Chamber and committees

The outcomes tobe secured through the Additional Support Fund are expected to be the subjectof forthcoming discussions with COSLA.

It is the responsibility of each education authorityto identify local training needs to ensure they have a range of suitablyqualified staff in place to fully support all pupils. The Requirements forTeachers (Scotland) Regulations 2005 require educationauthorities to employ adequate numbers of teachers with the appropriateprofessional skills and knowledge for the teaching duties allocated to them.

With regard to the review of mainstreaming, the Scottish Executive commissioned the Scottish Centre for Research in Educationto evaluate the impact of the legislation. Their report, which was published in2006, found no evidence that mainstreaming has a negative effect on pupilattainment and that, with proper preparation and support, inclusion is beneficialfor all.

We are committedto ensuring that all children receive the support they need in our schools andwe will take what steps are necessary to ensure we achieve this. These stepsinclude consideration, at some future date, of a review into the operation andimplementation of mainstreaming policy.

I understand thatthe figures quoted are from the VisitScotland Partnership Agreement report,which was released in August this year, and are for the numbers of visitorsusing tourist information centres (TICs) in the Perth and Kinross area. I am pleased to report that the number of visitors tothe area has actually increased, with a 5% rise in visitor numbers from 2005 to2006, and a 2% increase in revenue in the same period.

It appears that withnew advances in technology, visitor requirements for information are changing,and many visitors now seek information and make bookings online, rather than atTICs. The decrease in numbers of visitors to TICs is therefore in line with thetrend elsewhere. VisitScotland are responding to this trend by making changesin the ways they provide information and booking services to visitors duringtheir stay in Scotland.

VisitScotland andPerth and Kinross Council work closely together toencourage visitors to experience this beautiful area for themselves, as part of the shared ambition to increase Scotland’s tourismrevenue by 50% over the decade to 2015. VisitScotland is committed to thepromotion of Perthshire and Kinross as a quality must-see, must-return visitordestination, and works in partnership with Perth and Kinross Council on a variety of local marketing initiativesdesigned to boost tourism in the area. As part of this, VisitScotland runs awide variety of marketing and promotional activity in the area, for examplethrough the Perthshire Holiday and Explore guide and the dedicated website www.perthshire.co.uk.

The ScottishGovernment, VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise and Perth and Kinross Council are committed to working with tourism businesses inthe area to grow tourism there, as part of the shared ambition to increase Scotland’s tourism revenue by 50% over the decade to 2015.VisitScotland and the council are both represented on the Perthshire AreaTourism Partnership and work closely together to deliver the Partnership’sTourism Strategy and Action Plan for the Perthshire area. This close workingrelationship between VisitScotland and Perth and Kinross Council is set out in their Partnership Agreement, which,along with associated funding, commits VisitScotland to delivering a portfolioof marketing activity and services to visitors. In addition, ScottishEnterprise has identified Perthshire as one of the key areas in Scotland for tourism growth, and it too works closely withtourism businesses in the area.

The Scottish Governmenthas not made an assessment of the trials by Perth and Kinross Council on visual stimulus modification and educational attainmentas this was a local project funded by the council.

NHS health boardsin Scotland are in the process of implementing the recommendationsin Health for all Children 4: Guidance on Implementation in Scotland that:

all children shouldbe screened by an orthoptist in their pre-school year, between the ages of fourand five years and that once this is in place, vision screening on school entryshould cease

vision screening insecondary school should continue at a single point only, unless already discontinued

that NHS boards andlocal authorities should make arrangements for any child undergoing assessment foreducational under achievement or other school problems to have a visual acuity check,and

NHS boards shouldensure that vision screening is undertaken in schools for children with hearingimpairment.

I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-1841 on 15 August 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I refer the member to the answerto question S3W-2276 answered on 7 August 2007. All answers to written parliamentaryquestions are available on the Parliament's website the search facility forwhich can be found at:http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Information on thenumber of unused classrooms in local authority primary schools is not held centrally.In 2006, 1,510 P1, 1,378 P2 and 1,428 P3 classes had more than 18 pupils.

We are consideringin detail the numbers of teachers needed in order to reduce all P1 to P3 classesto 18 or less and allow all pre-school children access to a teacher. We have announcedthe first steps towards this, with funding for the employment of an additional 300teachers and the increase of 250 training places from this August.

We will be announcingfurther steps in due course, to a timetable that ensures that we can protect thequality of the teachers entering the profession and takes into account the capacityof the system to provide training places. Clearly, the most important issue is toensure the best possible educational outcomes for our children.

It is for local authoritiesto consider the detailed accommodation requirements of their schools in the lightof local circumstances and declining school rolls projected for coming years.

We have made available£40 million of additional capital resources to authorities this financial year toallow a start to be made on the accommodation requirements.

The information requestedis not held centrally.