Chamber and committees

This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0625-01.htm

This question was answered in the Chamber. The answer can be viewed in the Official Report using the following link:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-09/sor0618-01.htm

I am pleased to confirm that membership of the External Advisory Panel has been determined. Mr Alan Wilson, for many years the Chief Executive of the Scottish Council for Development and Industry, Ms Liz Cameron, Chief Executive of Scottish Chamber, and Mr Rory Mair, Chief Executive of COSLA, have all agreed to join the panel, which Mr Wilson will chair.

We understand that there is currently a backlog of approximately 300 new community service orders within Glasgow for which a team placement will be required when the current industrial dispute is resolved.

Glasgow City Council has provided my officials with regular updates of developments during the dispute. These have focused on the steps taken to seek resolution of the dispute and measures taken to keep the courts and offenders informed.

On 23 April 2009, I wrote to the leader of the council to seek assurances that all options to resolve the dispute were being explored. The authority''s response of 30 April 2009 has confirmed the council''s continued commitment to find an agreed settlement.

Glasgow Community Justice Authority received an increase this year of £358,689 over their allocation for 2008-09 for the provision of community service orders. This represents the authority''s share of the additional £2 million allocated to Community Justice Authorities to improve the immediacy and speed of delivery of community service and to support increased workload. styl

Glasgow Community Justice Authority received an allocation of £2,495,922 for 2009-10 for the provision of community service orders.

Section 9(2) of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004 provides that a co-ordinated support plan must contain certain information, including the education authority''s conclusions as to the factor or factors from which the additional support needs of the child or young person arise, the educational objectives sought to be achieved taking account of those factors, the additional support required to achieve those objectives and those who will provide this support.

The Additional Support for Learning (Co-ordinated Support Plan) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2005 prescribe the form and content of the co-ordinated support plan, the time limits and expectations to those time limits to be complied with in preparing and reviewing the plan, the keeping, transfer, disclosure and discontinuance of the plan.

As part of their general inspection programme Her Majesty''s Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) continue to review and report on provision for children with additional support needs in all schools across Scotland. They also report on specific aspects of provision and have, for example, published reports on the education of children with dyslexia and on those with autism. In addition, in November 2007, they published a report, commissioned by the government, on the evaluation of the implementation of the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004.

Where required the Scottish Government will also commission independent research. For example, it has in the past commissioned research into the impact of mainstream education in schools in Scotland which was published in January 2006.

We have today published the Draft Housing (Scotland) Bill: a consultation which invites comments on our proposals to safeguard the future of Scotland''s social housing, by reforming the Right to Buy, and improve the value that tenants and taxpayers get from social housing, by modernising how social housing is regulated. Copies have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 47931). We are considering whether the Housing Bill should also include provisions on private sector housing and will consult separately on that possibility during the summer.