- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 19 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to provide a mediation and tribunal service, give parents and carers a greater say in the education and support provision for their child and introduce flexibility to make sure that a child's education takes place in a setting and with support that best meets their needs, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland.
Answer
Proposals for the above were contained in the draft Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Bill which was published for consultation on 17 January 2003. The Scottish Executive received 252 formal responses to the consultation and heard a range of views from over 1,100 delegates at consultation events and meetings across Scotland. The draft bill has been, and continues to be, developed with the input from a wide range of service users and providers. A copy of the consultation document is available in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 26036). It is planned to introduce the bill to Parliament later this year.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 19 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will bring forward legislation to end "bureaucratic hurdles" faced by children with additional support for learning needs, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S2W-1725 on 19 August 2003. 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.The aim of this proposed legislation is to modernise and streamline the current 20-year old system for pupils with special educational needs. It will complement other disability legislation and aims to ensure that all pupils are provided with the necessary support to help them towards achieving their full potential.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 19 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it has taken to encourage diversity and permit local authorities to fund specialist schools, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland.
Answer
We ensure our talented and gifted youngsters have access to nine centres of excellence across Scotland by providing £5 million per annum across seven local authorities and our Future Learning and Teaching (FLaT) programme encourages more local innovation and diversity. Additionally, local authorities have wide flexibility in meeting pupils' needs.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 19 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide additional funds so that South Lanarkshire Council does not close Craighead special needs school in Hamilton, in light of its commitment to the provision of special needs schools, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.
Answer
The Scottish Executive does not make funding available to South Lanarkshire Council in respect of individual schools. It is for the council to consider the future configuration of its school estate and the future of any individual school, according to its own assessment of local educational needs and priorities.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 11 August 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive to whom it sold the former HM Prison Dungavel.
Answer
Home Office, Immigration andNationality Directorate.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 13 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what alternatives to MMR vaccines containing porcine gelatin are available and whether such alternatives are as effective as those containing porcine gelatin.
Answer
Safety of medicines is a reserved matter. The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) advise that: two vaccines are currently available for use in the UK and both are equally effective in preventing infections by measles, mumps and rubella viruses, and MMR vaccine with the trade name Priorix does not contain porcine derived gelatin.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 13 August 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance or instructions it has given to GPs regarding the presence of porcine gelatin, which is forbidden in Islam, in MMR injections and what guidance or information should be given by GPs to Muslims on this issue.
Answer
The Deputy Chief Medical Officer Scotland wrote to colleagues in NHSScotland on this subject on 29 July, to advise that a World Health Organization (WHO) and Islamic Organisation for Medical Sciences Seminar had concluded that "'the gelatine formed as a result of the transformation of the bones, skin and tendons of a judicially impure animal is pure and it is judicially permissible". Copies of the WHO documentation are available in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Duncan McNeil on 6 August 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer whether the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body will reinstate the use of the direct debit scheme for the payment of employer contributions to the personal pensions of MSPs' staff and what the reasons are for the position on this matter.
Answer
Under the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority rules an employer has an obligation to pay the correct amount of contribution over by the 19th of the month following the pay run in which the contributions are collected. Experience has shown that the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body cannot guarantee this under the direct debit system. As a result and to ensure that the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body continues to meet its obligations under the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority rules, there are no plans to reinstate the direct debit scheme.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Duncan McNeil on 6 August 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer why the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is unable to comply with its obligations regarding the payment of employer pension contributions to the personal pensions of MSPs' staff, as required by changes to Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority regulations in April 2001, if it uses the direct debit scheme.
Answer
Under theOccupational Pensions Regulatory Authority an employer has obligations to maintain a record of payments made, send a record ofpayments made to the pension provider and pay the correct amount ofcontribution over by the 19th of the month following the pay run in which thecontributions are collected. Under the direct debit scheme, the pensionprovider initiates when and how much to collect. The Scottish ParliamentaryCorporate Body could not, therefore, guarantee that the correct amount was collectedand paid over by the due date, as required under Occupational PensionsRegulatory Authority regulations.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 July 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Duncan McNeil on 6 August 2003
To ask the Presiding Officer what steps were taken, and by whom, to advise affected employees of the changes being made to the method of payment by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body regarding employer contributions to the personal pensions of MSPs' staff where such payments were being made under the direct debit scheme.
Answer
The change in the method of payment was a procedural change between the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body and the pension providers. Since none of the pension providers raised any objections to the change or envisaged that any problems would be encountered, it was not deemed necessary to advise staff.
