Chamber and committees

The Scottish Government is aware of the voluntary registration scheme launched by UKPAC on 1 March. The scheme is run independently of government. Membership is currently confined to UKPAC''s three founding bodies “ the Association of Professional Political Consultants; the Public Relations Consultants Association and the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.

The UK Government indicated last year that it intends to tackle lobbying through introducing a statutory register of lobbyists. No further details has been published. Action to establish a statutory scheme was not mentioned in the Queen''s Speech. In the absence of concrete proposals, or of any approach from the UK Government, the implications for Scotland of such a scheme remain unclear.

Lobbying of members of the Scottish Parliament is a matter for the Parliament itself to regulate. The Code of Conduct for MSPs defines the standards to which MSPs are expected to adhere. The overriding objective is to ensure transparency and probity in the way the Parliament conducts its business. The Scottish Ministerial Code also contains provision about contacts with lobbyists. It would be open to the Parliament to extend existing arrangements, including by establishing a statutory register, should it so wish.

The Scottish Government has no plans at present to review or amend the guidelines for local authority publicity, however this matter will continue to be kept under review.

The expansion of home and flexi-working is closely aligned with a number of the strategic objectives within the National Performance Framework. We have taken it forward as part of our wider travel planning policies to reduce transport emissions by reducing the need to travel. Travel planning delivers targeted information direct to travellers and raises awareness of cycling, walking, public transport, home and flexi-working and how to overcome actual or perceived barriers to their use.

The Draft Report on Proposals and Policies published on 17 November 2010 addresses the need to reduce travel as well as widening travel choices and driving more efficiently. It provides for a major increase in travel planning advice and information on alternatives to car journeys, including those to work. www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/11/18104445/9.

The Energy Saving Trust has helped public sector organisations to develop and deliver staff travel planning, over the past five years. This has offered the organisations up to five days consultancy to develop travel planning including policies on home and flexi-working. Nevertheless, policies on home and flexi-working remain an operational matter for individual organisations. They need to consider a number of issues such as business needs as well as HR policies.

Transport Scotland will also use the lessons learned from the Smarter Choices Smarter Places demonstration programme to work with COSLA, Regional Transport Partnerships and local authorities to consider how best to deliver travel planning post 2010-11.

The draft Report on Proposals and Policies (RPP) also addresses the need to reduce travel through the provision of mixed-use community hubs in smaller settlements. The Scottish Government will undertake further analysis of options for introduction of shared facilities in settlements of population less than 10,000 (of which Scotland has over 100). Equipped for remote working, with ICT and remote office facilities (including video-conferencing suites), such facilities could remove a key reason for travel and reduce travel costs.

Additionally, these hubs potentially offer an additional range of benefits such as health, education, shopping delivery, post office and other financial services, and storage for ecommerce deliveries.

The draft RPP is now being considered by Parliament.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland will be established on 1 April 2011. Following open competition for the role of chief executive, Dr Frances Elliot has been appointed on an interim basis until December 2011. This is a new post in a new organisation and as such a number of practical issues had to be considered. This is reflected in the time taken to confirm the arrangements. Future appointments will be a matter for the board of Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

Under ScotAction and through Skills Development Scotland the Scottish Government offers a wide range of programmes and initiatives for all ages to support employers in tackling skills shortages. These include modern apprenticeships, Targeted Pathways, Training for Work, Flexible Training Opportunities and Individual Learning Accounts.

Skills for Scotland: Accelerating the Recovery and Increasing Sustainable Economic Growth, the Scottish Government''s refreshed Skills Strategy, sets out a flexible, responsive, partnership approach to addressing Scotland''s skills needs and strengthening the economy.

The Scottish Government and its agencies, including Skills Development Scotland, offer a wide range of programmes and initiatives to support training for all ages, including modern apprenticeships, Training for Work, Individual Learning Accounts and Flexible Training Opportunities.

Scotland''s 41 colleges offer a wide range of flexible full and part-time courses for those who wish to gain skills and training, both for those working towards employment and those already in employment.

The Scottish Government published Valuing Young People - principles and connections to support young people achieve their potential in April 2009 with the support of a wide range of partner organisations including COSLA, NHS Scotland, Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS), Youthlink Scotland, Young Scot and the Scottish Youth Parliament.

This publication assists partners at National and Community Planning Partnership level work together to support young people achieve their potential under National Outcome 4 “ our young people are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens.

The Scottish Government also supports Young Scot''s work with community planning partnerships to involve young people in decisions that affect their lives.

At the first Apprenticeship Summit in April 2009, employers told us of the additional barriers small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) can face in engaging with the modern apprenticeship (MA) programme in Scotland. Skills Development Scotland (SDS) have made efforts and progress has been made through Supporting Business through Recovery initiatives to ensure that all businesses have better information about the modern apprenticeship programme and that they are actively encouraged to take part. We know that 39 micro businesses that employ fewer than 10 people have offered MA places to 62 employees through the Invest in a Micro Business initiative.

At the start of 2010, SDS ran a radio campaign specifically to raise awareness of the MA programme with SMEs and The Scottish Government, in partnership with SDS, introduced an apprenticeship grant to further incentivise the MA programme for SMEs.

SMEs can also benefit from the Adopt an Apprentice and Safeguard an apprentice schemes. These are designed to ensure apprentices are supported to complete their training during the economic downturn. Safeguard is targeted specifically at SMEs and last available figures indicate 105 small companies have taken advantage of this initiative, offering training to 356 individuals.

It is for local authorities to determine, in consultation with families to whom they provide social work services, what type of services, including family group conferencing and other approaches, best meet their needs. The Scottish Government supports the use of family group conferencing and other supportive interventions, and has funded and published research about the impact of these in recent years. (Aldgate and McIntosh, Scottish Executive 2006 www.swia.gov.uk/swia/files/j7435.pdf)

Family group conferencing has been highlighted in strategy documents and guidance, for example, in the guidance on the Looked After Children (Scotland) Regulations 2009 and Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 published in June 2010.

The Scottish Government''s website provides a wide range of information and access to statistics that may be of interest to parents. We also continue to support many of the national parenting and children''s voluntary sector organisations which provide information on services they provide in Scottish communities.

Information on local services can come from several sources, depending on the nature of the parental enquiry and where responsibility for the service lies. For example, local information on education and social work services is likely to be found on local authority websites or through local literature.