Questions and answers

Question reference: S2W-32122

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 12 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports the policy of regarding the 70,000 deaf people who use British Sign Language as belonging to a different language and cultural group, rather than as having a disability or communication impairment.

The Scottish Executive supportsthe policy of regarding deaf people who useBritish Sign Language (BSL) as belonging to a different language and cultural group. This is acknowledged in our draft Language Strategy,published for consultation on 5 February 2007. The draft Strategy states that BSLis a real, full and living language that is part of our rich cultural heritage.

We also recognise that the definitionof disability in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 may include deaf people.Our policies in relation to disability are therefore inclusive of BSL users andthis approach is supported by our BSL and Linguistic Access Working Group whichincludes representatives from deaf organisations.

Question reference: S2W-32120

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 12 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to recruit and train more teachers of the deaf.

The Scottish Executive is committedto having 53,000 full-time teachers in our schools by September 2007.

The Requirements for Teachers(Scotland) Regulations 2005 (Scottish Statutory Instrument 2005/355) require thatwhere an education authority employs a teacher wholly or mainly to teach pupilswho are hearing impaired then that teacher must possess an appropriate qualificationto teach such pupils. Guidance on appropriate qualifications was issued to localauthorities on 30 January 2007.

Question reference: S2W-32121

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Robert Brown on 12 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to help to develop a curriculum for users of British Sign Language.

The proposals being developedunder A Curriculum for Excellence place particular emphasis on the importance oflanguage and literacy across the whole curriculum. Experiences and outcomes willbe developed to enable learning in the language a young person needs, whether thatis English, Gaelic, or the means of communication which enables them to communicatemost effectively. The plans are based on making the curriculum available to all.

Question reference: S2W-31945

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 7 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it has provided to faith institutions including, but not exclusively, the Church of Scotland, Catholic Church and Scottish Council of Jewish Communities, in each of the last four years, broken down by institution.

Theinformation requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The only way in which the information sought could beestablished would be to trawl all of the divisions identified on the social inclusionand voluntary issues database and ask them to identify for each of the lastfour years which of their entries are specifically in respect of religious orfaith groups. However, this database contains only general information and itis not possible to extract specific details of grants paid to faith andreligious groups. This would take considerable time and effort and result inwork that would cost well in excess of the disproportionate cost threshold of£600.

In collaboration with analyticalservices division, social inclusion and voluntary issues division is working onhow to improve its database information collection procedures, with a view tobetter identification and recording of specific grant recipients and the purposeto which public funds are being put. Unfortunately, it will be some time beforedata collection and recording arrangements are able to isolate information of the type sought.

Question reference: S2O-12204

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 1 March 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with local authorities to create a co-ordinated programme to improve the quality of football pitches and changing facilities in response to concerns illustrated by the march to the Parliament on 14 February 2007.

The report of the national auditof local sports facilities published by sportscotland in June 2006 highlighted theneed for local authorities to prepare facility strategies. Future investment willbe determined on the basis of these and associated playing field and sports pitchstrategies.

In addition, sportscotland’sBuilding for Sport programme is available to local authorities and others to helpimprove the quality of football pitches and associated changing accommodation.

Question reference: S2O-12106

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Rhona Brankin on 22 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many affordable rented homes it intends will be built by 2012 to meet its aim of abolishing all unintentional homelessness by then.

Question reference: S2W-31899

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 February 2007
Current Status: Awaiting answer

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with local authorities to create a co-ordinated programme to improve the quality of football pitches and changing facilities in response to concerns illustrated by the march to the Parliament on 14 February 2007.

Question reference: S2W-31717

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 February 2007
Current Status: Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 19 February 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what measures are in place to encourage as many young people as possible from ethnic minority communities to take part in sport.

Question reference: S2W-30670

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 December 2006
Current Status: Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 12 January 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking, in addition to work in relation to football and parades, to tackle latent sectarianism in some parts of Scotland.

Real progress has been made intackling sectarianism in Scotland and I am proud of what has been achieved. The reconvenedSummit on Sectarianism, held on 12 December 2006, allowed the Executive and key stakeholders to reaffirm their commitmentto working in partnership to eradicate sectarianism once and for all and we willcontinue to work together to drive this agendaforward.

There is a great deal of activitytaking place in addition to the positive work which is being taken forward in relationto football and parades. For example, we have:

Made the anti-sectarian educationresource Don’t GiveIt, Don’t Take It available to all schools in Scotland;

Published the Building Friendshipsand Strengthening Communities guide to twinning denominational and non-denominationalschools;

Been working closely with the Scottish Council of Voluntary Organisations to support and share knowledge and experienceamong anti-sectarianism groups working in the voluntary sector;

Supported research to quantifythe problem of sectarianism in the workplace, and

Been working with the independentTask Group on Tackling Sectarianism in Scotland to develop new ideas and initiatives such as the developmentof a rehabilitation programme to tackle the anti-social attitudes of those involvedin sectarian activities.

An update on progress made onthe Action Plan on Tackling Sectarianism in Scotland is available at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/12/11133338/0.

Question reference: S2W-30046

Asked by: Donald Gorrie, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 November 2006
Current Status: Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 6 December 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make certain that the National Alcohol Information Resource will ensure that alcohol and drug action teams’ corporate action plans provide information which distinguishes (a) drug clients from alcohol clients and (b) family members seeking counselling from substance users needing help and which does not repeatedly count a client who is passed from one agency to another as a new client at each move.

Chamber and committees