Chamber and committees

We are engaging with a wide range of stakeholders, including business representatives and, once the consultation on the Bill is launched, all businesses, not just those who already hold Government contracts, will have an opportunity to submit their views.

The Queen of Scots mobile app had been downloaded 1,756 times by 1 July 2012.

I can confirm that I met with Susan McPhee, Acting Chief Executive of CAS, Yvonne MacDermid, Chief Executive of MAS and Rod Ashley, Chief Executive of Scotwest Credit Union on Tuesday 17 January 2012.

Following the meeting a number of action points were agreed, including looking into possible solutions that the Scottish Parliament can implement, particularly promoting credit unions as an alternative. I also wrote to UK Minister Norman Lamb regarding greater regulation of pay day loans.

No further meetings with stakeholders have taken place to date. However, I do intend to bring together stakeholders at roundtable discussion. At this meeting we will discuss the merits of a conference on these issues.

I will, of course, keep abreast of the issue being considered by the UK Parliament.

Officials are consulting with appropriate stakeholders to identify a suitable date for this event, likely to be in late October.

While many unemployed adults will be mandated to DWP programmes, the Scottish Government provides significant support to unemployed people aged 24 to 30 and indeed beyond. Since the start of 2007, more than half of those accessing European Social Fund employability support across Scotland have been over the age of 25. In addition, everyone over 18 and at least three months unemployed is eligible to access Training for Work, the Scottish Government's vocational training programme for unemployed adults.

Please see the table, below, detailing Modern Apprenticeship starts in engineering and related rameworks in 2011-12.

Other than the Wind Turbine Operations, it is not possible to identify how many of these starts work in the renewables sector.

Skills Development Scotland (SDS) is managing and delivering the Fund on behalf of the Scottish Government. It will allocate the fund directly to Third Sector organisations and Social Enterprises who are successful in the bidding process. Therefore no part of the funding will be allocated through Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs).

In Action for Jobs - Supporting Young Scots into Work, Scotland's Youth Employment Strategy, the Scottish Government committed to investigate existing guidance on work experience with relevant organisations and identify whether there is a need for further resources to be developed.

The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development charter for work experience will be considered as part of this investigation.

Skills Development Scotland has been piloting the My Work Coach service since April this year across five local authority areas. These areas are North Lanarkshire, Borders, Highlands, Fife and Glasgow. Learning from this pilot, Skills Development Scotland plan to roll out the service across all regions in the coming months as a key part of the Service Modernisation Programme.

In 2001, a review was conducted into legal information and advice provision in Scotland. In 2004, a strategic review was conducted into publicly funded legal assistance, which was followed by a consultation in 2005 entitled Advice for All, and led to legislative provision in the Legal Profession and Legal Aid (Scotland) Act 2007. These reviews were led by the Justice Department of the Scottish Government. In 2010, a consultation took place on a strategic approach to the provision of information, advice and representation. This was undertaken by the Scottish Legal Aid Board, COSLA and the Scottish Government (Social Inclusion Department), which has informed the development of the Making Justice Work project on Access to Justice.