Chamber and committees

There are no plans at present to increase funding to train lip-reading tutors. There are also no plans to fund more lip-reading classes.

The Scottish Government has recently met with Action for Hearing Loss to discuss and agree a way forward for lip-reading provision in Scotland. Further meetings will take place in due course.

The Scottish Government is not able to intervene to assist the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society vessel, the Steve Irwin. The ship’s bond has been paid and it is no longer detained in Lerwick.

The decisions by Shetland Islands Council to close Burravoe and Uyeasound Primary Schools are currently under consideration and my decision will be announced in due course.

I will arrange for the member to be notified of my decision once it has been made.

The First Minister met with Stirling Council in March 2011 to hear about the council’s initial plans for marketing the anniversary. Subsequently, Scottish Government officials have attended three meetings with Stirling Council where planning for the 700th anniversary celebrations was discussed.

The Homecoming 2014 Strategic Group is working to ensure that opportunities in 2014, including the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn, are fully maximised as part of Scotland’s wider Homecoming celebrations.

I refer the member to answer to question S4W-01315 on 19 July 2011 which sets out what we are doing to maximise the legacy to Scotland of the 2012 Olympics as a whole. That effort also applies to the Olympic events being held in Scotland.

These events – specifically the football matches at Hampden Park, the Scottish leg of the Torch Relay and the Cultural Olympiad – provide opportunities across the active, connected and flourishing themes of our legacy plan which aims to secure maximum impact to Scotland. The Olympic events will also provide invaluable experience in areas such as resilience planning, volunteering, community engagement and ticketing as we prepare to host the Commonwealth Games in 2014.

Creative Scotland is coordinating a range of cultural events in Scotland associated with the Olympics which will help to foster creative ambition within Scotland’s communities, encourage collaboration within the cultural sector and raise Scotland’s profile on the world stage.

We continue to work with Event Scotland to deliver a cohesive and co-ordinated programme of activity across all areas of Scotland included in the Torch Relay route to showcase Scotland’s imagery, iconic landmarks and spectacular scenery.

Visit Scotland are working with partners to develop specific marketing campaigns aimed at attracting more visitors to Scotland during the Games. For example, using the Edinburgh Festivals programme to encourage visitors to extend their stay beyond Games events.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/MAQASearch/QAndMSearch.aspx.

The following table provides the number of meetings held between the Minister for Commonwealth Games and Sport and her predecessor with their counterparts in the UK Government and representatives of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG):

We are working with the Department for Media, Culture and Sport (DCMS), Northern Ireland and Wales to ensure Scotland is part of the National School Games, the final of which will take place in the Olympic Stadium next year. This will build on the success of the National School sports week, which uses the excitement of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to inspire more young people to take part in more sport. Last month this week of sport saw more than 1,400 schools and over 330,000 school children take part across Scotland.

In order to reward excellence in school sport I will introduce a new Schools Sports Award programme which will give proper recognition and reward to individual schools who embed sport and physical activity within their culture.

I will be meeting the UK Minister for Sport and Olympics shortly to discuss how the UK Government can work with the Scottish Government to ensure the successful delivery of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. I will also meet my Ministerial counterparts at the next meeting of the UK Sports Cabinet which will be held in Glasgow on 10 November 2011. I have no plans to meet representatives of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Scottish Government officials also meet with their counterparts on a regular basis.

The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games provide an ideal stepping stone both for the delivery of Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and for the legacy we aim to secure from the huge opportunity which both Games present. To this end, the Scottish Government continues its engagement with the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the UK Government to ensure we maximise all opportunities available to Scotland from the 2012 Games and learn any lessons for our delivery of the 2014 Games.

London 2012 opportunities cut across sporting, social and economic strands and we work closely with our wide range of partners to deliver them across Scotland. Individuals, groups and businesses are already getting involved. For example,
110 Scottish companies have won 145 Games-related contracts; we have three teams signed up to use Scottish facilities as Pre-Games Training Camps; 1114 of our schools are on the London 2012 Get Set programme; this year’s National School Sport Week in June saw more than 1,400 schools and over 330,000 school children taking part in school sports; 19 projects covering sport, culture, education and volunteering carry the London 2012 Inspire Mark and more are in the pipeline; there are a number of cultural projects commissioned and funded in Scotland as part of London 2012; so far 117 participants have completed the Personal Best Glasgow Pilot of which 67 are in further volunteering, 24 are now in employment and 25 in further education or training; and over 4,000 Scots applied to become London 2012 Games Makers. Also, discussions are underway to put on celebrations across Scotland as part of the Scottish leg of the Torch Relay and the Cultural Olympiad.

In addition, we will be looking to optimise all opportunities that come with hosting Olympic football matches in Glasgow and will capitalise on the media opportunity around the Games to promote and showcase Scotland to a global audience.

Meanwhile, we continue to press the UK Government for the return of the £114 million Lottery monies diverted from Scotland’s good causes to fund the London 2012 Games. We believe that will help turn a positive legacy from Glasgow 2014 into a great legacy. Return of the Lottery monies would provide practical evidence of the UK Government's Partnership Agreement pledge to work with the Scottish Government to ensure the success of the Glasgow 2014 Games.