- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 19 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to develop children's centres in each of the 20% most disadvantaged areas to ensure the best possible start in life by providing access to health, education and other services for children and their parents.
Answer
Closing the opportunity gap for Scotland's children is a key policy for the Executive. Through Sure Start Scotland we provide resources to give every child the best possible start in life. This supports joint-agency integrated service provision, which is often provided through children's centres. The Changing Children's Services Fund is a further source of resources to act as a catalyst for better integration of health, education, social work and voluntary sector services to improve outcomes for vulnerable and deprived children. All these resources are weighted heavily by local authority area to reflect deprivation levels.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 19 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will establish a national centre for women's enterprise to bring a specific focus to the start-up and support of businesses run by women and to develop and disseminate best practice.
Answer
The Executive is currently considering the case for a national centre for women's enterprise. No final decision has yet been reached.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 19 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will monitor the level and efficacy of spend from the funding allocated from the learning disability services change fund to local authorities.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-26763 on 27 June 2002.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 19 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding was allocated from the learning disability services change fund to each local authority through grant aided expenditure allocations for 2001-02 and 2002-03.
Answer
The total provision for Learning Disability Change Fund is £8 million in 2001-02, and £12 million in 2002-03. The resources are being allocated through the general local government settlement distribution - separate allocations for each authority have not been published, but are included within the settlement total each authority receives.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 19 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive why there is not a target in the Scottish Enterprise operating plan for 2002-03 for the number of Social Economy organisations assisted as in 2001-02 and how it intends to monitor performance in this area.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise plays an important part in achieving social justice objectives. The Executive was satisfied that the current operating plan includes outputs relating to inclusion across a range of activities including business starts and skills and learning. Scottish Enterprise reports to the Executive on performance against these targets. While no numerical target was set in the operating plan for 2002-03 for support to social economy organisations, Scottish Enterprise will provide business development and training support services to those who have reached or have the potential to reach a degree of commercial development and trading maturity.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 19 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it monitors progress by Scottish Enterprise against the agreed operating plan targets and, if so, how.
Answer
The Management Statement issued by the Scottish Executive to Scottish Enterprise requires that they submit statements twice a year to the Executive showing performance against each of the key operating targets identified in their annual operating plan. In addition, on a quarterly basis, Scottish Enterprise prepares a statement of performance against operating plan targets for its board, which is copied to the Scottish Executive.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Iain Gray on 19 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to develop a strategic framework for women's enterprise.
Answer
Business advice and support for women is delivered by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. The Scottish Executive acknowledge that these services should reflect the specific needs of current or potential women entrepreneurs. The need for a national centre for women's enterprise is currently under consideration.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 19 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive when the implementation group for The Same as You? last met; what issues were discussed, and what the membership of the group has been from its inception to date.
Answer
All this information, including the minutes of the last meeting of The same as you? Implementation Group on 10 May 2002, is available on the Review of Services for People with a Learning Disability website atwww.scotland.gov.uk/ldsr.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Monday, 22 July 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Frank McAveety on 19 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding is planned to be allocated from the learning disability services change fund to each local authority through grant aided expenditure allocations for 2003-04.
Answer
The total provision for Learning Disabilities Change Fund is £16 million in 2003-04, recurring thereafter. The resources are being allocated through the general local government settlement distribution - separate allocations for each authority have not been published, but are included within the settlement total each authority receives.
- Asked by: Jackie Baillie, MSP for Dumbarton, Scottish Labour
-
Date lodged: Friday, 19 July 2002
-
Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 16 August 2002
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to use the formula consequentials arising from the Chancellor of the Exchequer's statement on 15 July 2002 that funding for the Active Communities Unit will be increased from #35 million to #65 million by 2005-06 and a direct fund of #125 million will be established for voluntary sector organisations to help overcome barriers to effective service delivery and modernise their infrastructure for the long term.
Answer
We will announce detailed spending plans for the three years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 in September.