- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 December 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Ross Finnie on 25 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what publicly accessible specialist facilities for the environmentally safe disposal and recycling of dry cell and car batteries currently exist and where such facilities are located, broken down by local authority area.
Answer
No specialist facilities for the disposal or recycling of dry cell and car batteries currently exist in Scotland. Dry cell and car batteries that are collected and stored at metal recycling sites in Scotland are typically consigned to specialist facilities in England and Wales.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 10 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the numbers of beneficiaries under the Millennium Volunteer Programme will not be artificially inflated by lower cost matchmakers being favoured over more specialist and expensive placement providers.
Answer
Each application for support under the Millennium Volunteers initiative is treated on individual merit. There is no bias that gives advantage to the matchmaker approach. Applications for support are made to the voluntary sector consortium that manages the scheme. They assess applications against the principles of the scheme and make recommendations to the Scottish Executive. The awards of grant are made by the Executive.A review group is currently looking at how the Millennium Volunteers Initiative has operated and how best to support volunteering by young people. I expect to receive their report in the spring.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 29 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it is making towards the introduction of a small business rates relief scheme.
Answer
We are carefully considering the views received in response to the consultation paper we published earlier in the year. We will make an announcement on the way forward as soon as possible.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 12 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 26 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18956 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 6 November 2001, when the contract awarded to the Student Loans Company Ltd to administer the debt portfolio on behalf of private owners ends, and whether the terms of the administration and collection arrangements could be altered upon renewal of the contract.
Answer
Under the terms of both debt sales, concluded in March 1998 and March 1999, the Student Loans Company remains responsible for the administration of debt and the collection of repayments for at least the first five years of private ownership. The administration arrangements can be altered upon renewal of the contracts or before, but the collection arrangements are specified in the Regulations which govern the provision of student loans.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 13 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 26 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18955 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 6 November 2001, whether the debt owners have changed since 31 March 2001 and, if so, who the present debt owners are and how much is owned by each company.
Answer
The debt owners have not changed since 31 March 2001.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 6 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance it has issued to education authorities on the duties and responsibilities of teaching staff in relation to the supervision or support of children with special needs during non-teaching periods of the school day.
Answer
The Executive has not issued guidance on this issue.Under the implementation agreement, A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century, teachers are not expected to be routinely involved in the direct and regular supervision and support of pupils during non-teaching periods. These duties are usually undertaken by a range of support staff, including classroom assistants and special needs auxiliaries.However, the report of the Discipline Task Group makes it clear that schools should ensure shared responsibility between staff for supervision of pupils during non-teaching times of the day.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 6 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will issue guidelines to local authorities on minimum training requirement guidelines for staff recruited to provide support services to school-age children with special needs.
Answer
There are no plans to issue such guidelines. The Special Educational Needs (SEN) Manual of Good Practice emphasises the need for appropriate training for all staff. All teachers should, as part of their Initial Teacher Education (ITE), receive some grounding in special educational needs. The Ministerial Continuous Professional Development committee is looking at Continuous Professional Development requirements for all teachers (but not support staff). An Education Inclusion sub-group of this committee is considering training requirements of teachers working with pupils with SENs. Teachers specialist qualifications are also being considered as part of the review of The Schools Scotland Code.In addition, the Scottish Executive provides over £5 million annually for in-service training of teachers and other staff working with children who have special educational needs.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 6 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18121 by Ms Wendy Alexander on the 27 September 2001, whether it will give a breakdown of the results of the court actions raised against graduates to recover student loans in (a) 1998-99, (b) 1999-2000 and (c) 2000-01.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-18956.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 6 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18120 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 27 September 2001, whether the operational procedures adopted by the Student Loans Company Ltd in respect of the collection of loan debt sold to Finance for Higher Education Ltd and Honours Trustee Ltd are identical to those for the debt retained by the Student Loans Company Ltd and, if not, in what way do they differ.
Answer
I am advised by the Student Loans Company Ltd that there is no difference between the collections procedures which are applied to loans under the sold debt portfolios and those applied to the retained loans. Although occasional additional work has been carried out by the Student Loans Company Ltd on behalf of the owners of the sold portfolios, the procedures for actioning all accounts remain the same.
- Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 6 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-8121 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 27 September 2001, how many of the court actions raised against graduates to recover student loans were (a) sold in (i) 1997-98 and (ii) 1998-99 and (b) retained by the Student Loans Company.
Answer
I am advised by the Student Loans Ltd Company that the breakdown requested is as follows:
Financial Year | Debt Owner | Total Number of Actions Raised | Decrees Obtained |
1998-99 | Student Loans Company Ltd | 878 | 732 |
| First National Tricity Finance | - | - |
| Honours Trustee Ltd | - | - |
1999-2000 | Student Loans Company Ltd | 1,257 | 880 |
| First National Tricity Finance | 421 | 306 |
| Honours Trustee Ltd | 33 | 20 |
2000-01 | Student Loans Company Ltd | 1,142 | 774 |
| First National Tricity Finance | 404 | 275 |
| Honours Trustee Ltd | 288 | 201 |
