- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will make available to ensure that architects are trained on the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 that affect their profession.
Answer
The allocation of funds to individual higher education institutions is a matter for the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC). Ministers are explicitly prevented from attaching conditions to the grant to SHEFC by reference to particular institutions or programmes of study, including curriculum content.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that the curriculum for trainee architects includes effective person-centred training on the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 that affect their profession.
Answer
It is for higher education (HE) institutions themselves to determine the content of programmes they offer. Ministers have no powers of intervention. Where HE institutions' programmes are intended to lead to recognition by a professional body, it is common practice for the institution to consult the body concerned about programme content. Regulation of the profession of architect is a reserved matter. The Architects Registration Board, the independent regulator for the profession in the UK, has a statutory duty to oversee the validation process for universities' architecture programmes as part of its regulatory duties.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 7 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to ensure that the curriculum for postgraduate qualification for architects includes person-centred training on the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 that affect their profession.
Answer
It is for higher education institutions themselves to determine the content of programmes they offer. Ministers have no powers of intervention. I understand that, where higher education institutions' programmes are intended to lead to recognition by a professional body, it is common practice for the institution to consult the body concerned about programme content. Regulation of the profession of architect is a reserved matter. The Architects Registration Board, the independent regulator for the profession in the UK, has a statutory duty to oversee the validation process for universities' architecture programmes as part of its regulatory duties.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 23 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 7 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Housing Improvement Task Force will publish its "issues" report.
Answer
The current intention is that the task force will meet towards the end of January 2002 to consider an issues report based on the first stage of its work. I hope that it will be possible to publish the report for wider consultation shortly thereafter.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 4 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve standards of adult literacy.
Answer
I published the Adult Literacy Team's report in July. It provides a comprehensive strategy for raising levels of adult literacy and numeracy in Scotland.Funding of £22.5 million between now and 2004 will enable an initial 80,000 people to be helped.£18.5 million of this is being allocated through local authorities to Community Learning Strategy Partnerships where all providers can access the funding. The remainder will be used to establish a national "Development Engine" or centre of excellence, eight pathfinder projects and a national training programme.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 4 December 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many children are currently excluded from school in each local authority area.
Answer
The most recent figures for exclusions from school were published by the Scottish Executive on 15 February 2001, and cover the academic year 1999-2000. Copies of the News Release Exclusions from Schools, 1999/2000 are available from the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib. number 11531).
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 26 November 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 29 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-18907 by Jackie Baillie on 2 November 2001, whether its review of the Grants for Rent or Owner Occupation scheme has been completed.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has now concluded its review of the Grants for Rent or Owner Occupation (GRO) scheme, which included detailed discussion with the European Commission. As a result of these discussions the commission has given formal approval that the GRO scheme is compatible with state aid rules. I have asked Communities Scotland to consider proposals for funding projects under the scheme.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 19 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 16 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports equal access to physiotherapy services across Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Health Plan, Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, has as one of its core aims the achievement of better, fairer access to services.Making best use of professional skills such as those in physiotherapy is key to providing patients with a more accessible more responsive service and the Scottish Executive is working with a wide range of individuals and organisations to make good practice the norm.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 15 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to expand the role of the physiotherapist service.
Answer
Physiotherapists are already expanding and developing their roles in response to the modernisation of NHSScotland, and the executive supports and encourages them to continue to do so.The Scottish Executive Health Department is currently developing a Strategy for Professions Allied to Medicine including Physiotherapists, which is looking at a number of key issues such as recruitment and retention, education and training.
- Asked by: Robert Brown, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Thursday, 18 October 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 15 November 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any research has been done into the level of savings to be achieved in the health and community care budget by effective use of physiotherapy services.
Answer
No formal research has been undertaken. The Scottish Health Plan, Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, states that improving the way the NHS responds to the needs of patients is a key priority for every part of the NHS. This includes making the best use of the skills of all members of the health care team, including physiotherapists and challenging traditional ways of working to improve the speed, responsiveness and quality of care. This work is already under way.
