This search includes all content on the Scottish Parliament website, except for Votes and Motions. All Official Reports (what has been said in Parliament) and Questions and Answers are available from 1999. You can refine your search by adding and removing filters.
I have received apologies from Karen Gillon, who will arrive late—the other members of the committee are here and no visiting members will attend the meeting, as far as I know.Under agenda item 1, the committee will consider whether to take item 4 in private.
Once again, I remind all members to turn off mobile phones and pagers.Let me just mention that we shall be joined by members of the Basque Government who are visiting the Scottish Parliament. They will appear in the course of the afternoon, and I shall introduce them when they do so.I welcome Brian Main, who is the adviser to the committee.
Jim Hislop is here from the Scottish Executive. He will hope that all his visits to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee are as simple as this one.
To be fair to the Executive, the order was drafted by the UK Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, which is outwith the Executive's control, but perhaps we should draw the question to the Executive's attention.
Before we start formally, I remind members of the visit from the Northern Ireland Assembly's Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee immediately after our meeting finishes, at about 1 o'clock.
Roseanna Cunningham mentioned the dentist in Stranraer going to work in the private sector. The minister was due to visit that dentist but she cancelled the visit.
Thirty years ago, about 18 per cent of girls and boys left school with three or more highers. Now, 26 per cent of boys and 34 per cent of girls get the equivalent qualifications at level 6 or better.
Questions and Answers
Date answered:
23 January 2006
For those who have to wait longer, we have set a national maximum waiting time target of 26 weeks from referral to consultation, from 31 December 2005.