- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 18 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make the Scottish Youth Parliament one of the bodies routinely consulted on legislation and initiatives affecting young people.
Answer
Ministers want to involve the Scottish Youth Parliament in our ongoing plans for legislation and other initiatives and we will discuss with the Youth Parliament how best to involve them in consultation.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 December 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Alasdair Morrison on 17 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the employment created in Gaelic television since the creation of the Gaelic Television Committee, now the Gaelic Broadcasting Committee.
Answer
The Ekos report commissioned in 2000 for the Gaelic Broadcasting Task Force shows 316 full-time equivalents (FTE) employed in Gaelic television. On this basis 255 FTE are attributable to the Comataidh Craolaidh Gaidhlig (the Gaelic Broadcasting Committee).
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 15 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase the recruitment of teachers in subjects where a shortage has been identified.
Answer
I have today sent the Convenor of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraphs 13-15 and 28-38 of the report.Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 15 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the age profile is of teachers employed in the state sector, broken down into age groups.
Answer
I have today sent the Convenor of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at Annex E of the report.Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 15 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how shortages of teachers in specific subjects are identified and projected.
Answer
I have today sent the Convenor of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraphs 26-38 of the report.Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 15 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what special training initiatives it is undertaking or supporting to increase the number of teachers in subjects where a shortage has been identified.
Answer
I have today sent the Convenor of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraphs 16-18 of the report.Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 15 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the level is of (a) any current shortage and (b) any anticipated shortages in each of the next three years of teachers of (i) mathematics, (ii) physics, (iii) chemistry and (iv) modern languages.
Answer
I have today sent the Convenor of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a report on the supply of teachers. A response to your specific question can be found at paragraphs 26-30 and Annex A of the report.Copies of the report have been placed in the Parliament's Reference Centre.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the remit for the consultancy awarded to Arthur Andersen on professional development for teachers.
Answer
Under the contract awarded, the following tasks will be carried out:
1. Consultation on and construction of a framework for continuing professional development based on the principles to be determined by the McCrone Implementation Group.2. Development of a training and development programme for serving headteachers.3. Development of a common recording system for teachers undertaking continuing professional development.4. Development and management of a communications strategy.These will be undertaken by a consortium led by Arthur Andersen, in partnership with the Universities of Edinburgh and Strathclyde.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will give to local authorities to ensure that its social inclusion objectives are being realised, with particular regard to ensuring the inclusion of children with disabilities and learning difficulties in school sports activities and after-school clubs.
Answer
The Scottish Executive Inclusion Programme is providing £12 million over two years from April 1999 to assist local authorities to include children with special educational needs in mainstream education.
The Scottish Executive provides funding to sportscotland who, amongst other things, work with Scottish Disability Sport, the governing body for sport for people with disabilities in Scotland. Both organisations, with some involvement by local authorities, run numerous programmes and initiatives which aim to benefit children with a disability during and after school hours.
Childcare providers/organisations are eligible for funding from the New Opportunities Fund for out of school care projects. Since its first awards in July 1999 the New Opportunities Fund has made grant commitments of £15 million in Scotland, of which £9.7 million has been committed under the Out of Schools Hours Learning programme and £3.8 million for Out of School Hours Child Care. Provision for children with special educational needs is included within these programmes.In addition, authorities are also using resources from the £4 million allocated to them to improve the childcare infrastructure, over this year and next, to improve access to out of school care for children with special educational needs.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what tendering process took place prior to the appointment of Arthur Andersen to undertake a consultation on professional development for teachers.
Answer
An accelerated restricted procedure notice was placed in the Official Journal of the European Community on 1 November 1999, as required by the EC Services Contracts Regulations. This was also reproduced in The Scotsman and The Herald (17 and 16 November 1999 respectively). 13 pre-qualifying questionnaires were received within the set timescale.Following an initial screening process six organisations were invited to tender on 23 December 1999. Two tenders were received. Following Technical and Commercial and Financial Analysis the contract was awarded to a consortium led by Arthur Andersen, in partnership with the Universities of Edinburgh and Strathclyde.
