Chamber and committees

The review has now concluded, and a report is being prepared for Argyll and Bute Council’s Community Services Committee, which meets on 10 December 2015.

Education Scotland will shortly provide all parents with a brief letter outlining its current involvement and is continuing to build the school’s capacity for improvement by:

Discussing findings and ensuring next steps are informed by best practice;

Facilitating links between Hermitage and other schools which are offering two year courses leading to qualifications, so that learning can be shared;

Offering support to the local authority/school on parental engagement approaches;

Alongside the Scottish Qualifications Authority, offering support on planning courses and assessment approaches, ensuring the needs of all groups of learners are met.

I am being kept up to date with developments. All that can be done at a national level to secure the interests and aspirations of the young people at Hermitage Academy will be done.

The Scottish Government ensures the list of gifts received by ministers is published on a quarterly basis in line with the Scottish Ministerial Code.

Parliamentary question S4W-27885 was answered on 25 November 2015.

Government agencies are part of the Scottish Government Main pay bargaining unit. Each non-departmental public body and other arm's length body subject to Scottish ministers' pay policy submits an individual pay remit. Three smaller bodies choose to analogue to the Scottish Government Main pay remit.

The numbers employed and paybill (salary plus on-costs - NIC, pensions, allowances etc) for each body subject to the pay policy as at the beginning of 2015-16 are set out in the following table:

As set out in the answer to question S4W-27521 on 29 September 2015, we continue to consider consultation responses. We will provide an analysis of responses and our proposals to Parliament in due course.

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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-28360 on 19 November 2015. 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/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The estimated cost of replacement care will be a maximum of £16 million beginning in year one of the implementation of the Carers Bill, expected to be in 2017-18. This should be regarded as a maximum estimate.

Funding for carer information strategies is currently included in baseline funding. Our assumption is for this to continue in 2016-17, subject to the spending review process. Scottish ministers will publish the 2016-17 Draft Budget on 16 December 2015 following the outcome of the UK Spending Review in November 2015.

The assessment of demand for support for carers is set out in the Financial Memorandum for the Carers Bill.

The Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013, which came into force in April 2014, introduced a discretionary power for local authorities to support carers. Prior to April 2014, if local authorities supported carers they either did not charge carers for support or sought a minimal contribution towards the support. Most support in the form of respite care is for the cared-for person agreed through the community care assessment rather than through the carer's assessment. It is therefore subject to local authorities' usual charging policies. The resourcing for the waiving of charges of a maximum of £16 million will come into effect when the Carers Bill is commenced in 2017-18.