Chamber and committees

This is a matter for the Scottish Qualifications Authority.

The Scottish Executive is continuing the drive to raise standards through National Priority targets set at both local authority and school level and by streamlining the assessment of individual pupils through the Assessment Development Programme.

The Scottish Executive has no plans to become involved in the centenary of the Scottish National Antarctic Expedition.

As stated in the second annual report of Scotland's National Cultural Strategy, published 12 November 2002, Arts and Business Scotland's New Partners funding scheme, supported by Government, continues its good work investing in projects which promote partnerships between private businesses and all branches of the arts. The national institutions also seek and receive valuable support from the private sector for projects of the highest standard. Again, examples appear in the recent report.

Extensive discussions, at both official and ministerial level, have taken place with the Department of Media, Culture and Sport to ensure that these issues are taken into account in the Communications Bill.

In the publication, Improving Our Schools, A Consultation Paper on National Priorities for Schools Education in Scotland (2000), ministers declared themselves to be sympathetic to the suggestion that where a sufficient number of parents wish their children to enter Gaelic-medium education their requests should be considered positively by education authorities. Any further definition is a matter for education authorities.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-29020 on 19 September 2002. 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/search_wa.

As reported in the Scottish National Cultural Strategy Annual Report 2002, Scottish Screen is encouraging and working with local authorities to develop a film charter for Scotland. Scottish Screen is liaising with COSLA in the preparation of guidelines to local authorities on the National Cultural Strategy, which will include advice on the adoption of the charter. As soon as these are launched, Scottish Screen will renew its campaign to roll out the charter to all local authorities and appropriate national agencies, and will consider how best to involve the private sector.

As stated in the second annual report of Scotland's National Cultural Strategy, published 12 November 2002, core funding of £80,000 from the Scottish Arts Council, with £30,000 for establishment costs, has secured the new body, Scottish Language Dictionaries, offering a definitive resource relating to the Scots language.The first annual report of the strategy referred to Stòrlann - a national resource for Gaelic teaching materials. In 1999-2000 the Executive provided £80,000 to Stòrlann; in 2000-01 £120,000 in 2001-02, £145,000, and in 2002-03 £160,000.I can also report that since 1999 the Scottish Arts Council has granted a total of £2,312,392 towards education resources designed to encourage language diversity in Scots and Gaelic. This breaks down into £409,321 in 1999-2000; £545,013 in 2000-01; £746,233 in 2001-02, and (to date) for 2002-03, £611,825.Further support of resources encouraging language diversity and learning is evidenced in the Executive's specific funding of Gaelic-medium education, modern language teaching resources, and of Glasgow's International Language School: £7,902,000; £1,145,532, and £962,000 respectively covering the three-year period from April 1999 to March 2002.

A feasibility study is being undertaken with the support of the Carnegie Trust and this will report later in the year.