- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 21 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive when local authorities will receive details of the initiative to support adult literacy projects which was announced on 2 July 2001.
Answer
Circular ELLD 1/01, containing the details, was issued to local authorities on 17 July 2001.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 02 August 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 21 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how voluntary bodies will benefit in the current financial year from its adult literacy initiative announced on 2 July 2001.
Answer
I announced that £18.5 million is being allocated through local authorities to Community Learning Strategy Partnerships over the next three years, including £2.7 million in the current financial year, to raise levels of adult literacy and numeracy in Scotland.Circular ELLD 1/01, issued on 17 July, makes clear that all local providers of adult literacy, including voluntary organisations, should have access to the new funding. All providers will need to demonstrate clearly their ability to make effective use of the funding and it will be for Community Learning Strategy Partnerships to decide and demonstrate collectively how the resources can be used to provide best value.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 17 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware that there are a number of part-time courses in teaching available in the rest of the UK and how it will address the lack of any funded, accredited part-time courses for qualification in teaching in Scotland.
Answer
The Department for Education and Skills has introduced various routes into teacher education in England and Wales, including part-time courses. The introduction of such courses is aimed at dealing with acute teacher supply difficulties experienced there. The position in Scotland is rather different. The Supply of Teachers report, 2nd Edition - June 2001, details the background to the current position on teacher supply and outlines progress on planned improvements to teacher workforce planning practices. Copies of the report are in the Parliament's Reference Centre (Bib no: 14980) and it is on the Executive's website.I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16892 on 10 August and that institutions are able to offer any course on a part-time basis provided it meets the requirements set out in the Guidelines for Initial Teacher Education in Scotland as in the answer to question S1W-16022 on 13 June 2001.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 29 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 16 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether golf courses are envisaged as being land over which access rights are not exercisable in terms of section 4 of the draft Land Reform (Scotland) Bill and, if so, whether it will detail which statutory provisions are applicable to access to such land.
Answer
Under section 4(1)(e)(ii) of the draft Land Reform Bill, the right of access would not be exercisable on golf courses while in use. The public, however, would be able to continue to use existing rights of way across golf courses. Existing public rights of way are expressly preserved by section 3(2) of the Bill.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 16 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the recommendations for action set out in Annex 3 of the Third Annual Report of the Planning and Audit Unit 2001 have been implemented; if not, what the reason is for its position in each case and when it intends to implement the recommendations.
Answer
The recommendations set out in Annex 3 of the Third Annual Report of the Planning and Audit Unit 2001 are being progressed as follows:
Performance Statistics
A performance monitoring database has been set up and is in operation. When it has been operating long enough to yield robust statistics, targets for improvement can be set.Consultation
A system to advise planning authorities where consultations cannot be dealt with in 14 days has been set up and is working well. Setting a timetable for the consultation process is likely to be misleading and better communication with planning officers is suggested as an alternative.- Good progress is being made with developing electronic communications, although technical problems remain.
- Progress on revising the consultation forms depends on planning authorities standardising their planning application forms to include the information required by the trunk road authority. This proposal was discussed with local authorities but there has been no formal response to date.
Pre-application advice
Applicants are encouraged to consult the Scottish Executive Road Network Management and Maintenance Division (RNMMD) at the earliest possible stage to speed up the consultation process.The need for further planning advice
It has been decided not to seek revision of the Town & Country Planning Scotland General Development Procedure (Scotland) Order 1992, but revised advice is contained in Planning Advice Note 40 Development Control. Consultants have been commissioned to advise by the end of 2001 on guidance on transport assessment for development proposals in Scotland. Together with the output of other research on key development sites and on achieving sustainable mode share, the research output will inform further good practice Planning Advice programmed for 2002.The need for further trunk road advice
Route strategies are under active consideration.- We have effectively achieved a one-door approach to the Operating Companies. A copy of the consultation form only is sent to RNMMD to enable them to monitor performance.
- Consideration is still being given as to how best to keep planning authorities informed of progress.
- A library of standard conditions is in use, and is subject to constant revision and updating.
It is the view of RNMMD that the current wording of conditions complies with the law.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 09 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 10 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is any unmet demand for the provision of a part-time, funded and accredited course which would qualify primary school teachers and whether those living in areas where there are no teacher education institutions are adequately served in terms of the opportunity to train to be primary school teachers.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is not aware of any unmet demand for the provision of part-time primary initial teacher education. Teacher education institutions are free to tailor their mode of provision to meet any demand from those living in rural areas.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will advise all health boards in possession of an unallocated development reserve to use some or all of that reserve to alleviate delays in the discharge of patients from hospitals into care homes and whether it will detail what scrutiny and accountability health boards are subject to on this matter.
Answer
We have no plans to advise Health Boards how they should spend any reserves which they may temporarily hold. It is for Health Boards to determine how to allocate the resources available to them on the basis of their assessment of local needs and priorities.
Appropriate discharge of patients from hospital to other care settings continues to be a high priority for the NHS and social work authorities in Scotland. The quarterly census of patients waiting for discharge, and the Scottish Executive's regular contact with Health Boards, NHS Trusts and social work authorities ensures that this matter is subject to regular scrutiny.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what the value to the Scottish fishing and fish processing sectors of exports of herring and mackerel was in 2000; what the value of exports of herring and mackerel to Russia was in 2000, and whether Russia is a key market for Scottish pelagic fish.
Answer
The information requested is not available. However, I can confirm that the UK exported approximately £55 million worth of herring and mackerel in 2000. Of this, approximately £14 million was exported to Russia which is an important market for Scottish pelagic fish.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 9 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made representations to Russia that it should lift its ban on the imports of herring and mackerel; what other efforts it has made to achieve this objective; whether it has met any representatives of the Russian government to pursue a lifting of the ban and, if it has not, whether it will now request such a meeting.
Answer
Yes. We have also confirmed that there is no scientific justification for the Russian ban. The Executive has no plans to request a meeting with the Russian government until British Embassy officials who are actively pursuing this matter through diplomatic channels indicate that any such meeting might be useful.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 July 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Rhona Brankin on 8 August 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish Natural Heritage can effectively fulfil its duty both to the environment and to community development on Rum and what action the Executive will take to resolve any conflict between these duties.
Answer
The Scottish Executive believes that both functions can be progressed by Scottish Natural Heritage with the assistance of its partners.