Chamber and committees

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:The average number of remand prisoners per month was:

September	35
October	40
November	35

The Trade Union Working Party on Lifelong Learning, inaugurated in August 2000, meets on a quarterly basis. It provides a forum for trade union input to a wide range of lifelong learning issues and makes a valuable input to the development of Executive policy in this area.

By 19 November, a total of over 245,000 accounts had been opened for people in Scotland and nearly 110,000 had used them for some learning. The target of 100,000 opened accounts was reached in June this year.

Surveys of 1,000 Individual Learning Account (ILA) members in Scotland who had used their account and approximately 150 who had yet to undertake learning were conducted by MORI over the period September 2000 to February 2001. Key findings were as follows:57% were female.56% were aged between 31 and 50, and 23% were aged 51 or older.40% were management/professional workers; 9% were process workers and 6% were retail and customer services workers. 24% worked within small companies and 2% were labour market returners.62% of those receiving 80% discounts were undertaking introductory ICT courses.36% of those receiving 80% discounts were undertaking introductory English/communications courses, 1% were undertaking introductory maths/numeracy courses.13% were working towards a degree-level qualification.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20232.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20232.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20232.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20232.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-20235.

In 1996, the Scottish Diet Action Plan Eating for Health made a number of recommendations and included nutritional guidelines targeted primarily at pre-school and school age children. Education authorities and schools have been implementing these recommendations to varying degrees. In February 1999 the Her Majesty's Inspectorate report Drug and Nutritional Education identified good practice and areas where action was needed. In addition, the Scottish Consumer Council and the Health Education Board for Scotland jointly published their research School Meals Service in Scotland, on 19 November which covers a number of issues. The Food in Schools Conference which was held in May 2001, and was supported jointly by the Scottish Executive, the Food Standards Agency, the Scottish Consumer Council and the Health Education Board for Scotland also reported on 19 November. The main outcome from the conference was agreement on the need for a national strategy for school meals to include standards for nutritional content and dining facilities within a framework which eliminates the stigma associated with free school meals. To take this agenda forward I recently announced, together with the Ministers for Health and Community Care and Social Justice, the establishment of an expert panel to make recommendations for wide ranging improvements in the delivery of school meals. Chaired by a Director of Education, the panel's remit will be provide Scottish ministers with fully costed recommendations, and an implementation and monitoring strategy to:Establish standards for the nutritional content of school mealsEliminate the stigma attached to free school meals and improve take upImprove the presentation of school mealsThe expert panel will include representatives from a wide range of sectors and stakeholders and it will operate in a consultative and participatory manner to ensure that the views of key groups such as parents, children and young people are taken into account. The panel is expected to report in the autumn of 2002.