Chamber and committees

33% of primary school computers and 49% of secondary school computers are equipped with Intel Pentium processors or are Apple computers of broadly equivalent capability (taking Apple Power Macs, Imacs and G3s as equivalent to Pentiums). This information comes from Statistical Bulletin Edn/B9/2000/2, Detailed Results of the October 1999 School Survey of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).This Bulletin was published on 2 May 2000, and can be found on the Scottish Executive website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library2/doc15/ssit-00.asp. A copy is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

This information is not held centrally.

The Golf Club does not qualify for signing in accordance with the Scottish Executive Trunk Road and Motorway Tourist Signposting Policy.

Work on this important issue is being taken forward by a UK level working group on authentication and security, under the Cabinet Office. The Scottish Executive has been involved in, and supports, the work of this group. The draft framework policy guidelines developed by this group are published on the IAG Champions website (www.iagchampions.gov.uk). The Scottish Executive intends to adopt the approach set out in the guidelines, using whichever methods of authentication are appropriate to the type of transaction being delivered, the customer group concerned, and the chosen method of electronic delivery. This will include digital signatures where appropriate.

Schools must have an ICT development plan in order to take advantage of the programme of ICT training being offered by the New Opportunities Fund. In 1998 all Scottish schools were issued with a copy of Scottish Schools: Using the Superhighways, a guide to ICT and development planning. Schools are expected to incorporate their plans for the use of ICT within their School Development Plan and to evaluate it as part of their ongoing quality assurance arrangements.

I meet regularly with the Deputy Minister for Highlands and Islands and Gaelic to discuss cross-cutting matters concerning our respective portfolios.

The Scottish Executive did not send representatives to the Second Global Knowledge Conference in Kuala Lumpur.

As indicated in my answer to question S1W-5587, the Executive intends to consult publicly on the Digital Scotland Task Force report as soon as possible after it is completed. We believe that the process of consulting on the Task Force's recommendations will help ensure that the important issues which the Task Force has been asked to look into will be properly aired and better understood. The consultation period will last at least four weeks and will encourage electronic responses.

There is no monitoring of the percentage of curriculum time spent by schools in the use of information technology. The flexibility of the curriculum allows for schools to decide whether and how to use information technology across the broad range of subjects offered.

The setting of dates for school holidays is a matter for individual local authorities. Following representations received about different dates set in local authorities, my officials wrote to authorities in February to ask how holidays were currently co-ordinated between authorities and what could be done to improve liaison in the future. In response, most authorities indicated that they held discussions with their neighbours with a view to securing a consistent approach although consistency could not always be achieved because of local circumstances and local holidays. I am considering the detailed responses further.