- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 31 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 22 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many primary (a) 1, (b) 2 and (c) 3 classes in each local authority area now have 18 pupils or fewer.
Answer
Information on individual class sizes is published on the internet. The latest information is from the 2006 census and can be found at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/16412/PrimClassSizesSep06.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 22 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has met the General Teaching Council Scotland to discuss the findings of its 2006-07 employment survey of probationer teachers.
Answer
The findings have been discussed by officials.
The General Teaching Council Scotland have indicated that they intend to carry out a follow up survey in May 2008.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 19 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the findings of the General Teaching Council Scotland’s 2006-07 employment survey of probationer teachers, what plans it has to ensure that a higher percentage of newly qualified teachers can secure permanent teaching posts.
Answer
The contractual arrangements for teachers are matters for local authorities as employers. However, the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers has agreed a code of practice which states that while recognising service needs local authorities should be providing opportunities for teachers to gain secure employment.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 19 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of research by the General Teaching Council Scotland indicating that 30.5% of newly qualified primary teachers secured permanent posts by October 2007, what plans it has to tackle the lack of permanent positions available in the primary sector.
Answer
The form of contract under which primary teachers are employed is a matter for local authorities as employers. We have signed a concordat with local government that commits local authorities to broadly maintain teacher numbers when pupil rolls are falling. This will provide additional posts for primary teachers as local authorities use the headroom created to reduce class sizes in primary 1 to primary 3 to a maximum of 18 pupils.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 05 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 19 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how it intends to tackle the falling employment rate among newly qualified teachers.
Answer
We have signed a concordat with local government that commits local authorities to broadly maintain teacher numbers against a backdrop of falling school rolls. This will provide additional employment opportunities for new teachers.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 2 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of Not Seen. Not Heard. Not Guilty: The Rights and Status of the Children of Prisoners in Scotland by the Commissioner for Children and Young People in Scotland, how it will ensure that courts fully take into account the rights of children when sentencing and that appropriate community alternatives are properly considered.
Answer
Decisions on sentencing are entirely a matter for the sentencing judge, who hears all the facts and circumstances surrounding the offence and the offender, and is able to take into account any factors which he or she considers to be relevant.
Background reports (Social Enquiry Reports) provided by local authority Social Work Departments before sentence are a key source of information for the courts. These reports provide information on a range of issues, including the offender''s current circumstances and the appropriateness of the range of potential disposals available to the sentencing judge.
The Scottish Government fully supports the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and is undertaking a number of activities to promote the Convention in Scotland.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 13 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the additional funding announced for the central heating programme, how long the average household will now have to wait for the installation of a new (a) central heating system and (b) boiler.
Answer
I have asked JamesHynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response isas follows:
Information is heldon the average waiting time from application to installation and this is currentlybeing reported by the managing agent as between five and six months.
The centralheating programme is demand-led and the waiting time is determined by the numberof householders who apply and the number of systems that can be installed. The averagewaiting time for those currently on the waiting list is not yet known, but continuesto be estimated at the current timescale.
There is no differencein waiting times between a full system and a boiler only.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 13 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the additional funding announced for the central heating programme, how many extra installations will now be completed.
Answer
I have asked JamesHynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response isas follows:
Funding made availablein August and in November will be used to install up to 3,100 additional centralheating systems in this financial year 2007-08.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 13 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications to the central heating programme are currently waiting to be assessed.
Answer
I have asked JamesHynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response isas follows:
The Programme ManagingAgent (Scottish Gas) has indicated that all applicants to the programme have beenassessed through the call centre process.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 December 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 13 December 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive, in relation to the central heating programme, how and when the additional funding announced will be spent.
Answer
I have asked JamesHynd, Acting Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response isas follows:
The funding will bespent within this financial year 2007-08 by payment of central heating grants andassociated fees to agents for the programme.
