- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 01 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 24 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what obstacles there are to the drug, low dose naltrexone (LDN), being offered more widely to people with multiple sclerosis.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31365 on 24 February 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
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- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 11 February 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 11 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to encourage children to swim.
Answer
This government firmly believes it is important that our young people have the opportunity to take part in swimming. We have increased investment into Scottish Swimming from £818,000 in 2007-08 to £1.3 million in 2010-11. The biggest ever single investment by sportscotland in a Scottish governing body of sport.
We have also provided Scottish Swimming with additional funding of £100,000 over two years to 2011 to support the appointment of two Healthy Living Managers to implement and deliver a healthy living strategy.
Since 2007 this government through sportscotland have invested over £8.4 million in swimming facilities. Our recent announcement of £5.5 million for the development of swimming pools and facilities in Fife and Tayside and our £5 million commitment towards a new 50m pool in Aberdeen, demonstrates this government''s commitment to increase participation in this sport.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 9 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans ministers have to replace the Graduates for Business scheme.
Answer
The Scottish Government is spending £3.5 million through the Scottish Funding Council in this academic year to support skills and employability initiatives focused on work-related learning and placements; entrepreneurship, and workforce development.
The closure of the existing Graduates for Business Scheme, which was administered by Scottish Enterprise, followed an independent evaluation which highlighted concerns about geographic coverage and the consistency of the programme. I therefore welcome Scottish Enterprise''s plans to have an alternative programme in place by the end of June that will address these issues and deliver even better value for money.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 5 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-30829, S3W-30830, S3W-30831 and S3W-30832 by Adam Ingram on 26 January 2010, whether ministers are aware of the support that organisations such as Independent Special Education Advice give parents and children with additional support needs over the summer months.
Answer
Yes.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 5 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-30829, S3W-30830, S3W-30831 and S3W-30832 by Adam Ingram on 26 January 2010, what additional support needs advocacy service will be available to parents between July 2010 and the start of the autumn term.
Answer
Ministers are still to decide in the light of proposals which are currently being developed for the new national advocacy service to support parents and young people in Tribunal proceedings under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2009.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 4 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to support outdoor education and, in particular, to sustain facilities such as Castle Toward.
Answer
Our vision for Scotland is that our children and young people are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens. The outdoor environment has massive potential to help us achieve this vision. That is why we are investing in the production and promotion of guidance and an online resource to support opportunities presented by the new curriculum for learning in the outdoors. This work has been taken forward on behalf of the Outdoor Learning Strategic Advisory Group and Learning and Teaching Scotland. The guidance and online resource will be launched in spring 2010.
The Scottish Government has released £1.6 million to support a Justice Department targeted intervention scheme that will include use of the outdoors to turn round the lives of some of our most vulnerable young people. Details of the programme will be announced soon.
There is a wide range of facilities such as Castle Toward across Scotland which are both local authority and privately owned and it is not for the Scottish Government to intervene in the administration and upkeep of all of these.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 4 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many student places will be lost as a result of the decision to withdraw the Graduates for Business scheme.
Answer
Graduates have participated in a total of 266 projects under the Graduates for Business scheme over the past two years, contributing to the improved performance of a range of Scottish businesses. Scottish Enterprise has confirmed that it plans to have an alternative programme in place by the end of June with improved geographic coverage and consistency and which will deliver even better value for money than its predecessor.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 4 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers have received Modern Languages in the Primary School training in each year from 2001, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not collect information on the numbers of teachers receiving modern languages in the primary school training. However, we do engage closely with interested parties, particularly through meetings of the COALA (Cultural Organisations and Local Authority Advisers) network, which brings together local authority quality improvement officers with a focus on modern languages and a range of other organisations. This gives us regular opportunities to hear directly about issues in relation to modern languages in primary schools, including training, and to discuss developments.
In addition the Scottish Government provides annual funding to Learning and Teaching Scotland, the Scottish Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research, and British Council Scotland to help primary and secondary teachers engage fully with the expectations for modern languages within Curriculum for Excellence, one of which is that schools will offer a modern language beginning no later than primary six.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 4 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) correspondence and (b) discussions ministers have had with Argyll and Bute Council regarding the proposed closure of Castle Toward.
Answer
Ministers have had no correspondence or discussions with Argyll and Bute about the proposed closure of Castle Toward. I refer the member to the question to S3W-31095 on 4 February 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.
- Asked by: Ken Macintosh, MSP for Eastwood, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 January 2010
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Current Status:
Answered by Michael Russell on 4 February 2010
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it monitors the number of teachers receiving Modern Languages in the Primary School training.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-31088 on 4 February 2010. 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/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.