Chamber and committees

On reaching my decision, I balanced the macroeconomic need for, and the benefits of, upgrading the existing line with the visual and landscape impact at locations along the whole route. The reporters found a compelling need and technical justifications for the overhead line solution. They recognised the pressing need to reinforce the electricity grid to accommodate renewable electricity generation in the north of Scotland. Crucially, they also found that the economic justification for the proposal was strong.

On balance, I concluded that there were strong arguments for a whole-line solution, which outweighed the withholding of consent for the line at the section near Auchilhanzie House, Crieff. I have asked the developers to come forward with imaginative ideas to mitigate the visual impact in this area. I want them to do so as quickly as possible after careful consultation with affected parties.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3O-9221 on 21 January 2010. The answer to the oral parliamentary question is available on the Parliaments website, the official report can be viewed at:

http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/business/officialReports/meetingsParliament/or-10/sor0121-02.htm#Col22993.

The best source of data on household size by number of bedrooms is the Scottish House Condition Survey. Due to the size of sample in this survey, it is necessary to combine data from different years to get reasonable sample sizes for local authority areas.

The following table shows the number of single-person households in council housing with more than one bedroom, by local authority and based on Scottish House Condition Survey data for 2005-06, 2007 and 2008 combined.

As these figures come from a survey, the figures are estimates and are also rounded to the nearest thousand. The 95% confidence interval is generally about +/- 1,000 for each local authority figure and about +/- 4,000 for Scotland. The 95% confidence interval is used to determine a range of values within which we believe the true value lies, for example we believe the Scotland total to actually lie somewhere between 81,000 and 89,000 households. The sample size for all of the individual local authority data is very small and therefore these results should be treated with caution.

Local Authority	Number of Bedrooms			Total
	2	3	4
Aberdeen City	3,000	-	-	4,000
Aberdeenshire	2,000	-	-	3,000
Angus	1,000	-	-	1,000
Argyll and Bute	1,000	-	-	1,000
Clackmannanshire	1,000	-	-	1,000
Dundee City	4,000	-	-	4,000
East Ayrshire	3,000	-	-	3,000
East Dunbartonshire	1,000	-	-	1,000
East Lothian	2,000	1,000	-	3,000
East Renfrewshire	-	-	-	1,000
City of Edinburgh	6,000	2,000	-	7,000
Falkirk	3,000	1,000	-	4,000
Fife	7,000	2,000	-	9,000
Highland	3,000	-	-	4,000
Inverclyde	1,000	-	-	1,000
Midlothian	1,000	-	-	1,000
Moray	1,000	-	-	1,000
North Ayrshire	4,000	1,000	-	5,000
North Lanarkshire	9,000	2,000	-	11,000
Orkney Islands	-	-	-	-
Perth and Kinross	1,000	-	-	2,000
Renfrewshire	2,000	2,000	-	4,000
Shetland Islands	-	-	-	-
South Ayrshire	1,000	-	-	2,000
South Lanarkshire	4,000	1,000	-	5,000
Stirling	1,000	1,000	-	2,000
West Dunbartonshire	2,000	1,000	-	3,000
West Lothian	3,000	1,000	-	3,000
Scotland	69,000	16,000	-	85,000

Notes:

- Less than 500 or zero.

The sum of the columns and rows may not add up to the total due to rounding.

As of 3 December 2009, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) had received 125 entries for the Scottish Science Baccalaureate. It is expected that further entries will be received from a number of centres.

Details of the percentage of schools in each local authority who have entered pupils for the Scottish Science and Languages Baccalaureates can be found in the following table:

Local Authority	No. of Secondary Schools	No. of Secondary Schools with Entries for Languages Baccalaureate	% of Secondary Schools Presenting Pupils for Languages Baccalaureate
City of Aberdeen	12	0	n/a
Aberdeenshire	17	1	5.9%
Angus	8	0	n/a
Clackmannanshire	3	1	33.3%
Dumfries and Galloway	16	0	n/a
City of Dundee	10	0	n/a
East Ayrshire	9	0	n/a
East Renfrewshire	7	1	14.3%
City of Edinburgh	23	3	13.0%
Falkirk	8	0	n/a
Fife	19	1	5.3%
City of Glasgow	30	1	3.3%
Highland	30	1	3.3%
North Lanarkshire	24	0	n/a
Perth and Kinross	10	1	10.0%
South Lanarkshire	17	0	n/a
Stirling	7	1	14.3%
West Dunbartonshire	6	0	n/a
West Lothian	11	1	9.1%

 

Local Authority	No. of Secondary Schools with Entries for Science Baccalaureate	% of Secondary Schools Presenting Pupils for Science Baccalaureate
City of Aberdeen	2	16.7%
Aberdeenshire	0	n/a
Angus	2	25.0%
Clackmannanshire	1	33.3%
Dumfries and Galloway	2	12.5%
City of Dundee	6	60.0%
East Ayrshire	1	11.1%
East Renfrewshire	5	71.4%
City of Edinburgh	3	13.0%
Falkirk	2	25.0%
Fife	0	n/a
City of Glasgow	0	n/a
Highland	1	3.3%
North Lanarkshire	3	12.5%
Perth and Kinross	1	10.0%
South Lanarkshire	1	5.9%
Stirling	4	57.1%
West Dunbartonshire	2	33.3%
West Lothian	1	9.1%

Notes:

1. Figures on number of schools with entries for Science and Language Baccalaureates are from Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), and are correct as of 3 December 2009.

2. Figures on number of secondary schools by local authority are from Pupils in Scotland, 2008.

As of 3 December 2009, the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) had received 27 entries for the Scottish Languages Baccalaureate. It is expected that further entries will be received from a number of centres.

No decision has been taken on the timing of the closure of the National Assessment Bank and the bank will only be switched off when I am satisfied that there is sufficient support available to meet assessment demand during the period of transition from the existing system to the new system. The materials available for the new National Assessment Resource must also be of sufficient quality to provide the necessary support to pupils and teachers from August 2010.

The Framework for Assessment, to be published in due course, will provide guidance on assessment for Curriculum for Excellence, including information on the National Assessment Resource and the national system of quality assurance and moderation which supports teachers in making their professional judgements. Following its publication, there will be an extended series of CPD opportunities for practitioners on the new assessment approaches.

Information on the number of former teachers diagnosed with mesothelioma is not available centrally. Occupations are not recorded in the cancer registration system.

The information requested is not held centrally. Health and Safety Regulations require duty holders who are responsible for the maintenance and repair of buildings in their control to manage the risks arising from asbestos. In the case of publicly funded schools that is the local authority. The Health and Safety Executive provides advice and guidance to local authorities and others on the management of asbestos.

We continue to develop and improve the support available to new and young farmers in Scotland. For example, I propose to supplement the existing interest rate relief available to new young entrants under the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) with a new establishment grant of up to £20,546. A wide range of other support is also available, both within the SRDP and through other initiatives, often at enhanced rates for young farmers.