Chamber and committees

The Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) has received a number of representations regarding the Scottish Exchange of Educational Data (ScotXed) project. Most of these representations have been queries from parents asking for clarification on issues of data confidentiality and the collection of information on ethnic background and national identity of pupils, in the 2002 Scottish School Census.SEED has provided explanations on the importance of collecting accurate information on the ethnic background and national identity of all pupils in order to meet the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000. Although SEED encourages all pupils and parents to provide this information, SEED also appreciates the sensitivity of collecting this information and has provided an option for pupils and parents to state that they do not wish to disclose this information. SEED has given assurances that pupil level information to be transferred through ScotXed as part of the September 2002 School Census will be dealt with in strict accordance with the Data Protection Act and with the National Statistics Code of Practice.

Social enterprises have demonstrated their capacity, across a range of policy areas, to provide efficient and effective services to their customers by, for example, working closely with the communities that they serve and by recycling any surpluses into improving the services or products they provide. Communities Scotland has a role to play in the development of social enterprises and they are working jointly with Scottish Enterprise and SCVO on this, including working to develop an effective monitoring and evaluation framework that will measure the outcomes and the effectiveness of social economy enterprises.

The Scottish Executive published Committing to Race Equality, a response from the Scottish Executive to the report from the Race Equality Advisory Forum (REAF) on 12 March this year.Chapter one, "Building a Solid Statistical Base" discusses the issues raised in REAF on ethnic classifications, and highlights the need for a partnership approach to taking this work forward. The chapter sets this work in the context of fulfilling two key objectives: first, the need for service users and others to be able to define their own ethnicity; and second, a meaningful and consistent approach for those who need to use the data.More generally, the REAF report will be used to help develop the Executive's Race Equality Scheme as required by the amended Race Relations Act

The Action Plan for Dental Services in Scotland was launched in August 2000, with the aim of improving dental health of children and increasing access to dental services.A number of measures have been implemented nationally which target oral health and hygiene in children.free distribution of a toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste to all children at the age of eight months. targeted distribution of toothbrush and toothpaste to all one-to three-year olds in deprived areas. enhanced monthly capitation payments to dentists. (a) for the delivery of oral hygiene instruction and preventive advice to young children up to the age of five who are registered with them on the NHS. (b) a new caries prevention scheme for six- and seven-year-olds, where dentists are paid a monthly fee for providing oral hygiene advice and for fissure sealing the first permanent molar teeth to help prevent decay. In addition each Health Board/Trust support local initiatives on prevention of oral disease. These include for example: nursery toothbrushing schemes in all health board areas, partially supported through Health Improvement Fund (HIF), and local community prevention schemes and/or schemes through the HIF for dietary change, for example, free distribution of fresh fruit.

Data related to the age groups requested is not available centrally. We can, however, make estimates based on what would be approximately the same groups using numbers of (a) nursery children, (b) pupils in stages P1 to P3 in publicly funded primary schools and (c) pupils in stages P1 to P7 in publicly funded primary schools. We estimate, from the limited information at present available to us on this subject that the minimum annual cost of providing a serving of milk in school to every child in these categories would be £1.1 million, £2.7 million and £6.4 million respectively.

Volunteering in the public sector is being driven forward by the Active Communities Initiative, which is designed to bring about more positive attitudes towards volunteering, locate volunteering at the heart of policy and to broaden the range and numbers of people involved. The Community Service Volunteers report State of the Volunteering Nation will help inform the initiative. In addition, many of the projects assisted through the Active Communities Initiative, for example Community Service Volunteers' Retired and Senior Volunteering Programme, include volunteering opportunities in the public sector.Other steps taken to promote volunteering in the public sector include:Supporting the Active Communities Development Unit at Volunteer Development Scotland. The unit offers assistance in shaping policy and practice in the public sector and local authorities, and is working on new guidance, which should be published later this year;Publication of new guidance on volunteering in health; andSupporting Volunteer Development Scotland who, with COSLA, issued joint guidance to local authorities on how to prepare and implement volunteering policy statements.

I am due to meet with COSLA again next month to talk about the Spending Review and the distribution of resources for all local authorities. This will be the forum to discuss such matters. Any other meetings will be considered after my discussions with COSLA.

I have today written to the Acting Convenor of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee informing her that performance measures have been agreed for this year and enclosed these for the committee's interest. I have placed copies of my letter, and its enclosure, in the Parliament's Reference Centre.

Subject to approval by the Scottish Cabinet, the Scottish Executive's Expert Panel on school meals will publish recommendations for consultation over the summer months.

This information is not held centrally.