- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 9 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address underperformance in Scottish Qualifications Authority exams amongst pupils from areas with the highest poverty levels.
Answer
The National Priorities inEducation and the school improvement framework are the vehicles through whichwe work with education authorities and schools to seek improvement ineducational outcomes for all pupils. As part of the drive for improvement, allpublicly funded secondary schools have set targets for exam performance for2005.
We recognise that there areparticular barriers that can prevent pupils who live in areas of highdeprivation from achieving their potential in exam performance. A number ofpolicy initiatives seek to offer support that will help to overcome thesebarriers. These include Surestart, integrated community schools and programmesfor study support, among others. The curriculum review and the increase inopportunities for those who wish to pursue vocational qualifications are alsoimportant developments focused on addressing underperfomance. There is anadditional allowance of around £50 million within the local governmentsettlement to cover education deprivation.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 27 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 8 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to making representations to Her Majesty's Government about the proposal by the Refugee Scotland Project that open door hostel accommodation should be developed as an alternative to detention at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre which would also allow the children of asylum seekers to attend local schools.
Answer
Asylum and immigrationmatters, including the detention of asylum seekers, are reserved. The HomeOffice is responsible for considering the suitability of alternatives toaccommodation in Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre. Useful discussionsbetween the Home Office and the Executive, South Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire on a range of issues affecting Dungavel are on-going.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 3 December 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to integrate dispersed asylum seekers into local communities.
Answer
The Executive has provided around£2 million of funding since September 2001 for a range of projects which assistasylum seekers to integrate into the local community. These include facilitiessuch as drop in centres, language classes and child care provision and theFramework for Dialogue project being run by the Scottish Refugee Council in partnershipwith Glasgow City Council and the Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector. Inaddition we have spent a further £3 million on language services and onimplementing the Scottish Refugee integration Forum Action Plan.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 13 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 26 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive at what point its responsibilities end for the provision of services to dispersed asylum seekers.
Answer
The point at which the Executive’sresponsibilities for providing services to dispersed asylum seekers end willdepend on the individual circumstances of each case and the services inquestion.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Margaret Curran on 25 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with the Home Office over the recommendations made in the inspection reports on the Dungavel House immigration removal centre.
Answer
The Home Office isresponsible for the operation and management of Dungavel, including theconsideration of the recommendations following from the inspection of thecentre. The Home Office has had discussions with South Lanarkshire Council, HerMajesty’s Inspectorate of Education and the Executive on this issue.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 24 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to address the issue of chronic underemployment in Glasgow.
Answer
The Executive is workingwith key partners to raise the economic activity rate in Glasgow fromits current rate of 68.7% during the 12 months to May 2003, closer to the Scotlandrate of 79%. This is being done by ensuring that more Glasgowresidents have the skills and the support to tackle particular barriers toemployment which will allow them to take advantage of job opportunities beingcreated in the city.
Recognising the need forgreater co-ordination of welfare to work initiatives, the Executive is workingwith the City Council, Scottish Enterprise Glasgow, Greater Glasgow HealthBoard, Careers Scotland, ESF, the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, and JobcentrePlus to support the Glasgow Welfare to Work Forum, launched in June 2003. It isactively pursuing a number of actions to ensure that Glasgow hasa healthyand dynamic economy providing good quality jobs for Glasgowresidents.
Employment policy isreserved to the UK Government.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 03 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 19 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance is given to bidders for the Scotrail franchise to ensure that the needs of cyclists are taken into account.
Answer
The new rolling stock beingfunded by the Scottish Executive will be fitted with 50% increased capacity forcarrying bicycles compared with existing similar stock. Bidders were informedthat the next ScotRail franchisee will be required to make use of these newunits.
In addition to this, bidderswere informed that the new franchisee will, at minimum, be required to maintainthe current capacity for the carriage of bicycles on trains and to ensure thatbicycles are carried free of charge (the new franchisee may operate areservation system, subject to appropriate agreement).
Bidders were also encouragedto consult with key stakeholders, including passengers’ representative groups,in the preparation of their bids.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 19 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will support Scottish involvement in UK Trade and Investment and the British Council's proposal to open a British music industry office in New York.
Answer
Scottish DevelopmentInternational works alongside UK Trade and Investment to support Scottish musiccompanies in world markets, and will work closely with any British Musicindustry office that is established in New York. Scottish Development International’sfield operations team in the USA can also offer tailored in-market support andtemporary office facilities in all major US cities where appropriate.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to Audit Scotland's report Scottish Further Education Funding-performance management of the further education sector in Scotland.
Answer
We are pleased to note theimprovements in the performance of the sector which this report has highlighted,and we are working with the funding council to ensure that the recommendationsmade in the report are implemented to continue these improvements. For example,the new joint corporate plan includes new key performance indicators linked to ministerialpriorities, and Scottish Further Education Funding Council have recentlypublished the first annual report on performance indicators in the furthereducation sector, which includes student satisfaction measures.
- Asked by: Pauline McNeill, MSP for Glasgow Kelvin, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 November 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 18 November 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to improve management and accountability in the further education sector.
Answer
The outcome of the Review of Governance and Accountability in the Further Education Sector was announced in March 2003. The consultation process upon which the review was primarily based found general support for existing arrangements, but with scope for modernisation in specific areas. Ministers announced a programme of 14 measures aimed at enhancing standards of governance and accountability in the further education sector.
Most of the measures can be implemented without the need for legislation (mainly through formal guidance by ministers and from the Association of Scottish Colleges).
We will be consulting shortly on the proposals to amend, by order, the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 in order to reduce the maximum length of board membership, and to relax the current statutory restriction on the appointment of a local authority employee or elected representative to the Chair of a college board.
We will consult separately on the other measures requiring primary legislation – to extend the remit of the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman to further education and higher education complaints, and to give the Scottish Further Education Funding Council the right to attend meetings of college boards.
When announcing the outcome of the review, ministers indicated that they intend to assess the effectiveness of the new arrangements after two years.
