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Guidance on health and safety on school trips is currently being reviewed. This review will include consideration of the question of the appointment of outdoor education advisers in local authorities.

Guidance on health and safety on school trips is currently being reviewed. This review will include consideration of the question of the appointment of educational visit co-ordinators in schools.

Teacher training is funded through annual grant in aid to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC). This is included within our expenditure plans. End-year flexibility was used recently to increase the number of postgraduate students entering teacher training courses in primary education in 2003-04 in order to help meet our commitment to reduce class sizes in primary one to 25. These funds were additional to the annual grant in aid given to SHEFC.

One thousand, nine hundred and ninety-five students were offered places on the Teacher Induction Scheme at the beginning of June. As at 7 July, 75 have indicated that they will not take up the places they have been offered.The table indicates the reasons why people will not be taking up their places.

Reason for Not Taking Up Place	Number of Students
Withdrawn from or not completed course	34
Deferral till 2004 scheme	5
Going outwith Scotland	9
Joining independent sector	7
Personal/family reasons	7
Other/not specified	13

Two hundred and sixty-four Aberdeen University students applied to join the Teacher Induction Scheme in August 2003. One hundred and thirty-two (50%) have been allocated either to Aberdeen City Council or Aberdeenshire Council.Of the other 132, 60 (23% of the total) were allocated to an authority higher on their preference list than either Aberdeen City Council or Aberdeenshire Council and 55 (21% of the total) did not indicate a preference to work with either of those authorities. The remaining 17 (6% of the total) indicated a preference to work in Aberdeen or Aberdeenshire. However, no vacancies existed for these teachers and they were allocated to other authorities on their preference lists.

We have no plans to facilitate the establishment of such a unit. The review of guidance which is currently under way will consider how best practice can be shared, not just in respect of school trips abroad.

Part IV of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 places duties on education authorities not to discriminate against a disabled pupil in the education or associated services provided for, or offered to, pupils at the school by that body. Furthermore, education authorities must take reasonable steps to avoid disadvantage to disabled pupils. However, it does not require education authorities to remove or alter a physical feature, or to provide auxiliary aids or services. These duties not to discriminate came into force on 1 September 2002.Ensuring accessibility in respect of access to school buildings is one aspect of the Education (Disability Strategies and Pupils' Educational Records) (Scotland) Act 2002. Initial accessibility strategies, prepared under the act by 1 April 2003, are now being implemented by all providers of school education. These strategies plan improvements to be made, over time, to the physical environment of the school and other places where school education is provided. Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, relating to Rights of Access, Facilities, Services and Premises, will commence from 1 October 2004. This will apply to any service providers using a school for purposes other than education or associated services.

Funding for Youth CAFEs (Community Alcohol Free Environments) is provided within resources allocated to local authorities and NHS boards but is not identified specifically by the Executive. The plans of Alcohol Action Teams will allow us to assess the current provision and future plans for such facilities.

Local authorities and other managers of schools are responsible for taking reasonable care of pupils in their charge, and it is for them to consider what support it is necessary to give to schools in that context.

We are committed to the full implementation of the agreement A Teaching Profession for the 21st Century. The training of any additional teachers arising from A Partnership for a Better Scotland will not affect the funding of that agreement.