Chamber and committees

The Scottish Social Services Council is the regulator of the social services workforce and their education and training. Through their annual Grant in Aid settlement, the council received £40,000 annually in years 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 to support users and carers in the design and active involvement in the social work degree. The money is split equally between the eight higher education institutions which provide the degree course.

I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

The Scottish Prison Service seeks to meet the needs of prisoners with a range of abilities and learning disabilities through easy-read forms and documents. Where a prisoner has difficulty, supporting staff can access a range of information appropriate to the abilities of the individual concerned. For those identified as having a barrier to learning, specialist assistance is available where this is required. Such assistance may include 1:1 small group support and access to specialist learning resources.

I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

Prison staff are trained to detect, assess and meet the needs of people with a range of abilities and assets, disabilities and deficits. A learning disability is amongst these characteristics. The Scottish Prison Service will continue to train its staff to be aware of people with disabilities in order to be able to respond with greater confidence to their needs. It will continue to invest in staff and services with specialist skills, to encourage education and health specialists to come into prison in order to support care.

I have asked John Ewing, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

Prisons assess the needs of those coming into custody, including needs related to learning disabilities. Prisons will strive, in partnership with the NHS, to meet the appropriate needs of prisoners. Where appropriate, they may have access to a learning disabilities nurse.

The SPS’s learning and skills service makes clear provision to accommodate special learning requirements. This includes a new literacy screening and levelling tool which is the basis for identifying those with a learning need.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03949 on 24 November 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answers to questions S4W-03878 on 16 November 2011, S4W-03880 on 17 November 2011 and S4W-03882 on 15 November 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03949 on 24 November 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

I refer the member to the answers to questions S4W-03017 and S4W-03568, on 18 October 2011 and 8 November 2011 respectively. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.

The money raised by the public health supplement will help to fund the decisive shift to preventative spending proposed in the spending review, of which the three change funds are an integral part.

I refer the member to the answer to question S4W-03568 on 8 November 2011. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx.