Chamber and committees

The estimated number of teachers (excluding head teachers and deputes) with a qualification in Religious Education, employed in publicly funded schools, recorded in each of the 2004 to 2007 teacher censuses, is shown in the following table:

Qualifications data were incomplete and so were scaled up (generally by about 15 per cent), based on the numbers for whom data were supplied. Qualifications data were too incomplete in 2003 and not collected in the other years.

Building work is due to be completed in time to allow pupils to move into the new school in August 2013.

The UK is required to report its position regarding progress on the implementation of each of the actions in the European Council Recommendation on rare diseases by 2013.

In Scotland, rare diseases are largely managed through genetic services, which are subject to ongoing enhancement following the Calman review.

In addition, there are long-standing commissioning arrangements to ensure people are able to benefit from specialised services required for the treatment of rare and ultra-rare conditions. Access to this national resource is managed by the National Services Division (NSD) of NHS National Services Scotland, who commission relevant treatment within NHS Scotland or from highly specialised services across the UK or further afield in Europe, as and when it is required.

A range of expertise is often required for the treatment and management of different rare disorders and in Scotland, managed clinical networks are proving to be an effective and integrated way of delivering clinical care, raising awareness and involving people in their own care.

In June 2009, the European Council published a Recommendation on rare diseases which includes a recommendation for a national plan for rare diseases. The Scottish Government is working with officials from across the UK to explore the extent to which the UK meets the requirements of the Recommendation, and to agree areas of possible collaboration in the future.

To date East Renfrewshire Council have received £506,568 from their indicative offer of funding of £17.75 million from the Scottish Government.

While this is a matter for the University of Strathclyde, not Scottish ministers, I am keen to ensure that any decisions taken by the University are only taken once the views of staff, students and academics have been fully heard.

Mr Mather, then Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, met Prof. Jim McDonald and Prof. Umit Bititci on 26 April. I spoke to Prof. McDonald on 11 May.

The First Minister and Prof. McDonald also meet through the Scottish Energy Advisory Board, which they jointly chair. It last met on 9 February.

When I spoke to Prof. McDonald, we discussed the proposed changes during our conversation.

Scottish ministers provide strategic guidance to the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), not to individual institutions. The SFC has a legal duty to secure coherent provision from the university sector as a whole.

There has been significant recent progress with the Scotland’s Schools for the Future pilot project, which involves Eastwood and Lasswade High Schools. Tenders are currently being evaluated and it is anticipated that the contractor will be appointed during July, with building work expected to commence shortly thereafter.