Chamber and committees

The second Home Energy Conservation progress reports for the period 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2001 are currently being considered. I will write to Mr Brown on the issue he raises once the work is completed.

The Scottish Executive was well aware of the issues relating to employment within the construction industry before the publication of the Construction Industry Training Board's report in February 2002. In January 2001, we commissioned research to establish where construction skills gaps existed and what might be done to address them. In response to the research findings published earlier this year, the Scottish Welfare to Work Task Force established a construction sub-group to develop an appropriate construction industry training course for New Deal clients in Scotland. Working with employers, the sub-group focuses on establishing local partnerships to enable the disadvantaged and long-term unemployed to move into suitable construction jobs. In addition, Future Skills Scotland and Careers Scotland have agreed to identify opportunities for careers and training in areas where skills are in demand. We are working with Careers Scotland and the Construction Industry Training Board to promote awareness of opportunities in the construction industry, in line with the promotion of the Modern Apprenticeships programme. Almost 5,000 Modern Apprentices are now in construction-related training.

Workforce planning has been the responsibility of the employer led UK Training Organisation for the Social Services. Following the establishment of the Scottish Social Services Council the Executive is working with that organisation, employers and other relevant bodies to establish a more effective approach.

The Executive accepted the advice of the Care Development Group who took workforce planning into account in making their recommendations. Resources have been provided to local authorities within their free personal care allocation to build up infrastructure, increased assessments and increased administration.

No specific research has been carried out in Scotland into re-offending rates in respect of different types of social work provision for young offenders. The Scottish Executive has commissioned a number of evaluations of the effectiveness of certain disposals and programmes for young offenders where reconviction has been examined as an indication of their effectiveness in reducing offending. These studies suggest that the frequency and seriousness of the offending of young people completing programmes based on evidence of 'what works' may be reduced in comparison with those who do not complete and comparison groups however effectiveness is critically affected by the young people's lifestyles. Small sample sizes and the limited time period for follow up mean these findings are inconclusive. A primary aim of the Scottish Executive's Youth Crime Strategy and the Ministerial Action Plan on youth crime is to reduce offending by young people and research to support their implementation will examine the impact of social work and other provision on offending.

The School Premises (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland) Regulations 1967, as amended for metrication, set out broad minimum standards in relation to certain aspects of school accommodation, including areas for school sites and overall minimum educational areas. They do not prescribe detailed space requirements such as individual classroom areas. These detailed matters are for those commissioning the design of new schools in the light of experience of the delivery of the education service, and may vary according to local requirements.We are working with local authorities to develop a national strategy for the school estate. This will provide an appropriate context in which to consider school building standards further.

The procurement of school buildings is a matter within the responsibility of local authorities. It is for individual authorities to decide whether to undertake evaluation of new school buildings following occupancy and how to take account of those findings in considering their future school developments. Carrying out an evaluation offers an opportunity to learn lessons and identify good practice and I am anxious that all authorities should benefit from this. Evaluation and sharing good practice will therefore be issues addressed in the development of the national strategy for the school estate.

The Scottish Children's Reporter Administration (SCRA) will have introduced, by December 2002, an electronic case-processing system (The Referral Administration Database - RAD) for all referrals to the reporter. At present the RAD is rolled out to 85% of SCRA's offices.

The Scottish Children's Reporter Administration (SCRA) currently monitors and reports on statistics and trends in offending by children and young people. The new Referrals Administration Database system will enhance SCRA's ability to investigate these trends.

NHS Education for Scotland (NES), a new Special Health Board, was set up by the Scottish Executive on 1 April 2002 to promote multi-disciplinary training and education for all healthcare professions. This new organisation incorporates the Scottish Council for Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education (SCPMDE), the Post Qualification Education Board for Pharmacists (PQEB) and the National Board for Nursing Midwifery and Health Visiting for Scotland (NBS), but will also extend its remit to cover those staff groups who do not currently have specific, structured educational support.NES supports the training of primary health care workers and, in particular, will be:Supporting Continuing Professional Development of all staff; to include-Identification of the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) needs of primary care workers caring for people with mild to moderate mental illness.Identification of CPD needs of health visitors and school nurses to strengthen their contribution to public health.Development of a strategy for CPD in Scottish General Practice.Development of an occupational health toolkit for primary care workers.Extension of nurse prescribing.Introduction of a national recruitment process for GPR and GP VT schemes in Scotland.Development of a strategy for GP training in Scotland for the next five to 10 years.Supporting development and maintenance of skills of primary care workers in remote and rural areas.Supporting access and operation of the Scottish School of Primary Care.Research and development activity to support educational provision for primary care.