- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 4 July 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware that Scottish Borders Council is considering (a) cutting #65,000 from its footwear and clothing grant fund, (b) cutting #40,000 from its further education bursaries budget, (c) cutting #10,000 from its budget for grants to village halls and (d) substituting sandwich lunches for school meals, along with various other measures, in order to address the projected #3.9 million overspend in the council's education budget and, if so, what action it will take.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16415 on 3 July 2001.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 4 July 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-15933 and S1W-16185 by Mr Jim Wallace on 5 and 19 June 2001 respectively, why budgetary issues do not fall within the scope of those parts of the remit of the Criminal Justice Forum which require it to take an overall view of the issues facing the criminal justice system as a whole and to advise Scottish ministers on issues of concern to the criminal justice system as a whole.
Answer
While there is no bar to members of the Criminal Justice Forum expressing views on resource aspects of issues affecting the criminal justice system, the main purpose of the forum is to consider general issues of criminal justice but not the budgets of Scottish criminal justice agencies.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 4 July 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16185 by Mr Jim Wallace on 19 June 2001, what issues of concern the Criminal Justice Forum has raised to date.
Answer
The forum has discussed or is continuing to discuss the Report of the McLean Committee on Serious Violent and Sexual Offenders, fines enforcement, the implications of the European Convention on Human Rights on the criminal justice system, the use of short sentences, alternatives to custody, violent crime and youth crime.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jackie Baillie on 4 July 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16178 by Jackie Baillie on 14 June 2001 and with reference to The Housing Needs of Elderly People in Scotland by Hart and Chalmers and published in 1990, whether it will provide details of any more recently commissioned reports on such needs and, if there are no such reports, whether it will now commission such a report.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has not published any further research on very sheltered housing since its 1991 report entitled The Housing Needs of Elderly People in Scotland and is not aware of any other research on this specific area of housing. There are no plans to commission any further reports at this time while we consider the various elements of care mosaic through the work of the Care Development Group, the Regulation of Care Bill, the consultation on the Long Term Care Bill and the implementation of Supporting People. All have implications about how and where care is offered to older and disabled people and will inform expectations about future needs for sheltered and very sheltered housing.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 3 July 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what monitoring it is undertaking of the current situation with the education budget of Scottish Borders Council.
Answer
Councils are independent of central Government control and are locally accountable.The Scottish Executive expects local authorities to manage their budgets on the resources available to them.The Accounts Commission for Scotland has the overall responsibility for issues concerning the accounts of local authorities in Scotland. The Controller of Audit may decide to make a report to the Accounts Commission on a particular matter arising out of or in connection with the accounts of any local authority, or the Accounts Commission may ask him to produce such reports as it requires. This is a matter for them.I understand that the council are considering a range of measures which might be taken to address the deficits they have identified. There are no plans to make additional funds available to Scottish Borders Council.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 3 July 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether additional funding will be made available to Scottish Borders Council if the consequence of the projected #3.9 million overspend in their education budget were to be cuts in staffing, school closures and cuts in the provision of other education services.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16415.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicol Stephen on 3 July 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria have to be met for children with cerebral palsy to participate in mainstream education.
Answer
No specific criteria are set for children with special educational needs (SEN) to be included in mainstream. Under section 15 of the Standards in Scotland's Schools Etc Act 2000, education authorities will be required to include all pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools except under certain specified circumstances.The needs of all children with SEN are assessed by the relevant education authority to ensure the most appropriate educational provision is made. National circular 4/96 provides advice to education authorities about the statutory arrangements for providing education and undertaking assessments of children and young people with special educational needs.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 3 July 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any cuts in the provision of education services by Scottish Borders Council.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16415.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Wendy Alexander on 28 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of recent difficulties facing the electronics industry in the Scottish Borders, it will address the state of the area's economy as a matter of urgency.
Answer
Scottish Enterprise Borders have been awarded an additional £6.096 million for the period 1999-2002 to support economic development in the area and the Scottish Executive is continuing to work closely with local agencies to secure sustainable economic development. Since the Scottish Borders was included on the Assisted Areas map in July 2000, £4.1 million in Regional Selective Assistance have been offered to companies in the area, involving the planned creation and safeguarding of some 900 jobs.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 June 2001
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 27 June 2001
To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the Borders and East Lothian currently suffer from sleep apnoea.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-16253.
