Chamber and committees

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:There has been no breach of contract.

The Executive's policy is that institutions should not charge students top-up fees. There are no plans to introduce top-up tuition fees in Scotland.

Poverty is a complex issue and there is no single way to measure it. Poverty can be measured in terms of low income, worklessness, educational attainment, health, housing and by other means.The Executive's Social Justice Annual Report includes progress towards 29 milestones that tackle poverty and exclusion. These include reducing the proportions of children living in low income households and working age and older people with low incomes.

Information on budgeted school running costs for the current financial year was published on Thursday 5 December 2002 on the Scottish Executive website at:www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00217-00.asp.

Employment policy is reserved to the UK Government which takes the lead on funding and delivery of the New Deal. In Scotland it does this in partnership with the Scottish Executive and contributing Scottish organisations.Jobcentre Plus's Disability Services support people with a range of disabilities in their search for employment. This includes those with learning difficulties. Employment assessment and advice for a disabled person's job search is offered by:Disability Employment Advisers, based in Jobcentres, andOccupational Psychologists who specialise in working with disabled people.They also provide information on the range of services available. These include Work Preparation, Job Introduction Scheme, Access to Work, Workstep and New Deal for Disabled People. The New Deal for Disabled People is available on a voluntary basis across Scotland. Additionally, people who face particular disadvantage may be granted early entry to other New Deal programmes without having to complete the qualifying period of unemployment.Early entry to the Training for Work programme is available to a wide range of groups who are particularly disadvantaged in the labour market including people with disabilities.

The detailed assessment of the capital requirements of further and higher education institutions is a matter for individual institutions and the Scottish Funding Councils for Further and Higher Education.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-28963 on 19 September 2002. 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/webapp/search_wa.

I cannot answer (a) because local authority and housing association tenants do not make an application to their landlord. Eligible households are identified by their landlords who also arrange for the works to be carried out. As regards (b), I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-30388 on 22 October 2002. 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/webapp/search_wa.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:Whist this is properly a matter to be raised with the local authority concerned I have made some enquires and can confirm that we are not aware of any wage subsidies being provided by East Ayrshire Council to new staff at HM Prison Kilmarnock.

I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:I am aware of no such subsidies.