- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 10 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to reduce bureaucracy and any over-assessment within the education system.
Answer
This government recognisesthat, over a number of years, some teachers and parents have expressed concern aboutthe level of pressure which they feel that staff and pupils are under to provideperformance information and measures of attainment for accountability purposes.
As part of our widerpriority to streamline and reduce bureaucracy and the focus on outcomes, we arelooking at the development of outcome agreements with local authorities.
We recognise thereis some concern that over-assessment, especially in upper secondary schools, cansometimes distort the focus of teaching towards the narrow requirements of passingtests and exams rather than effective learning. We believe that assessment shouldsupport learning rather than act as a barrier. In taking forward the Curriculumfor Excellence, we are committed to determining appropriate levels of assessmentfor all stages of education from 3 to 18.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 6 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to reduce rail journey times between Scottish cities.
Answer
We are proposing severalinvestments to reduce rail journey times between Scottish cities that we aim totake forward as resources become available, for example:
Glasgow to Edinburgh - I have asked Transport Scotland to assess optionsfor improving journey times between Glasgow and Edinburgh, including electrification.The results of this will be reported in September, as part of the Strategic TransportProjects Review.
Inverness to Edinburgh/Glasgow – Implement timetablechanges, infrastructure and introduce new rolling stock to reduce journey timesby around 40 to 45 minutes, as recommended in the “HighlandRoom for Growth” study.
Aberdeen and Dundee to Edinburgh – Timetable changes to reduce journey timesby around 15 minutes, by introducing additional express services.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive when it will meet the 2007 SNP manifesto commitment to double the number of school nurses.
Answer
We are currentlyconsidering how best to increase nursing and other health care capacity inschools.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to improve access to independent information on sexual health.
Answer
The ScottishGovernment has appointed independent researchers from the University of Abertay to undertake a stock taking review ofRespect and Responsibility, Scotland’s National Sexual Health Strategy. Thereview will seek to identify any gaps in the implementation of the strategy andin services, which we will address following its recommendations in spring2008.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how much it will cost to deliver the 2007 SNP manifesto commitment to double the number of school nurses.
Answer
We are currentlyconsidering how best to increase nursing and other healthcare capacity inschools. The cost of doing so will depend on the option chosen.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 6 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to reintroduce a school-based dental service.
Answer
We are currentlyconsidering detailed options for delivering a school-based dental service forschool children in the most deprived areas.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Stewart Maxwell on 5 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to transfer the functions of Communities Scotland to local authorities and, in particular, which functions will be transferred, when these functions will be transferred and whether appropriate funding will be transferred to local authorities along with these functions.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-125 on 7 June 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.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will instruct NHS Lanarkshire to proceed with the planned construction of a new cancer centre at Monklands Hospital.
Answer
I refer the memberto the answer to question S3W-998 on 22 June 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.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive how it now intends to assess the economic impact, and the impact on family life, of large shops opening on New Year’s Day.
Answer
The Scottish Executivehas no plans to assess the economic impact and the impact on family life of largeshops opening on New Year’s Day.
- Asked by: Karen Whitefield, MSP for Airdrie and Shotts, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 23 August 2007
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Current Status:
Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 4 September 2007
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any consultations took place with interested parties regarding the decision not to proceed with the research study on New Year’s Day trading and, if they did, when, where and how they took place.
Answer
No consultations tookplace regarding the Scottish Executive’s decision. The views of interested partieswere evident throughout discussion of the Christmas Day and New Year’s Day Trading(Scotland) Bill.
