Chamber and committees

(a) There were 252 school leavers in 2006-07 who attended publicly funded (including grant-aided) special schools and did not go into employment, training or education.

(b) There were 556 school leavers who received additional support for learning in publicly funded secondary schools in 2006-07 and did not go into employment, training or education.

A short-life working group has recently been established by the Scottish Government to examine possible options to help women with no recourse to public funds. In addition to Scottish Government officials, Scottish Women''s Aid, COSLA, Shakti Women''s Aid and Hemat Gryffe Women''s Aid are among its members. Its first meeting took place in February 2008 and it is due to meet again in May 2008.

The working group is currently gathering information and considering options and it is too early therefore to be definitive on the nature and form of any guidance to be produced in due course. The intention is that the group will make recommendations on the suggested way forward later this year. While it is not intended to publish a formal report, the recommendations will be in the public domain.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11204 on 15 April 2008. 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/wa.search.

Following the abolition of Communities Scotland on 31 March 2008, I can confirm that the saving of £1.7 million that we have achieved will be a yearly amount, available from 2008-09 onwards. There is no capital saving. The split between staff and administration is approximately two-thirds staff, one third administration.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11204 on 15 April 2008. 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/wa.search.

The Scottish Government''s discussion document Firm Foundations: The Future of Housing in Scotland included proposals for modernising the regulation of social housing. 85% of those who commented on these proposals indicated broad support for them. Following discussion with COSLA and other stakeholders over the coming months, the government will bring forward proposals for placing the independent regulation of social housing on a statutory basis.

The Scottish Government has established the Scottish Housing Regulator as an executive agency to undertake the regulation of social landlords. All regulatory guidance issued by Communities Scotland remains valid and is now the responsibility of the new body. The Scottish Housing Regulator has operational independence but is accountable to Scottish ministers, and through them to Parliament, for the standard of its work. These interim arrangements are expected to remain in place until the independent regulation of social housing can be placed on a statutory basis.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-11204 on 15 April 2008. 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/wa.search.

All single outcome agreements will be made publicly available once they have been agreed. clea

I will announce the allocation of Affordable Housing Investment Programme resources to each area for 2008-09 shortly.