- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 27 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what comparisons it has made of the effectiveness of the education of children with autistic spectrum disorder in mainstream schools and in specialist schools, such as Struan House.
Answer
No comparisons have beenmade. The most important principle is to meet the needs of the individual childor young person in the most appropriate setting, whether that is in amainstream school, a special school, a specialist school like Struan House or acombination.
I recognise however thatthere is a need to evaluate educational provision for pupils with autisticspectrum disorder (ASD) in these settings and that is why Her Majesty'sInspectorate of Education are conducting a specific inspection of educationalprovision for children and young people with ASD across Scotland. Theinspection began in April 2005 and will conclude shortly with a report due inlate summer.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 April 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Robert Brown on 27 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive what research it is undertaking on the effectiveness of the mainstreaming of children with additional support needs.
Answer
In 2003, the Executivecommissioned the Scottish Council for Research in Education (SCRE) to examinethe impact of the policy that requireseducation authorities to, wherever possible, mainstream pupils with specialeducational needs (SEN). The research assessed how education authorities implementedthe new duty and the impact of the mainstreaming policy, and examined the waysin which different policies and practices impacted on parents, teachers, andpupils with SEN, including pupils with autistic spectrum disorder, and theirpeers.
The findings were publishedin the Impact of the Presumption of Mainstreaming Research report on 13 January 2006, acopy of which is available at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/01/05142243/0andhttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/01/12121142/0.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the farms which have been affected by emergency prohibition orders related to the Chernobyl incident in each year since 1995.
Answer
I am advised by the Food StandardsAgency that the following table indicates the number of farms in Scotland whichhave been subject to restrictions as a result of the Chernobyl accidentin each year since 1995.
| Date | Number of Farms Subject to Restrictions |
| 1995 | 41 |
| 1996 | 36 |
| 1997 | 28 |
| 1998 | 23 |
| 1999 | 20 |
| 2000 | 19 |
| 2001 | 18 |
| 2002 | 18 |
| 2003 | 16 |
| 2004 | 14 |
| 2005 | 11 |
| 2006 | 10 |
Farm numbers are approximate since part-farms may have restrictionsremoved; also farms and part-farms may be split and/or amalgamated. Accordingly,restrictions are defined in The Food Protection (Emergency Prohibitions) (Radioactivityin Sheep) Order 1991 No. 20 (as amended) in consistent terms of defined boundariesrather than as individual farms. The remaining farms are located in the East Ayrshireand Stirling Council areas, although established policy is not to identify individualholdings without the consent of the farm owner.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, under the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the energy performance of a building will be expressed in CO2 emissions and, if so, whether any other indicators will also be used.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. Hisresponse is as follows:
It is proposed that the principalindicator of energy performance of buildings will be expressed in terms of CO2in order to promote the influence that this gas has with regard to climate changeand global warming.
Options for other indicatorswill appear in the forthcoming public consultation on Articles 7, 8 and 9. Thisconsultation is proposed for May 2006, will have a duration of 12 weeks and willbe accessible from the SBSA website www.sbsa.gov.uk.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has obtained any legal advice as to whether a property owner completing an information sheet about that property could be described as an “independent expert” under the terms of article 10 of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and, if so, what that legal advice is.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. Hisresponse is as follows:
The SBSA works closely with theOffice of the Solicitor to the Scottish Executive (OSSE) on all matters concerningScottish building legislation.
A property owner (unless suitablyqualified) could not be described as an independent expert in terms of Article 10of the Directive. Any part of the certification process that does have input froman unqualified or non-accredited individual, will be subject to the scrutiny ofa verifier or local authority, acting as the independent accredited experts.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive, in implementing the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, what the advantages will be of using Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure as an alternative methodology to the Scottish Energy Rating Tool.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. Hisresponse is as follows:
The work on the Scottish EnergyRating Tool (SERT) is currently in progress. If the research work is successfulthen SERT could provide a cost-effective solution to energy performance certificationof dwellings, particularly in the private rental sector. It is anticipated thatwork on rdSAP will be completed before SERT and that rdSAP will be better suitedto the data collection procedures which are associated with the proposed singlesurvey.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will consult the public on its plans for implementation of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. Hisresponse is as follows:
Articles 3, 4, 5 and 6 of theDirective have been implemented using existing Scottish building legislation andalso guidance. The SBSA are currently out to public consultation on proposals thatwill build-on the implementation of these articles. This consultation commencedon 1 March 2006, has a duration of 12 weeks and is accessible from theSBSA website www.sbsa.gov.uk.
For implementation of Articles7, 8 and 9, there is a public consultation proposed for May 2006, which will havea duration of 12 weeks and will be accessible from the SBSA website.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive why, in implementing the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, it is considering using the Reduced Data Standard Assessment Procedure as an alternative methodology to the Scottish Energy Rating Tool.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. Hisresponse is as follows:
The work on the Scottish EnergyRating Tool (SERT) is currently in progress. If the research work is successfulthen SERT could provide a cost-effective solution to energy performance certificationof dwellings, particularly in the private rental sector. It is anticipated thatwork on rdSAP will be completed before SERT and that rdSAP will be better suitedto the data collection procedures which are associated with the proposed SingleSurvey.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive how it will interpret Article 7.3 of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive in respect of the definition of a public building.
Answer
I have asked Dr. Paul Stollard,Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), to answer. Hisresponse is as follows:Proposals for the descriptionand characterisation of “public building” will appear in the forthcoming publicconsultation on Articles 7, 8 and 9. This consultation is proposed for May 2006,will have a duration of 12 weeks and will be accessible from the SBSA website
www.sbsa.gov.uk.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2006
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Current Status:
Answered by Johann Lamont on 26 April 2006
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the energy performance certificate for Scottish buildings, as required by Article 7 of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, will refer to an asset rating or an operational rating, or both.
Answer
I have asked Dr. PaulStollard, Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency (SBSA), toanswer. His response is as follows:
It is proposed that assetratings are adopted for the purpose of implementing Article 7.
To rely solely on the use ofoperational ratings would make it very difficult to compare the energyperformance of the “built form” of different buildings. To allow the option ofeither an asset or an operational rating would again make it very difficult tocompare the energy performance of the “built form” of different buildings.Neither of these two approaches would be useful to prospective owners and tenants,nor visitors to buildings.
To require both asset andoperational ratings would be considered as over-implementation of theDirective.
