Chamber and committees

We will monitor changes to NHS Board Health Visitor Services carefully. NHS boards are under a duty to ensure that patients receive immunisation services and we would not expect patient services to suffer.

Vacancies for teaching posts occur throughout the year and it would be unrealistic to expect every post probation teacher to be in post each August. That said it is important that there is a broad balance between demand and supply. If it is evident that there is an imbalance we would be happy to meet with interested parties such as COSLA, the GTCS and teacher unions to examine the situation.

Local authorities were invited to submit a proforma identifying all posts suitable for probationers on the scheme. There was no absolute requirement on local authorities to offer specific numbers of places. The numbers of places offered are provided, by local authority and by sector, in the answer to question S3W-12789 on 15 May 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 table provides numbers of places offered by Scottish local authorities for the 2008-09 teacher induction scheme. The following table also includes offers made by authorities to accommodate probationers who would be wholly Government funded.

Local Authority	Primary	Additional Primary Places (Wholly Government Funded)	Secondary	Additional Secondary Places (Wholly Government Funded)
Aberdeen	3	3	34	0
Aberdeenshire	63	50	64	26
Angus	36	14	32	7
Argyll and Bute	37	4	19	0
Clackmannanshire	14	20	12	15
Dumfries and Galloway	66	10	38	13
Dundee	37	9	43	9
East Ayrshire	30	15	33	12
East Dunbartonshire	31	15	27	26
East Lothian	40	10	46	23
East Renfrewshire	27	33	36	36
Edinburgh	80	60	80	32
Eilean Siar	8	2	13	2
Falkirk	54	27	35	11
Fife	111	42	113	30
Glasgow	120	23	105	10
Highland	59	10	63	10
Inverclyde	22	24	13	10
Midlothian	30	11	36	11
Moray	22	11	23	35
North Ayrshire	38	20	53	10
North Lanarkshire	101	47	104	25
Orkney	9	2	7	6
Perth and Kinross	34	15	43	11
Renfrewshire	70	40	35	116
Scottish Borders	28	4	14	37
Shetland	7	11	4	2
South Ayrshire	34	15	31	10
South Lanarkshire	93	62	100	27
Stirling	31	11	33	25
West Dunbartonshire	33	29	35	21
West Lothian	60	55	53	57
Totals	1,428	704	1,377	665

 

We highly value the work undertaken by classroom assistants. However, they are not substitutes for teachers and cannot therefore play a role in reducing class sizes.

 

It is too early to say how many teaching posts will require to be funded by the Scottish Government for the 2008-09 induction scheme. This will only be determined after the summer when it is known how many students failed to complete their initial teacher education course and how many declined their allocated place on the scheme.

The Scottish Government have committed £93 million direct investment by our third sector division over 2008-11. This will build capacity and sustainability in the third sector including credit unions.

This underlines our commitment to the development of the third sector, including support for credit unions. We are currently designing the structure of the third sector development programme. Announcements regarding the shape, balance and application processes for these funds will be announced over the coming weeks and months.

The Scottish Credit Union Assistance Fund closed for applications in December 2007. The Scottish Government have committed £93 million direct investment by our third sector division over 2008-11. This will build capacity and sustainability in the third sector including credit unions.

This underlines our commitment to the development of the third sector, including support for credit unions. We are currently designing the structure of the third sector development programme. Announcements regarding the shape, balance and application processes for these funds will be announced over the coming weeks and months.

The Scottish Credit Union SGEI (Service of General Economic Interest) Fund closed for applications in September 2006, however, compensatory payments will be made to credit unions until the end of financial year 2008-09.

The Scottish Government have committed £93 million direct investment by our third sector division over 2008-11. This will build capacity and sustainability in the third sector including credit unions.

The Scottish Government will give every assistance to the inquiry, but we will not be advising on which witnesses to call, nor on what questions to ask. This is an independent inquiry, the conduct of which is properly a matter for its chairman. In Lord Justice Campbell, we are fortunate to have a chairman of the highest calibre, an experienced and respected judge. We are content to let him get on with the job. I suggest that others do likewise.