- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 22 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what amount of increased resources was offered at the meeting between the Minister for Children and Education and the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority on 25 July 2000 or whether the offer were unrestricted, and whether the offer was conditional and, if so, what the conditions were.
Answer
I asked the Chairman and Chief Executive of the Scottish Qualifications Authority to tell me what additional resources they needed. I placed no restriction on the amount which I would be prepared to consider making available, and no conditions were attached.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 22 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the Ministerial Statement by the Minister for Children and Education on 6 September 2000 and in particular his statement on the need for the truth of this year's events to be impartially evaluated and his commitment that all necessary documents will be made available to the Parliamentary Committees carrying out investigations, whether the Committees will have access to all documents in order to decide which are necessary or whether the Executive will decide what documents to make available, and by what date all documents will be made available to the Committees.
Answer
As I indicated in my responses to questions following my statement on 6 September, I wish to be as helpful as possible in providing information to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee which is relevant to their inquiry into the issues surrounding the issue of examination results by the Scottish Qualifications Agency. A substantial volume of documents has been provided to the committee today and I believe that these will enable them to establish the relevant facts. It is not the practice of the Scottish Executive to make available advice from officials to Ministers.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Henry McLeish on 21 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding any economic impact which the closure of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise Collection and Co-ordination Unit in Paisley would have.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the United Kingdom government on a wide range of issues including the Customs and Excise network.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 21 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has received any representations from the Public and Commercial Services Union regarding the implications which the closure of Her Majesty's Customs and Excise Collection and Co-ordination Unit in Paisley would have for devolved matters, in particular the tackling of the drugs problem, and whether it has made any representations to Her Majesty's Government regarding any such implications.
Answer
No representations have been received. The Scottish Executive is in regular contact with the UK Government on a range of subjects. HM Customs and Excise have sought to give assurances that a reduction in the number of Collection and Co-ordination Units would have no affect on the ability of HM Customs and Excise to mount anti-drugs operations in Scotland.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 21 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive in respect of which Advanced Higher courses materials were not supplied to schools in time for the start of term and, in each case, what the date is by which all relevant materials will have been provided.
Answer
I refer Fergus Ewing to the answer I gave to question S1W-9243 on 7 September. Further to that reply, I can advise that the Higher Still Development Unit wrote to centres on 31 August.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 10 August 1999
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Current Status:
Answered by Jack McConnell on 21 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many civil servants are employed by each department of the Scottish Executive.
Answer
The full-time equivalent of permanent staff employed in the main departments between 1 June 1997 in the Scottish Office and 1 February 2000 in the Scottish Executive are set out in the attached table.In the past three years, the definition of the core Scottish Executive (Scottish Office) has changed with movements of responsibilities into and out of the Office/Executive. The figures shown below have been backdated as far as possible for comparison purposes. Therefore, the Scottish Courts Administration and Parole Board staff (135 staff at February 2000) have been included within the core Office/Executive throughout the period, although the actual transfer of staff took place in July 1999.
| | 1/4/97 | 1/6/97 | 1/4/98 | 1/4/99 | 1/2/2000 |
| Scottish Office/Executive | 3,611.2 | 3,556.5 | 3,570.3 | 3,677.6 | 3,926.0 |
| Crown Office | 1,104.0 | 1,072.7 | 1,112.0 | 1,084.0 | 1,089.7 |
| Scottish Courts Service | 816.0 | 819.4 | 828.0 | 833.0 | 854.4 |
| Scottish Prison Service | 4,510.0 | 4,359.7 | 4,723.0 | 4,824.0 | 4,824.0 |
| Agencies | | | | | |
| Fisheries Research Services | 205.9 | 227.9 | 227.0 | 256.5 | 257.9 |
| Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency | 254.0 | 257.0 | 255.6 | 274.9 | 274.5 |
| Scottish Agricultural Science Agency | 123.0 | 122.7 | 121.0 | 114.3 | 127.4 |
| Scottish Public Pensions Agency | 153.1 | 151.1 | 143.5 | 139.5 | 152.6 |
| Historic Scotland | 587.0 | 603.4 | 626.8 | 622.3 | 630.8 |
| Student Awards Agency for Scotland | 120.3 | 124.2 | 125.8 | 126.8 | 122.8 |
| Others (inc. Associated Depts.) | | | | | |
| National Archives of Scotland | 119.1 | 120.2 | 112.9 | 114.2 | 119.2 |
| General Register Office | 206.8 | 205.8 | 202.4 | 214.4 | 235.4 |
| Registers of Scotland | 1,063.0 | 1,044.7 | 1045.0 | 1,057.0 | 1,268.8 |
76 staff have transferred to the Scotland Office since its formation.It should be noted that although a number of staff from other public sector organisations are on loan/secondment to the Executive, they remain employees of the parent organisation.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 15 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it or any person or body acting on its behalf sought to influence statements by Professor Lindsay Paterson of Edinburgh University regarding the examination system.
Answer
No. A Scottish Executive official contacted Professor Lindsay Paterson on 11 August to ask him to assist in resolving the difficulties by sharing with the Executive the evidence of problems with the production of this year's exam results which he had referred to in interviews. Professor Paterson declined, and I am not aware of any further contact by or on behalf of the Executive.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 15 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has been given by the Scottish Qualifications Authority regarding the ability of the SQA to discharge efficiently its functions in relation to this year's examinations and whether any of this information has been inaccurate.
Answer
Since March the Scottish Executive has received information and reassurances from the Scottish Qualifications Authority about every stage of the examination system, in response to concerns we had raised. The extent to which this information was inaccurate will be revealed by the independent inquiry which I have commissioned.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 15 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will quantify the impact on the number of school pupils admitted to further or higher education this year of any difficulties with the examination marking process.
Answer
The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service announced on 13 September that the number of Scottish students entering UK higher education institutions is 3.3% higher than this time last year. Information on admissions to further education colleges is not collected centrally, but I understand that they have agreed not to withdraw conditional offers of places from applicants whose results were incomplete or are subject to appeal.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 25 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 15 September 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what its estimate is of any additional costs which will be incurred by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) or itself arising from the situation in relation to this year's Scottish examinations; whether it has received from the SQA an estimate of any such costs; whether it will place its estimate of these costs in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, and whether it will include within this estimate details of any additional costs covering (a) overtime paid to staff, (b) costs of recruitment, (c) payment to additional workers, (d) any payments of higher rates to markers if this has been necessary because of any shortage of markers, (e) any hire of extra premises including any use of an indoor bowling club and (f) any additional costs in relation to handling of appeals including remarking of papers.
Answer
Officials are discussing with SQA their resource needs. In addition, there may be expenditure implications that flow from inquiries that are underway. Estimates of any additional costs will be notified to Parliament in the usual way.
