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Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S3W-00069

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 June 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what impact it estimates the cost of gaining the Chartered Teacher qualification has on discouraging teachers from commencing and continuing with the modules.

Progression on the six-pointChartered Teacher salary scale typically involves one-off costs of around £1,200in return for an automatic increase of between £774 and £1,436 per annum inpensionable salary - overall £7,161 above the top of the unprompted teachers’scale. While no comprehensive survey has been conducted into the relativeimpact of cost or other factors in relation to uptake, Audit Scotland(2006) found that 74% of recently qualified teachers said they were likely toparticipate in the scheme.

Cost issues will beconsidered as part of the current review of the Chartered Teacher project.

Question reference: S3W-00136

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 June 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many special advisers it appointed in each of the first two sessions of the Parliament; what their specific responsibilities were, and what the total annual costs were of the posts.

At the end of the first Parliament there were nine special advisers in post at an annual salary cost of £602,449 and at the end of the second Parliament there were 12 special advisers in post at an annual salary cost of £854,376. Both cost figures include ERNIC and employer pension contributions.

The specific role and duties of special advisers is set out in the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers at Schedule 1 of the Model Contract for Special Advisers which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 37226).

The following is the original answer (published on 5 June 2007); see below

At the end of the first Parliament there were nine special advisers in post at an annual salary cost of £602,449 and at the end of the second Parliament there were 12 special advisers in post at an annual salary cost of £851,520. Both cost figures include ERNIC and employer pension contributions.

Question reference: S3W-00135

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 June 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive which executive agencies and quangos it established during each of the first two sessions of the Parliament, also showing the remits of each body.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-134 on 5 June 2007. Information on the remits of non-domestic publicbodies is provided in the directory of Scottish public bodies on the Scottish Executivewebsite at:http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Government/public-bodies/directory.All answers to writtenparliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facilityfor which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Question reference: S3W-00070

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 June 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers (a) began and (b) completed the Chartered Teaching course in each of the years since the inception of the programme.

Data relating to teachersbeginning Chartered Teacher programmes is not held centrally.

Chartered Teacher programmesare modular in nature and were designed so that steady progress can lead tofull qualification in about six years. At the moment prior learning can also beaccredited and most of those completing the programme have taken advantage ofthis to some extent.

Based on information fromthe General Teaching Council for Scotland, the numbers achieving full Chartered Teacher statusin each year since inception of the programme in August 2003 is as shown in thefollowing table.

Year	Number
2003	0
2004	37
2005	113
2006	242

Question reference: S3W-00117

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 June 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive which schools have an acting head teacher who has been in post for more than six months.

Question reference: S3W-00118

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 June 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will reverse the position of the previous administration no to maintain its commitment to maximum sizes of 20 for mathematics and English classes in S1 and S2.

Question reference: S3W-00119

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 June 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it will take to ensure that newly qualified teachers find permanent employment following completion of their probationary year.

The employment of teachers, includingthe type of contract offered, is a matter for local authorities. However, teacherworkforce planning is designed so that new teachers are completing their inductionyear at the volume needed to achieve a broad balance between supply and demand forteachers.

Inprevious years, surveys by the General Teaching Council have found that most newlyqualified teachers are in full-time positions by the middle of the autumn term.

The Scottish Executive has madeadditional funding of £50.3 million available to local authorities for the employmentof additional teachers to meet the target of a workforce of 53,000 by August 2007.This funding covers staffing costs for the end of school year 2006-07, and partyear costs for 2007-08.

Question reference: S3W-00134

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 5 June 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive which executive agencies and quangos it abolished or changed during each of the first two sessions of the Parliament.

Question reference: S3W-00122

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 5 June 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers are receiving treatment for psychological disorders resulting from work-related stress in the (a) primary and (b) secondary sector.

Question reference: S3W-00133

Asked by: Kenneth Gibson, MSP for Cunninghame North, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 5 June 2007

To ask the Scottish Executive whether patients undergoing major surgery are routinely assessed to identify their risk of developing blood clots.

ScottishIntercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline 62 on Prophylaxis of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE)states that all patients admitted to hospital for major trauma, major surgery oracute medical illness should be assessed individually for risk of VTE. This guideline,which is about to be reviewed, is followed in surgical units throughout Scotland.

Other Guidelines relevant toVTE are SIGN 89 (Diagnosis and management of peripheral arterial disease,October 2006) and SIGN 36 (Anti Thrombotic Therapy, March 1999),which is currently under review. Prevention of VTE is also covered in guidelinessuch as that on Prevention and Management of Hip Fracture in Older People(January 2002).