- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 January 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 28 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many asymmetrical digital subscriber line enabled exchanges there are given the figures of 67 and 54 quoted respectively in Connecting Scotland: our broadband future: Making it Happen and BT Scotland's submission to the Rural Development Committee's inquiry into integrated rural development; what percentage of these exchanges are in the Pathfinder areas, and what steps are being taken to encourage greater pre-registration of interest to speed up rural penetration of broadband access.
Answer
There are currently 67 exchanges that are ADSL-enabled in Scotland and 4% of these are in Pathfinder areas. There are a number of measures already under way to increase interest in broadband, including a broadband information website and a network of broadband demonstration centres across Scotland. We also recently announced a new initiative, worth up to £24 million, to accelerate and widen the reach of broadband across Scotland. As part of this, we plan to undertake a technology-neutral marketing campaign with the private sector to promote awareness of broadband.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 20 January 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 28 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what the rules are governing the granting of subsidies to companies taking part in the trials of satellite-accessed broadband to cover installation costs as referred to in section 6 and paragraph 8.4 of Connecting Scotland: our broadband future: Making it Happen and whether these rules are specific to each local enterprise company.
Answer
This is an operational matter for the Enterprise Networks.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Monday, 13 January 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 28 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what consultations it had with the Home Secretary with regard to the changes in gun laws that would impact on the Scottish judiciary's exercise of judicial discretion prior to the (a) announcement of the proposal for a minimum sentence for the illegal possession of a firearm and (b) meeting on gun crime held in London on 10 January 2003 and what ministerial representation or representation from the Justice Department, the police or other appropriate agencies there was at that meeting.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has been engaged in regular and continuing discussions with the Home Office on a wide range of firearms issues, including the recently announced proposals to combat gun crime. The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland was represented at the gun crime meeting held on 10 January.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 27 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in respect of its 10-point action plan on youth crime with particular regard to spreading best practice, a nationwide application of a system of warnings, re-configuring secure accommodation for girl-only accommodation, establishing national standards to operate between the local authority criminal justice system and children's hearings and increasing the speed of referral to the courts in the light of its report and statement on the recommendations of its Youth Crime Review, the Report of the Advisory Group on Youth Crime, Scotland's Action Programme to Reduce Youth Crime 2002 and the Audit Scotland's report, Dealing with Offending and Young People.
Answer
We have made considerable progress towards the implementation of the Action Plan. The following table sets out the latest position:
| Ten-Point Action Plan | Action |
| 1. A pilot of Fast-track Children's Hearings for persistent offenders under 16 | An operational framework for the pilot has been agreed with all involved. National and local training is now under way for professional staff, panel members and other relevant groups. Expect first referrals to fast track hearings soon. |
| 2. A Youth Courts feasibility project for persistent offenders aged 16 and 17, with flexibility to deal with 15-year-olds. | I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-33423 today. 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/webapp/search_wa. |
| 3. Reviewing the scope for using Restriction of Liberty Orders, Anti-Social Behaviour Orders and Community Service Orders for persistent offenders | Improving the effectiveness of these disposals for this age group is under cross-departmental consideration. Expect to publish proposals shortly. |
| 4. A Safer Scotland police campaign on high visibility policing, covering Youth Disorder, to increase visibility and provide community re-assurance. | The Safer Scotland campaign ran from October to December. Initial feedback from the police involved is that the campaign was a success and that it met its main objectives. |
| 5. Spread best practice, and establish firm standards, for community-based projects funded through the Action Programme, Better Neighbourhood Services Fund programmes and Making Communities Safer programmes. | A small number of pilot projects are being funded as a means of testing out different approaches to tackling youth crime and we will share best practice arising from these. The process of commissioning research which will evaluate the experience of community safety projects and community-based projects focusing on youth crime is also under way. |
| 6. Consideration of a Scotland-wide application of a system of cautions/warnings, and a detailed exploration of restorative cautions approach, perhaps through piloting. | I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-33085 on 21 January 2003. |
| 7. Reconfiguring the secure accommodation available nationally to provide groups of girl-only accommodation, further consideration of additional places and improving the range and provision of programmes in secure units | The Executive's intention to increase the number of places by around 25 places was announced on 17 September. Details are on the Scottish Executive website at:http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2002/09/Seed102.aspx. For more recent developments, I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-32801 on 20 December 2002. |
| 8. A set of national standards to operate between local authorities, the criminal justice system and Children's Hearings, covering reporting, timescales and follow up | I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-33098 on 22 January 2003. |
| 9. Promote parental responsibility, through voluntary measures and in the longer-term to consider the feasibility of introducing further statutory obligations on parents | We announced funding on 8 January for a range of voluntary services and programmes to support parents of young offenders. Details are available on the Scottish Executive website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2003/01/SEed170a.aspx |
| 10. Measures to increase the speed of referral to the courts, will be considered, and introduction of specific targets discussed with the Judiciary. | SCS have invited key partners onto a working group to take this work forward. The group will build on the work of the youth court feasibility project. |
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 27 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of any concerns of parents of children with special educational needs that do not wish their children to be placed in mainstream schooling and what action it is taking to address such concerns.
