Chamber and committees

The implementation of Curriculum for Excellence will increasingly make different demands on Scotland''s teachers and it is timely that we consider whether our existing arrangements for teacher education and development are best suited to developing the flexible, creative, learner centred teachers we need in the longer term; that is why we have set up the Donaldson Review.

The out‘going Senior Chief Inspector of HMIE has been commissioned to conduct a wide ranging review of teacher education and development. The review will start later this month and report towards the end of the year.

The scope of the review will be wide - nothing has been ruled out. The Scottish Ministers will consider the review''s recommendations in due course.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31088 on 4 February 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

It is for Argyll and Bute Council to consider what the best interests and actions are in relation to Castle Toward. I understand that the council and Actual Reality, the operator, have held positive discussions about the reopening of the facility and its future ownership.

The Scottish Government values the contribution made by local newspapers to Scotland''s communities and is committed to helping them survive and prosper in a time of immense change for the industry.

We are paying close attention to the responses we have received to the consultation on the future of Public Information Notices and will pay particular attention to the views expressed by Parliament last week. The consultation closes on 12 February 2010.

On the same day, Jim Mather will host an event for local newspapers to explore some of the challenges and opportunities which currently confront the sector. In addition, we will, of course, take very serious account of the findings of the inquiry into local newspapers being carried out by the Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Committee.

Ministers meet regularly with Scottish Enterprise and other key agencies on strategic issues, to ensure that their activities and resources are focused on the matters likely to make the most significant contribution to delivering sustainable economic growth. However, the Scottish Government is not involved routinely in detailed matters connected to the funding or refocusing of specific interventions. These are matters for the agencies themselves to determine, taking account of this overarching purpose and the need to optimise the value derived from their spend.

Buses and trains work in very different operating environments. We believe that the current legislation governing changes to bus timetables as administered by the Traffic Commissioner strikes the right balance between maintaining a stable network and allowing operators to adjust services to meet commercial needs. The legislation governing rail timetable changes is necessarily less flexible given the limited capacity of the infrastructure and the number of train operators.

The Scottish Government has no plans at this time to amend the regulations governing changes to bus timetables.

We believe that the current legislation governing changes to bus timetables as administered by the Traffic Commissioner strikes the right balance between maintaining a stable network and allowing operators to adjust services to meet commercial needs. A strength of bus as a mode of transport is its ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances when compared to fixed route modes. We also welcome partnership working between operators and local authorities that leads to increased stability of networks.

The Scottish Government has no plans at this time to amend the regulations governing changes to bus timetables.

The Scottish Government has no plans at this time to amend the regulations governing changes to bus timetables.