Chamber and committees

I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-2579 today, which is available on the Parliament’s website, thesearch facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

I refer the member to the answerto question S2W-2579 today, which is available on the Parliament’s website, thesearch facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.

The Judicial Office of the Houseof Lords collate statistics on the number of Scottish cases appealed to the Houseof Lords. The information supplied is published annually in the Scottish Executive publication Civil Judicial Statistics which can be located on the Scottish Executive website at www.scotland.gov.ukunder the heading “publications” using thesearch words “Civil Judicial”.

The number of civil cases appealedto the House of Lords in each calendar year since 1999 is as set out in the followingtable:

Calendar Year	Appeals to the House of Lords
1999	4
2000	14
2001	2
2002	7
2003	Not yet available

 

The number of grants of legalaid for appeals to the House of Lords in each financial year since 1999 is as setout in the following table. Where cost is available, this is shown in the thirdcolumn.

Financial year	Number Appealed to House of Lords in which Legal Aid Granted	Cost of Each Case
1999-2000	1	£50,104
2000-01	4	£35,004 – 1 case in which final account paid
2001-02	2	No final accounts paid
2002-03	0

 

The Special Educational Needs Forum, made up of professionals, officials and parents, has helped to inform the development of the proposals in the draft bill on Additional Support for Learning. Engagement more broadly with children and young people, parents, education, health and social work professionals, as well as a range of representatives from the voluntary sector, has been integral to the development of the draft bill.Consultation on proposals to change the current system for assessing and recording special educational needs began back in May 2001, when the Scottish Executive asked for responses to the document Assessing our children's educational needs: The Way Forward?. Three consultation events, attended by over 300 delegates from across Scotland, and four focus groups followed. Consultation on the draft bill itself began with its publication on 17 January 2003, when over 7,000 copies were distributed. Fourteen seminar events held in six towns and cities across Scotland, four focus groups and a formal written consultation followed. Consultation is an on-going process, and one in which a wide range of diverse views has been sought and very carefully considered. We intend to continue engaging with service users and providers in progressing the proposals of the draft bill and their subsequent implementation.

Co-ordinated support plans (CSPs), proposed in the draft Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill, aim to co-ordinate services for those with complex or multiple, enduring additional support needs, and to direct support towards specified and agreed learning outcomes. The CSP will be a working document, reviewed annually, available to all those involved in the support of the child, and appealable to a new independent tribunal. Consideration for a CSP will be based on individual children's needs, rather than the types of school children attend.

We have no plans to give direct support to the "Street Football for All" project. Executive funding for community learning and development is channelled mainly through local authorities. Executive funding for sports initiatives is channelled mainly through sportscotland.

The Thistle Card Scheme was set up by ENABLE and was launched in September 2002. The aim of the scheme was to support people with a learning difficulty or other mental health problem to enjoy the freedom of independent travel by providing an easily recognisable card to assist communication between transport staff and the passenger. There are no eligibility criteria for the Thistle Card, it is a self-selection process for those who might have trouble with dealing with money, require help with their destination or need time to sit down. The scheme is run by ENABLE on a national basis and latest figures show that they are dealing with around five to 10 enquiries a week. 195,000 cards have been sent out across Scotland and 8,000 staff guidelines have been sent to 43 transport companies.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-957 today. The Information requested is not held centrally. 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.

In the year ending 31 March 2003, the median waiting time for a first out-patient appointment with a consultant in the speciality of psychiatry following referral from a GP was 29 days.The £4.5 million investment in the Doing Well by People with Depression will engage service users, carers, clinical leaders and staff in the redesign and improved use of resources to provide better care with improved and timely access to evidence-based intervention including referral to psychiatrists where appropriate.

The average cost of opening a record of needs is a matter for local authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.