Chamber and committees

Research proposals to the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) are assessed on the basis of their scientific quality and potential relevance to the health of the Scottish people. The principal research grant holder must be a permanent salaried member of staff in a Scottish institution and the administering body must be based in Scotland.Projects must also be able to demonstrate "health gain" and potential to improve health care. Such assessments are made by expert peer group and committee review.Potential applicants are encouraged to discuss their research idea with CSO at an early stage, so that they can develop their proposals in a way that most directly addresses Scotland's public health and health services research needs.Comprehensive information and guidance on how to apply for a CSO research grant is available on the CSO website at: www.show.scot.nhs.uk/cso/.

The Scottish Council on Deafness' application for funding from the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) was turned down on 1 November 2001 because it lay outside the remit of CSO's research grant scheme which requires that the principal research grant holder must be a permanent salaried member of staff in a Scottish Institution and the administrating body must be based in Scotland. Additionally, the proposal was considered to be more in the area of a needs assessment and audit, rather than a research proposal designed to provide new knowledge and findings which are able to be generalised.Further information on CSO grant conditions is available on the CSO website at www.show.scot.nhs.uk/cso.

The possibility of a review has been discussed by officials with the Director General, but no final decision on this matter has yet been made.

I anticipate that the Order in Council under section 30 of the Scotland Act 1998, to provide legislative competence to the Scottish Parliament in respect of the promotion and construction of railways, will be laid and brought into force during the first half of 2002.

The transfer to the Scottish Parliament of legislative competence for the promotion and construction of new railways in Scotland formed part of a package of measures for railways devolution announced on 31 March 1998 by Henry McLeish, the then Scottish Transport Minister, in the House of Commons.

It is the responsibility of education authorities in terms of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to establish which children in their area have pronounced, specific or complex special educational needs which require continuing review. If a child is assessed as having such needs then the education authority must open and keep a Record of Needs.The Executive issues general guidance to local authorities, parents and others on Records of Needs legislation and good practice in Circular 4/96 - Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs: Assessment and Recording and the Manual of Good Practice. Additional information for parents is available in the Parents' Guide to Special Educational Needs and through the Enquire helpline funded by the Scottish Executive. Further guidance will be produced following completion of the current review of the Records of Needs process.

Educational psychologists are employed within local authorities.Data is not collected centrally on individual educational psychologists' levels of professional training in particular specialist areas of psychology, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, educational psychologists will be introduced to literature on ADHD during their training and will gain experience of working with children with ADHD during placements. In addition, those already in post will have opportunities to update their knowledge in this area through Continuing Professional Development.

Guidance issued by the Scottish Executive refers to the circumstances under which any child with special educational needs (SEN) requires a Record of Needs. It does not refer in detail to any particular disorder such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).This guidance is contained in the Manual of Good Practice for all staff and professionals involved with children and young people with special educational needs, Effective Provision for Special Educational Needs (EPSEN), Circular 4/96: Children and Young People with SEN - Assessment and Recording, Taking a Closer Look at Promoting Social Competence and Sharing Good Practice. The information in these documents is applicable to educational psychologists considering whether a child with ADHD requires a Record of Needs.

The guidance issued by The Scottish Office to Directors of Education in April 1999 about the implementation of the Classroom Assistants initiative, sets out the following minimum entry standards which prospective Classroom Assistants are required to demonstrate prior to appointment:

literacy and communication skills

numeracy

potential to develop and learn within the role

ability to work with children

ability to work co-operatively and under the direction of a teacher

Before starting work in school, the guidance, which is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 13145), suggests that all Classroom Assistants should receive basic induction training at authority, school and classroom level.

A comprehensive list of topics for induction training is set out in Annex E of the guidance.

The Executive issued general guidance to local authorities on Records of Needs legislation and good practice in Circular 4/96 - Children and Young People with Special Educational Needs: Assessment and Recording and the Manual of Good Practice. Further guidance will be produced following completion of the current review of the Records of Needs process.