Chamber and committees

I have asked JamesHynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response isas follows:

This information isnot held centrally as under the terms of the contract, the managing agent is notrequired to collate this information.

I have asked JamesHynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response isas follows:I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-5966 on 14 November 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are availableon the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

I have askedJames Hynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Hisresponse is as follows:

The centralheating programme did not start until September 2001.

The averagewaiting time on the central heating programme reported by the Managing Agent,from application to installation, since 2002-03 is shown in the following table:

Year	Average Waiting Time (Months)
2002-03	8
2003-04	8
2004-05	5-6
2005-06	5-6
2006-07	5
2007-08 (current)	5-6

 

There is no statutoryrequirement for Scottish Natural Heritage or the Scottish Environment ProtectionAgency to appear at a public local inquiry or hearing. It is a matter for thesebodies to decide whether they wish to do so, or whether they are satisfied thatany evidence they wish to put forward can be adequately covered by written submissions.It is open to a reporter from the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appealsto request additional information from these bodies or to require parties who theydeem necessary, to attend. Scottish ministers are satisfied with this process.

Participation in publiclocal inquiries by interested bodies or groups is encouraged by Scottishministers and there is no obligation for parties to be represented professionally.Where the inquiry concerns an appeal the community generally appears in supportof a refusal of planning permission by the planning authority and can reasonablylook to them to take the lead in assessing relevant planning considerations. Reportersfrom the Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals (DPEA) will take intoconsideration the level of experience of parties and will ensure that they understandthe proceedings, together with their rights and the obligations that come with thoserights. Their overall objective will be to ensure fairness, whilst also ensuringthat evidence led is relevant and not subject to repetition. It is the experienceof reporters from the DPEA and Scottish ministers that community groups are capableof presenting their evidence to inquiries on an equal basis to private companies.

The procedures currentlyused in the public local inquiry system are set out in the Town and Country (InquiryProcedure) Rules 1997, amended 1998. It is vitally important that Reporters fromthe Directorate for Planning and Environmental Appeals obtain the material necessaryto make an informed and reasoned recommendation or decision on a development proposal.In doing so, they must always act in accordance with the principles of fairness,openness and impartiality established by the Franks Committee in its 1957 Report(Administrative Tribunals and Inquiries). Scottish ministers are satisfied withthe procedures used in these cases and are of the view that they are sufficientlyrobust to allow this.

The outcomes tobe secured through the Additional Support Fund are expected to be the subjectof forthcoming discussions with COSLA.

It is the responsibility of each education authorityto identify local training needs to ensure they have a range of suitablyqualified staff in place to fully support all pupils. The Requirements forTeachers (Scotland) Regulations 2005 require educationauthorities to employ adequate numbers of teachers with the appropriateprofessional skills and knowledge for the teaching duties allocated to them.

With regard to the review of mainstreaming, the Scottish Executive commissioned the Scottish Centre for Research in Educationto evaluate the impact of the legislation. Their report, which was published in2006, found no evidence that mainstreaming has a negative effect on pupilattainment and that, with proper preparation and support, inclusion is beneficialfor all.

We are committedto ensuring that all children receive the support they need in our schools andwe will take what steps are necessary to ensure we achieve this. These stepsinclude consideration, at some future date, of a review into the operation andimplementation of mainstreaming policy.

I understand thatthe figures quoted are from the VisitScotland Partnership Agreement report,which was released in August this year, and are for the numbers of visitorsusing tourist information centres (TICs) in the Perth and Kinross area. I am pleased to report that the number of visitors tothe area has actually increased, with a 5% rise in visitor numbers from 2005 to2006, and a 2% increase in revenue in the same period.

It appears that withnew advances in technology, visitor requirements for information are changing,and many visitors now seek information and make bookings online, rather than atTICs. The decrease in numbers of visitors to TICs is therefore in line with thetrend elsewhere. VisitScotland are responding to this trend by making changesin the ways they provide information and booking services to visitors duringtheir stay in Scotland.

VisitScotland andPerth and Kinross Council work closely together toencourage visitors to experience this beautiful area for themselves, as part of the shared ambition to increase Scotland’s tourismrevenue by 50% over the decade to 2015. VisitScotland is committed to thepromotion of Perthshire and Kinross as a quality must-see, must-return visitordestination, and works in partnership with Perth and Kinross Council on a variety of local marketing initiativesdesigned to boost tourism in the area. As part of this, VisitScotland runs awide variety of marketing and promotional activity in the area, for examplethrough the Perthshire Holiday and Explore guide and the dedicated website www.perthshire.co.uk.

The ScottishGovernment, VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise and Perth and Kinross Council are committed to working with tourism businesses inthe area to grow tourism there, as part of the shared ambition to increase Scotland’s tourism revenue by 50% over the decade to 2015.VisitScotland and the council are both represented on the Perthshire AreaTourism Partnership and work closely together to deliver the Partnership’sTourism Strategy and Action Plan for the Perthshire area. This close workingrelationship between VisitScotland and Perth and Kinross Council is set out in their Partnership Agreement, which,along with associated funding, commits VisitScotland to delivering a portfolioof marketing activity and services to visitors. In addition, ScottishEnterprise has identified Perthshire as one of the key areas in Scotland for tourism growth, and it too works closely withtourism businesses in the area.