Answer
The decision on which school a child should attend is a matter for agreement between an education authority and parents. Parents have a right to make a placing request for a school of their choice, and to appeal against the decision should this be refused. The new duty on an education authority to provide education in mainstream schools comes into effect in August 2003. However, children can still be placed in special schools where mainstream education is unable to meet their needs. The Scottish Executive has issued guidance on mainstreaming to education authorities which includes the importance of taking account of parents' views.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 24 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities will be included in the Inclusive Learning Network for children with special educational needs announced by the Minister for Education and Young People on 14 January 2003; how much each local authority will receive from the #150,000 announced for the network, and what formula will determine the amounts received by local authorities.
Answer
The Inclusive Learning Network project is funded through the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Innovation Grants Programme, which is paid to the voluntary sector in support of good practice and new ideas in SEN provision. The Equity Group has been awarded £150,000 to take forward this project in partnership with six local authorities: Argyll and Bute, Dumfries and Galloway, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, Scottish Borders and North Lanarkshire. Local authorities, although providing staff and other resources, will not directly receive any of the £150,000 project funding.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 24 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what role rail services will play in the provision of rural transport, in the light of paragraphs 2-9 in section B of the report by the Scottish National Rural Partnership, Implementing Services in Rural Scotland: A Progress Report.
Answer
The Scottish Executive's consultation paper Strategic Priorities for Scotland's Passenger Railway, published in November 2000, included our priorities for rail services in rural Scotland.In particular, the paper outlined the Executive's expectation that the rail industry in Scotland would assist in the development of viable rural communities and the objective of tackling the peripherality of many rural communities through the delivery of reduced journey times from those communities where sufficient benefits can be generated.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 24 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Inclusive Learning Network for children with special educational needs announced by the Minister for Education and Young People on 14 January 2003 will be expanded to enable all local authorities to become part of the scheme.
Answer
The Inclusive Learning Network is a discrete project, ending in March 2004, funded via the Executive's Special Educational Needs Innovation Grants Programme for the voluntary sector. There are no current plans to extend it beyond the six local authorities involved. There will be a final evaluation report on the project which should help inform best practice in other local authority areas.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 24 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the statement in paragraph 81 of the Audit Scotland report, Dealing with offending by young people, that some children's panel members and reporters had reservations about the capability of children's hearings to deal with persistent offenders in part due to a lack of resources.
Answer
Ministers have made clear that tackling persistent young offenders effectively is a priority. The fast-track children's hearing pilots which will begin soon will deal specifically with this group by offering a guaranteed place on an appropriate programme to help address their needs and prevent re-offending. The Executive is making available significant additional resources to support these programmes and the operation of the pilots in general.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
-
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2003
-
Current Status:
Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 24 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-6086 by Mr Frank McAveety on 12 December 2002, what consideration it has given to adopting a policy in Scotland similar to that of Her Majesty's Government's of placing 700 defibrillators in 72 public places in England and Wales.
Answer
Our national advisory body on coronary heart disease will continue to keep under review the evidence on the benefits of siting automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in public places. This need not prevent local initiatives based on local assessments of cost-effectiveness.
