£30,600	£30,600	£61,200
West Lothian Council	£35,200	£35,200	£70,400
Total Local Authorities	£962,200	£1,272,487	£2,234,687

In accordance with paragraph 7.15 of the Scottish Ministerial Code, constituency MSPs, MPs and list MSPs are informed whenever a minister is planning to undertake a public engagement in their constituencies. The minister’s Private Office staff would normally send an email message directly to the parliamentary account of the relevant MSP as soon as the engagement is confirmed.