- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 20 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive why it has not yet introduced measures to bring sites included in the extension to An Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes under the protection of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) (Scotland) Order 1992 and when it will do so, given the commitment in paragraph 2.14 of Scottish Historic Environment Policy 3: Gardens and Designed Landscapes to amend the legislation at the earliest opportunity.
Answer
I can confirm that the intentionis to make the amendment at the first suitable legislative opportunity. It is likelythat this change will be made along with other appropriate Town and Country Planning(General Development Procedure) (Scotland) Order 1992 (GDPO) amendments the timing of which isyet to be determined.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 20 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the scope of the European Landscape Convention and the Executive’s own acknowledgement of the contribution made by designed landscapes of regional or local significance to the wider landscape and to the well-being of local communities, it will extend the scope of Scottish Historic Environment Policy 3 - Gardens and Designed Landscapes to include the totality of Scotland’s garden heritage and not just those nationally important sites which are included in An Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes.
Answer
The consultation period for responsesto Scottish Historic Environment Policy 3 about Gardens and Designed Landscapesended on 23 June 2006. The consultation document proposed that it will be forplanning authorities to consider gardens and designed landscapes which may not meetthe criteria set for national importance but which nevertheless make a contributionto the local historic environment in the context of local priorities. The responsesto the consultation are under consideration.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 August 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 6 September 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering introducing a scheme, similar to that operating in England under the auspices of the Office for Standards in Education and Nestor Primecare Services, to license childcare for the purposes of tax relief and the granting of childcare vouchers.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has noplans to introduce a scheme similar to that operating in England to licensechild care for the purposes of tax relief and the granting of child care vouchers.This is because, in Scotland, all formal child care for children aged up to 16 yearsis already regulated by the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care and istherefore eligible for these benefits. This includes child care provided in a child’sown home supplied by a Child care Agency, but does not include nannies or baby sittersemployed by parents on a private basis.
In England, Ofsted only regulatechild care for children aged up to seven years and do not regulate child care providedin the child’s own home. The tax benefits introduced by Her Majesty’s Revenue andCustoms (HMRC) to help working parents with child care costs only apply to registeredor approved child care. It was for this reason that, in England, it wasnecessary to introduce the Childcare Approval Scheme.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 06 July 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 8 August 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-26661 by Peter Peacock on 19 June 2006, why the proposed duty to provide food and drink which meets defined nutrient standards will extend only to all pupils in local authority schools and not to all pupils in private schools.
Answer
The proposed legislation buildson the Scottish Executive’s existing Hungry for Success programme which does notextend to the independent sector. Schools in the independent sector are free toadopt the proposed nutrient standards if they so wish.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 29 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to ensure that its guidance on the use of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy system for direct payment accounting for disabled people is being recognised and implemented by local councils.
Answer
Our guidancehighlights the CIPFA system of direct payment accounting, to secure consistent practiceacross Scotland. We will update that guidance laterthis year.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to ensure the sustainability of out-of-school care provision.
Answer
This year (2006-07), ChildcareStrategy Grant Aided Expenditure of £44.256 million has been allocated to localauthorities. It is for each local authority, in conjunction with the local ChildcarePartnership, to decide how best to allocate this funding at the local level.In 2003, the Executive published
School’s Out – Framework for the Development of Out of School Care http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2003/02/16322/17791.This publication includes atSection 11, sustainability and looks at the various models used for delivering outof school care. The Executive also commissioned a report Management Models andBusiness Planning:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2003/02/16323/17825.This provides information onpossible ways to tackle sustainability issues in Out of School Care.
The Executive core funds the Scottish Out of School Care Network (SOSCN). SOSCN provides information, advice,direct support and training to out of school providers across Scotland.
The Tax Credits system and childcare vouchers provide support for parents with child care costs. These are boththe responsibility of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and are reservedmatters.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive why it has not used its powers to extend the eligibility for free school meals in order to raise the number of children eligible for free school meals above the 23% officially classed as living in poverty.
Answer
The provision of free schoolmeals is only one of many measures we have to abolish child poverty in Scotland. The Scottish Executive is targeting those most in need in a variety of ways, including implementingmeasures to increase uptake of free school meals by those entitled to them and toremove stigma associated with free school meals.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether all food and drink provided in schools will be subject to the proposed duty on nutrient standards for school lunches, including that provided in private vending machines.
Answer
It is intended that, under theproposed Schools (Nutrition and Health Promotion) (Scotland) Bill, all food anddrink provided to pupils in local authority schools, including that provided throughvending machines, will require to meet defined nutrient standards.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 08 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 19 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, given the proposed duty on local authorities to provide only school food which meets defined nutrient standards, it has any plans to intervene in private schools and nurseries which supply “junk” food to pupils.
Answer
Under the proposed Schools (Nutritionand Health Promotion) (Scotland) Bill it is intended that children placed in independentschools by local authorities will receive food and drink which meets defined nutrientstandards. Local authority nurseries will also fall within the scope of the proposedbill.
- Asked by: Robin Harper, MSP for Lothians, Scottish Green Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 14 June 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has a systematic procedure for assessing whether its legislation or action plans will have an impact on children and young people; if so, what this procedure is and why it has not been formalised and made public, and, if not, what action it is taking to ensure that a procedure is developed and implemented.
Answer
The Executive is committed toensuring that the needs and rights of children and young people are considered inthe development and implementation of policy and legislation.
Our Child StrategyStatement, which was published in 2000, commits the Executive to consider theimpact on children of all policies and legislation. Any issues which have a significantimpact on children and young people are considered by the Children and Young PeopleDelivery Group.
We will continue to considerhow we can improve and expand these measures to ensure we continue to protect andpromote the rights of children.
