Chamber and committees

The amount of council tax uncollected by East Lothian Council in the years 2002-03 to 2004-05 is given in the following table.

Billing Year	Amount Uncollected (£000)
2002-03	1,684
2003-04	1,518
2004-05	1,383

Source: East Lothian Council.

Note: Figures are net of discounts, exemptions and surcharges; are before any amounts written off for bad or doubtful debt, and exclude council tax benefit and water and sewerage charges.

Continuous discussions take place between the Executive and all health boards on a whole range of issues throughout the year.

I and the senior management team of the Scottish Executive Health Department met with the chairman and senior management team of NHS Ayrshire and Arran on 16 August 2005 for the 2004-05 NHS annual review. I chaired the review to hold the board publicly to account for their performance in the planning and provision of health services for the people Ayrshire and Arran.

We are reviewing the curriculum. We want every young person to know and understand the world and Scotland’s place in it. Scottish history and culture is obviously an important element within this framework.

A response to S2W-20962 and S2W-20963 is also provided here. Data on electricity supply and demand in Scotland is collected by the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI). The most current data available are for years 2001-03. Data on electricity consumption and generation by fuel source is not collected centrally.

Table 1 sets out electricity consumption for Scotland by Terrawatt hours (TWh) between 2001 and 2003. Table 2 presents electricity generation by fuel source, expressed both by TWh and in percentage terms over this three year period.

Table 1: Electricity Consumption by Terawatt hours (TWh), 2001-03

2001	2002	2003
34.4	36.6	35.0

 

Table 2: Electricity Generation by Fuel Source Expressed by TWh and as a Percentage, 2001-03

	Electricity Generation by Energy Source (TWh)			Electricity Generation by Fuel Source ( %)
	2001	2002	2003	2001	2002	2003
Coal	15.8	14.9	14.6	32.9	30.3	29.8
Oil	0.5	2.2	2.0	1.0	4.5	4.2
Gas	9.9	11.0	10.0	20.6	22.5	20.5
Nuclear	18.1	15.9	18.4	37.6	32.4	37.7
Renewables	3.8	5.1	3.8	7.9	10.4	7.8
Total	48.1	49.1	48.8	100.0	100.0	100.0

 

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-20961 on 6 December 2005. 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/wa.search.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-20961 on 6 December 2005. 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/wa.search.

The Structure and Balance of the Curriculum 5-14 National Guidelines set out minimum time allocations for Environmental Studies 5-14 and four other key curriculum areas but do not specify how much of this should be spent on individual subjects. However, guidelines for Environmental Studies, which include History, make it clear that there is an expectation that attention should be given to events in Scottish history in both primary and the first two years of secondary.

There are no set percentages for Scottish or any other areas of study within Standard Grade, Higher and Advanced Higher History courses. Each of these courses offers a range of options for study including different time periods within the history of Scotland. For example, study of the Highland Clearances is part of the 1830 to 1930 option at Standard Grade.

The only statutory aspects of the curriculum are Religious Education and Religious Observance. The aims for Religious Education as set out in the 5–14 guidelines include helping pupils to develop their own beliefs, attitudes, moral values and practices through a process of personal search, discovery and critical evaluation.

The aims of Religious Observance include promoting pupils’ spiritual development by increasing their understanding of religious practices such as prayer and meditation and the religious experience which underlies them. The Scottish Executive Education Department issued a revised circular on religious observance in Scottish schools in February 2005 (Circular 1/2005). This circular describes and explains the Scottish Executive’s policy on the provision of religious observance in Scottish schools and sets out action for local authorities in planning the provision of religious observance and can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/education/circ1_05-00.asp.

Learning and Teaching Scotland appointed a Development Officer in May 2005 to work with key faith groups in producing support materials to support the 1/2005 circular.

The Structure and Balance of the Curriculum: 5–14 National Guidelines advise education authorities and schools of the minimum time allocations for each of the following curricular areas:

English Language – 20%

Environmental Studies – 15%

Expressive Arts – 15%

Mathematics – 20%

Religious and Moral Education – 10%

Curriculum Flexibility – 20%.

The guidelines do not specify how much of this should be spent on individual subjects but schools are encouraged to use curriculum flexibility time for activities which reflect their own needs and circumstances. In S3-S6 the flexibility factor is 30%.

The S3/S4 stage of secondary education builds on the learning experiences of S1/S2. It provides a framework within which, subject to principles of breadth and balance, pupils can make negotiated choices in accordance with their own aspirations, interest, abilities and potential career paths.

SEPA’s regulatory duty to control emissions to water, land and air and monitoring the quality of Scotland’s environment, ensures that licence conditions protect and improve both the environment and human health.

As regards the use of sewage sludge on land, according to paragraph 2 of Schedule 4 to the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency shall discharge its specified functions with the “relevant objectives”. Paragraph 4(1)(a) states that the “relevant objectives” in relation to the disposal or recovery of waste include “ensuring that waste is recovered or disposed of without endangering human health and without using processes or methods which could harm the environment”.

Since the introduction of the agreement, A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century, the Executive has distributed funding to local authorities to fund the provision of relevant professional development opportunities for teachers and to further develop Continuing Professional Development (CPD) infrastructures. In 2005‑06, this funding was £13.5 million. It is for each teacher in discussion with their line manager, to agree a programme of CPD that reflects individual, school, local authority and national priorities. The extent to which this includes training and development in behaviour improvement will vary according to individual need.