Chamber and committees

Information is only available for periods post-April 2002. No discretionary fatal accident inquiries have been held since that date following a charge of careless driving.

The Executive is providing East Dunbartonshire Council with funding of £715,000 this year towards the costs of the Music School at Douglas Academy. This represents a 35% increase over last year’s grant. It is entirely for the council to decide how to deploy these funds, for the benefit of the school.

Disclosure Scotland began processing applications in April 2002. It has processed the following number of applications in each financial year since.

Financial Year	Number of Applications Received	Number of Applications Sent
2002-03	141,548	135,558
2003-04	395,738	320,780
2004-05	374,697	446,593
Total	911, 983	902,931

 

Since Disclosure Scotland began in April 2002 the cost of a disclosure application has been £13.60. Responsibility for paying this fee rests with the applicant although some employers reimburse them. Applications for standard and enhanced disclosures must be counter signed by a Registered Body, usually the employer. There is a one-off fee of £150 to be paid on registration and a further £10 fee for every person registered as a counter signatory. The Scottish Executive covers the cost of applications from volunteers working with children and vulnerable adults in the voluntary sector as well as funding the Central Registered Body for Scotland which is the registered body for voluntary sector checks.

Disclosure Scotland is financed by the share of income Scottish ministers receive from the sale of certificates and through additional support from ministers as necessary. Disclosure Scotland began operations in April 2002, and the income from the sale of certificates and support from ministers is set out below. The support from ministers includes expenditure to cover the cost of free checks for volunteers working in the voluntary sector with children and vulnerable adults in Scotland

Year	Gross Support from Ministers	Scottish Ministers Income from Certificates	Net Support from Ministers
2002-03	£3,554,080	£802,000	£2,752,080
2003-04	£3,647,918	£1,779,662	£1,868,256
2004-05	£5,136,463	£2,004,007	£3,132,456
2005-06 (projected)	£3,615,000	£2,106,000	£1,509,000

 

In partnership with the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) on behalf of the voluntary sector, the Scottish Executive commissioned GEN Consulting to develop a framework and collect core baseline monitoring data to assess the implementation of the principles of the Scottish Compact. The results were presented and discussed at the Scottish Executive/Voluntary Sector Forum in November 2004.

The forum, which is jointly chaired by the Minister for Communities and the Convenor of the SCVO, plays a crucial role in improving dialogue and understanding between the Scottish Executive and the sector. It meets twice a year and brings together ministers, Scottish Executive officials and representatives from the voluntary sector. Compact implementation and assessment features as an agenda item for discussion at each forum meeting.

The results from the Baseline Research have helped to inform the compact implementation process and on-going priorities taken forward by the Scottish Executive and the voluntary sector.

Recent research suggests that there may have been an increase in young people attending a youth club or other club. The Being Young in Scotland survey reports an increase in attendance at youth clubs or other clubs from 25% in 2003 to 38% in 2005 with those attending uniformed clubs also showing an increase from 9% in 2003 to 13% in 2005.

Information on the number of youth clubs and organisations is not held centrally.

According to the Scottish Household survey, the overall level of volunteering has remained constant at around 24 to 26%.

The Scottish Executive continues to work in partnership with local authorities, the voluntary sector and national agencies, such as YouthLink Scotland and Young Scot, to continue the development of high quality youth work and youth information. The forthcoming consultation on the National Youth Work Strategy will be an opportunity for young people, and all interested parties, to influence the development of this important area of work.

The Scottish Executive’s Volunteering Strategy sets out our way forward to embed a robust culture of volunteering across Scotland, including in youth organisations. This includes the provision of resources for Volunteer Development Scotland and the network of volunteer centres to provide advice and support to all volunteers and volunteer-involving organisations.

East Dunbartonshire Council has responsibility for the management of its entire school estate, including the music school at Douglas Academy. We understand that the rebuilding of Douglas Academy features in the council’s plans for a public private partnership project.

The 2002 Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) inspection report on Douglas Academy assessed the overall quality of learning and teaching in the music school as very good in performing courses, good in other aspects, and particularly effective in instrumental classes. In the 2004 follow up report, HMIE noted further improvement in the music school’s courses.

Ambitious, Excellent Schools, our agenda for education set out our commitment to develop more out of school hours opportunities across a wide range of activities to help young people develop their skills and confidence. 

As part of this commitment we have commissioned Learning and Teaching Scotland to undertake a development programme for outdoor education. The programme will establish the contribution outdoor education can make to develop the four capacities set out in a curriculum for excellence, in and out of school hours.

I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-20937 on 5 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.