- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 27 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-980 and S3W-2155 by Fiona Hyslop on 3 July and 6 August 2007 respectively, why the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning stated on 13 June 2007 “Believe it or not, for the first time since the reformation, there has been a drop in the share of the population studying in higher education in Scotland” (Official Report c. 629), when her source, Prof R D Anderson: Scottish Education since the Reformation, Studies in Scottish Economic and Social History No. 5, Edinburgh 1997, indicates in table 6, page 46 a fall in the population share studying higher education in Scotland between 1800 and 1861 and between 1881 and 1911.
Answer
I admire themember’s dedication and erudition in identifying two exceptions to the broadand unarguable historic trend which I identified previously and am happy to beguided, in terms of detail, by his further research. But the issue of concernto Scottish people in the present century is the capacity to have access tohigher education without encountering financial or other barriers. The positionof the Scottish Government is that it is committed to removing those barriers.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 27 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what support it provides for CCTV schemes in town centres to help deter crime and antisocial behaviour.
Answer
£4million Executive funding is available this year to local authority-ledCommunity Safety Partnerships to assist them in identifying and addressinglocal community safety priorities, including CCTV. Other funding streams, suchas quality of life funding, can also be used to fund local CCTV systems.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 25 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what its policy is on granting funding to voluntary organisations who require that (a) recruits and (b) volunteers be of a particular faith.
Answer
We support voluntaryorganisations to run and develop projects and services which fit our strategic objectives.We do not fund projects which promote one faith nor projects where potential recruits or volunteers are excludedfrom opportunities on the basis of their faith or belief.
In such cases it wouldbe the specific project which would be ineligible for funding – not the organisation.The organisation might still be eligible for funding for other projects which meetthe relevant criteria and where the posts or volunteer placements are open to all.Each application is considered on a case-by-case basis.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 25 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what rules it applies to (a) local authorities and (b) other public bodies with regard to granting funding to voluntary organisations which require that (i) recruits and (ii) volunteers be of a particular faith and whether it has any plans to revise such rules.
Answer
We apply no rulesto other organisations about recruitment and funding of volunteers in faith situations.
Funding decisions are matters within the discretion oflocal authorities but, like other bodies, they are required to comply with currentequality legislation in offering funding. Our Equality Unit is drafting guidelinesto provide greater clarity to local authorities.
Funding of voluntaryorganisations by non-departmental public bodies is a matter for each body to considerwithin their statutory powers. Such arrangements must comply with current equalitylegislation and be subject to the requirements of their financial framework documentsand the Scottish Public Finance Manual.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 19 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what the policy of Project Scotland is on funding placements with religious and faith-based organisations.
Answer
Project Scotland is a company limited by guarantee and registered asa charity whose aims and objectives are to promote the welfare and relieve theneeds of the population in Scotland by encouraging and assisting young peopleto provide their skills and services voluntarily to charitable organisations.
Project Scotland does not fund placements but supports the volunteerdirectly through a package of support which includes expenses, subsistenceallowance and mentoring. Project Scotland’s policywill allow it to support volunteers in placements with faith-based charitiesprovided that the placement is open to all, regardless of faith or belief, thatthe volunteer’s own faith or belief is not compromised and that the placementdoes not require the volunteer to participate in any form of religious promotionor religious activities. Full information about the work of Project Scotland isavailable from its chief executive at 49 Melville Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7HL.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 September 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 13 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to reduce class sizes in Primary 1 to 3.
Answer
We will beworking with Education Authorities and Universities delivering initial teachertraining to ensure we can drive down class sizes in a managed and staged waywhich maintains teacher quality, recognises classroom pressures and continuityof class configurations, which will deliver practical progress to classes of 18in P1 to P3.
These factors,together with the Spending Review, will drive the timeframe for delivery, bymaking year-on-year progress towards our target.
This approach hasbeen recognised by teaching professionals as the best way to delivering ourpolicy of class sizes of 18 in P1 to P3 across Scotland.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 6 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, following the publication of the Draft Referendum (Scotland) Bill, what estimate the Scottish Government has made as to what the level of deficit would be in an independent Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Governmentintends to promote and encourage the maintenance and expansion of Scotland’s international air connections which avoid the needfor travellers to use connecting flights and reduce reliance on UK internal flights. The mechanism to assist the developmentof direct international air links is currently being revised in view of EuropeanUnion Guidelines on start-up aid for new air services.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 03 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 6 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the start date for the upgrade work to the A9 Ballinluig junction was moved as a result of either the outcome of the Parliament elections in May 2007 or of the subsequent formation of the new Scottish Executive.
Answer
The government attachesthe highest importance to taking the earliest steps to upgrade the A9 Ballinluigjunction.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 16 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 August 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-980 by Fiona Hyslop on 3 July 2007, why, if formal statistics of participation in higher education are not available for the whole of the period since the Reformation, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning stated to the Parliament on 13 June 2007: “The age participation index, which measures the proportion of young Scots who are engaged in higher education, has fallen since the graduate endowment fee was introduced from 51.5 per cent in 2001-02 to 47.1 per cent in 2005-06. Believe it or not, for the first time since the reformation, there has been a drop in the share of the population studying in higher education in Scotland.” (Official Report c. 629).
Answer
I was making thepoint that the Scottish education system has been leading by example forcenturies. The Member may be interested in the facts and statistics describedin a book by Prof R.D. Anderson: Scottish Education since the Reformation,Studies in Scottish Economic and Social History No 5, Edinburgh 1997.
- Asked by: Murdo Fraser, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 July 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 31 July 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has carried out or is aware of any research into the importance of providing staffed public toilets in locations visited by high numbers of tourists.
Answer
Decisions concerning theprovision, management and funding of public toilets are for individual localauthorities and not a matter for the Scottish Executive. We have not conducted nor are we aware of anyresearch into the importance of providing public toilets or the views oftourists on such matters.
