Questions and answers

Question reference: S2W-30237

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 December 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has achieved the commitment made by the First Minister on 27 March 2003 when he stated “I believe that we should double the number of British Sign Language interpreters in Scotland and I have asked officials to prepare plans for how we might achieve that, which will be presented to whatever set of ministers occupies the Executive offices after the election” (Official Report c. 20117).

Plans to double the number ofBritish Sign Language (BSL) interpreters in Scotland were announced on 4 November 2004 in answerto question S2W-11983 and included supporting the development and delivery of aGraduate Diploma in Teaching British Sign Language Tutors at Heriot-Watt University todevelop the infrastructure to ensure a sustainable increase in BSL interpreters.

Thenumber of BSL/English interpreters on the Scottish Association of Sign LanguageInterpreters register in March 2003 was 39 and now stands at 48 with 15 traineeassociate members; an increase of almost 20% in fully registered interpreters.

In addition, the Executive isin the final stages of recruiting a BSL and Linguistic Access Project Manager todevelop a detailed plan for improving linguistic access for Deaf, deafblind andhard of hearing people, which will include exploring further ways the Executivecan increase the number of registered BSL interpreters.

Question reference: S2W-30234

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 December 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the outline and objectives are of its “training the trainers” programme for British Sign Language interpreters and what progress has been made in achieving these objectives.

The Executive funded “trainingthe trainers” programme aims to provide an award-bearing course embedded withinthe Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework to train a minimum of 10 Deaf peoplein Scotland to become trainers of British Sign Language (BSL) tutors. This willhelp address the shortage of trained trainers able to teach students at a sufficientlevel to progress on to BSL/English interpreter training.

The “training the trainers” coursehas been developed as a Graduate Diploma in Teaching British Sign Language Tutorsand was officially launched on the 15 February 2006 by the Scottish Association of Sign Language Interpreters and Heriot-Watt University. Thereare 11 students undertaking the course, which is due to finish in September 2007.

Question reference: S2W-30231

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 December 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding is available for the training of British Sign Language interpreters.

The Executive is committed toincreasing the number of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters in Scotland andhas worked with its BSL and Linguistic Access Working Group to develop its approach.

TheExecutive’s approach has focused on developing and supporting the infrastructureto deliver long-term change and has provided over £900,000 to a variety of initiativesincluding supporting the development and delivery of a Graduate Diploma in TeachingBritish Sign Language Tutors at Heriot-Watt University and funding the ScottishAssociation of Sign Language Interpreters.

In addition, the Executive isin the final stages of recruiting a BSL and Linguistic Access Project Manager todevelop a detailed plan for improving linguistic access for Deaf, deafblind andhard of hearing people, which will include exploring further ways in which the Executivecan increase the number of registered BSL/English interpreters.

Question reference: S2W-30232

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 December 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking, or has taken, in respect of the findings published in Investigation of Access to Public Services in Scotland Using British Sign Language in May 2005.

The findings from the ScottishExecutive’s research Investigation of Access to Public Service in Scotland UsingBritish Sign Language continue to be considered by the Executive and its BritishSign Language (BSL) and Linguistic Access Working Group to inform its approach toimproving linguistic access for Deaf people in Scotland.

The findings will also help informthe work of our new BSL and Linguistic Access Project Manager to develop a detailedplan for improving linguistic access for Deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing people.

Question reference: S2W-30233

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2006
Current Status: Answered by Malcolm Chisholm on 12 December 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been set aside for training additional British Sign Language interpreters.

Question reference: S2W-30236

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2006
Current Status: Answered by Allan Wilson on 11 December 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive how much Objective One funding it has received for programmes aimed at increasing the number of British Sign Language interpreters.

In Scotland, StructuralFunds are a significant source of European Union funding. Their aim is to reduceeconomic and social disparities between regions across Europe. Projectsaccess this funding through a bidding system within the appropriate Scottish StructuralFunds Programme.

In the Highlands andIslands Special Transitional Programme (formerly an Objective One Programme area)two projects have been funded to help raiseawareness of sign language.

Project	Organisation	Total funding
Deaf Communication project	Highland Council	£324,915
Deaf Awareness Project	Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC)	£37,190

Inthe European Social Fund that applies in the remainder of Scotland (an Objective3 Programme area) a number of projects have allowed at least one beneficiary ineach project to gain a qualification in sign language.

Project	Organisation	Total funding
Lead East	Lead Scotland	£103,535
Routes to Employment for Long-Term Unemployed People	Scottish Enterprise Glasgow	£1,500,630
Launchpad	Stirling Council	£64,221
Joined Up New Deal	Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council	£176,420
Launchpad (SIP)	Inverclyde Community Development Trust	£25,250

Additionally, the Objective 3Programme has also funded projects from the British Deaf Association and Royal NationalInstitute for the Deaf, however these projects were training individuals with hearingimpairment for various types of work, rather than training teachers in this area.

Question reference: S2W-29179

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 October 2006
Current Status: Answered by Nicol Stephen on 7 December 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to his comments on 26 June 2006 at Glasgow Chamber’s “Glasgow Talks…with the First Minister” Business Breakfast in relation to Glasgow’s super casino bid that the Executive would need to weigh up the benefits that the initiative would bring to the city against the potential risks it posed of increasing problem gambling, what subsequent deliberations the Executive has had on the issue.

