- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what alternatives to the appointment of a commercial consultant were considered prior to the appointment of Arthur Andersen to undertake a consultation on professional development for teachers.
Answer
The tendering process for this contract was undertaken in accordance with EC Procurement Directives, allowing a wide range of individuals and organisations to apply. Following an initial screening process six organisations were invited to tender, four of whom were not commercial consultants. In carrying out the contract Arthur Andersen will be the lead body in a consortium which also comprises the Universities of Edinburgh and Strathclyde.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the General Teaching Council, colleges of education, university education departments and teaching unions were consulted about its intention to appoint a consultant to report on professional development for teachers.
Answer
All stakeholders were consulted in 1998 regarding a framework for continuing professional development which was strongly supported. The invitation to tender for the contract to develop such a framework was advertised in November 1999 and all of the above groups were informed that a tendering process was underway.Consultation about the detail of the bids was restricted by commercial confidentiality. At the first meeting of the Ministerial Strategy Committee on Continuing Professional Development, on 4 October, was made known that a consortium of the Universities of Edinburgh and Strathclyde led by Arthur Andersen had, on the 29 September, accepted the contract to develop the framework for CPD. The GTC, teaching unions, and others are represented on this committee.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 12 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much the consultancy awarded to Arthur Andersen on professional development for teachers will cost.
Answer
The contract value is approximately £950,000. This is not a fixed figure and may change in the light of the outcome of the McCrone discussions and other changing circumstances.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 January 2001
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 11 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it will apply to the implementation of the recommendations of the McCrone Committee report.
Answer
The budget for 2001-02 will be laid before the Parliament in the next week or so. The budget will contain funding for teachers' pay. A draft budget for 2002-03 will be presented to Parliament later in the year.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 10 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with the Scottish Qualifications Authority regarding any continuing dissatisfaction among pupils and parents with the results of the appeal process.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in close touch with SQA about progress with the appeals process, and has arranged for it to be independently monitored by representatives of the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES). Decisions on individual appeals are for the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) as an independent awarding body but the Executive has discussed with SQA their arrangements for dealing with any concerns about the outcome of appeals.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 10 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will ensure that the mileage rate for transport expenses paid to teachers when attending in-service courses and similar events reflects the present cost of petrol.
Answer
The payment of travelling expenses to teachers attending training courses and similar events is a matter for the relevant local authority as the teacher's employer. National rates for the payment of such expenses are agreed annually through negotiation between the representatives of the teacher unions and the employers. Local authorities can choose whether to pay more than the nationally agreed rate.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 10 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of the current round of New Opportunities Fund ICT training for teachers and how much of the total cost was spent on the folder of materials provided to each course participant.
Answer
The New Opportunities Fund (NOF) allocated £23 million in Scotland to provide training for all serving teachers and school librarians in publicly-funded schools who want to undertake the training programme. Training is delivered by 12 approved training providers in Scotland, each of whom will have their own models of delivery. Schools choose training providers from a catalogue of training providers approved by the NOF. Any material given to participants will be a matter for the training provider concerned.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 9 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how much New Opportunities Fund money will be distributed in Scotland in the current year and how much of this will be spent on school projects.
Answer
Since its first awards in July 1999, the New Opportunities Fund has made 201 awards totalling £16,248,000 in Scotland, of which £9.7 million has been committed under the Out of School Hours Learning programme. In addition over £32 million has been allocated for ICT training for teachers and public library staff and the building of the Public Library Network in Scotland. Information on the current financial year will be available at the end of March 2001.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 October 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 8 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the anticipated deficit of the Scottish Qualifications Authority is for the end of this financial year.
Answer
As a result of the additional work undertaken to resolve the problems with Diet 2000, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) has incurred additional costs. The full financial implications are currently being quantified and will be discussed with SQA in detail. I will ensure they are reported to Parliament.
- Asked by: Michael Russell, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 December 2000
-
Current Status:
Answered by Allan Wilson on 8 January 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to the Natural Heritage Lottery Fund to ensure that Tobar an Dualchais receives sufficient lottery funding to activate match funding for its project to conserve and disseminate the Gaelic and other material in its archives.
Answer
The Heritage Lottery Fund, like the other National Lottery distributing bodies, makes its decisions on applications independently. The Executive therefore does not make any such representations.
