Chamber and committees

Both the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work and I meet with COSLA and individual local authorities, including the City of Edinburgh Council, on a regular basis and discuss a range of issues including future funding. Indeed I met representatives of the Council on 22 November. The outcome of these discussions will be announced as part of the 2019-20 Scottish Budget on 12 December.

The question of whether or not the City of Edinburgh Council is anticipating budget reductions over the next five years is a matter for the Council. Any assumptions relating to possible future budget reductions is entirely speculative at this stage.

Officials met with representatives of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) to discuss the provision of information on asbestos as part of the Home Report inspection. Whilst acknowledging that a full asbestos inspection is beyond the scope of the Home Report, which provides a non-invasive visual inspection of the property, RICS confirmed that a chartered surveyor has a duty to report any material which may contain asbestos that is identified during the course of the inspection.

The Scottish Government has agreed that RICS will develop an information sheet on asbestos which can be included alongside the Home Report documents, to clarify the scope of the inspection and provide sources for further information, to raise awareness amongst potential buyers.

The Scottish Government has not commissioned any research in relation to black mould on trees and premises in the proximity of whisky bonds.

The Scottish Government does not hold this information.

The Scottish Government is aware of this fungus and its association with whisky bonds. We are not aware of evidence to suggest a damaging association with trees, and although the fungus forms a coating on tree bark, this slow growing species does not seem to harm the plants or reduce their growth rates.

The Environmental Protection Act 1990 enables local authorities to investigate a range of issues that may constitute a statutory nuisance. The relevant local authority would be able to advise whether it considers this issue to fall within the scope of its powers under the Act.

The answer provided to the previous question correctly noted that regulated public appointment decisions and remuneration are announced at the time of appointment. This is as per the requirement in the Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies in Scotland, issued by the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland. The member has now been provided with the detailed information requested in S5W-19681 on 14 November 2018. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

The development of educational resources on Israel/Palestine began in 2015. Following a much publicised incident involving a primary school homework exercise, a working group was established to scope out appropriate education materials dealing with the conflict. The aim was to ensure that schools were better-placed to address the question of Israel/Palestine.

An initial set of resources was made available through Education Scotland’s Glow system in early 2017. The purpose was to allow teachers to post comments as part of a piloting exercise. In May 2017, and following concerns expressed by stakeholders (specifically the Scottish Council of Jewish Communities), I asked Education Scotland to remove a specific animation from the resources.

The resources continued to be available on a password protected basis in order that they could be finalised to the satisfaction of all key stakeholder interests. A period of consultation and further development was then facilitated by Education Scotland. This included the opportunity in autumn 2017 for all interested stakeholders to contribute comments via meetings and in writing. The aim throughout this process was to ensure the production of a set of resources which could be agreed by all key stakeholders.

In February 2018, with no consensus amongst key stakeholders about the suitability of the resources, Education Scotland explored the potential of taking ownership of the resources in order that it could finalise them and make them available on Glow. While all eight local authorities involved in the initial development of the resources were content for ownership to be assumed by Education Scotland, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) indicated that they would not be content to agree to this. The EIS wrote to Education Scotland in June 2018 to make this clear. The EIS offered, as one of the initial developers and joint owners of the resources, to publish the material on its website.

Education Scotland has therefore been unable to secure ownership of these resources. Education Scotland and the Scottish Government are content to agree to the EIS’s request that as one of the original developers and joint owner of the resources, it is entitled to publish them. As with any educational resource, it will be a matter for individual local authorities and schools to determine if they would like to make use of the resources.

Education Scotland will write to all of the organisations who have been involved in the period of consultation to advise of this and to thank them for their contributions.