Ministers have consideredthe available evidence on the potential economic benefits and possible negativeimpacts of new casino developments.

We have decided that we arenot opposed in principle to new casino developments in Scotland,subject to there being significant demonstrable regeneration benefits andappropriate safeguards to mitigate the potential negative impacts. We alsodecided not to back particular bids because we believe that local councils arebest placed to weigh up the pros and cons of new casino developments in theirareas. I announced the Executive’s position on this issue on 12 September 2006.

Question reference: S2W-29838

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 November 2006
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 23 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of its budget for waste initiatives in 2007-08.

Our expected expenditure on thewaste initiatives line in 2007-08 is outlined as follows.

Body	Amount (£)	Main Purpose
Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP)	7,390,000	To develop markets and infrastructure for recycled products and to carry out waste prevention work in relation to home composting and retailers.
INCREASE (grants for community recycling bodies)	2,500,000	To provide grants to community recycling bodies to reduce, re-use and recycle waste, in line with the National Waste Plan.
Envirowise	2,300,000	To provide advice to business on waste minimisation.
Scottish Waste Awareness Group (SWAG)	985,000	To co-ordinate local information campaigns on using recycling facilities; to provide information to the public on reducing, re-using and recycling waste and to support work by WRAP.
Community Recycling Network for Scotland (CRNS)	500,000	To develop the capacity of the community recycling sector.
REMADE Scotland	482,000	To develop markets for recycled products.
Business Environment Partnership	430,000	To provide advice to business on waste minimisation.
Eco-Schools	200,000	To provide a framework for waste and environmental education in schools.
Administration of INCREASE	200,000	To administer the INCREASE grants programme
Scottish Industrial Symbiosis Programme	50,000	To facilitate arrangements between business to use by-products and minimise waste sent to landfill
Total	15,037,000

This table does not include expenditureon Keep Scotland Beautiful’s litter work and on a grant scheme for local authoritiesin relation to contaminated land. Similarly, it does not include £1.5 million transferredto the Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Department from Landfill Taxconsequentials to support work on energy efficiency.

Question reference: S2W-29839

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 November 2006
Current Status: Answered by Ross Finnie on 23 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what its strategy is for the introduction and improvement of kerbside collections of recyclable waste.

The latest figures from the ScottishEnvironment Protection Agency show that in 2005-06 Scotland recycled or composted24.4% of municipal waste, which means that we are well on track to meeting our targetof recycling and composting 25% of municipal waste by 2006. Our next target is torecycle or compost 30% of municipal waste by 2008. In the longer term, we intendto go beyond 30%.

We have a number of steps inplace or proposed to improve our recycling and composting performance. These stepsinclude:

We have announced recently resourcesfor improving recycling facilities for people living in tenements and flats.

We intend to run trials on thecollection of food waste from householders. Food waste makes up around 17% of thehouseholder’s bin.

We have introduced simplifiedprocedures for local authorities to bid to the Strategic Waste Fund (SWF) to supportwork by community recycling bodies, so long as this work does not cost the SWF morethan £150 per tonne of waste diverted from landfill.

Some kerbside collection schemesrun by local authorities are still being rolled out, after authorities secured fundingfrom the SWF.

We will work with local authorities,and other bodies such as REMADE Scotland, the Scottish Waste Awareness Group (SWAG) and the Wasteand Resources Action Programme (WRAP), to ensure that best practice on recyclingis shared amongst local authorities across Scotland.

We intend to discuss with localauthorities, and others, what improvements could be made to recycling centres toencourage recycling and re-use.

We intend to discuss with localauthorities, and others, what further improvements could be made to kerbside collections,by extending them to new areas or by adding further materials to the collections.

We will continue to support workby SWAG on the co-ordination of the local Waste Aware Scotland campaigns, to ensurethat householders know how to use their recycling facilities.

We will continue to support workby WRAP and REMADE Scotland on the development of markets for recycled products.

We will continue to support workby WRAP on the development of infrastructure to treat recycled or composted waste.

We will continue to support workby WRAP and SWAG to provide home composting bins across Scotland, toreduce the amount of waste put out for collection.

Clearly, before spending anyresources we will wish to be satisfied that value for money is being obtained.

Question reference: S2W-29508

Asked by: Sandra White, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 03 November 2006
Current Status: Answered by Johann Lamont on 23 November 2006

To ask the Scottish Executive what the timetable is for implementation of the new state-of-the-art digital radio system for emergency services announced in April 2006.

On 6 April 2006, the Minister forJustice announced that Scotland would participate in Firelink, the GB-wide procurementof a replacement radio system for the Fire and Rescue Service. In Scotland, theimplementation timetable is split into Phase A (network resilience/infrastructure)and Phase B (installation of radio terminals etc). The headline dates for commencementand completion of Phase A are 4 January 2007 and 10 April 2008, and for Phase B they are 23 October 2007 and 17 February 2009.

The Firelink supplier is O2 AirwaveLtd, which is also providing the Airwave radio system for all british police forcesand ambulance services. Once all the new systems are in place, there will be inter-operabilitybetween all three blue-light services and with other emergency responders usingAirwave.

Chamber and committees