- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 20 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the commitment given in the letter of 14 April 2000 by Sarah Boyack to provide a fuller reply to my letter of 19 November 1999 regarding the Scottish Transport Group pension scheme and the handling of surplus funds, when I will get this reply and how the Executive will ensure that this issue is resolved quickly to ensure that people, especially the elderly and the infirm, are able to claim their entitlements.
Answer
My letter of 14 April 2000 promised a further letter when complex processes involved in the wind-up of the STG pension schemes were complete. The matter is under active consideration and I shall write again when I am in a position to make an announcement.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 11 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 20 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-7079 by Peter Peacock on 24 July 2000, whether the information given on total expenditure per pupil by each local authority can be broken down into net current expenditure per pupil in (a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special schools, in 1998-99.
Answer
The information requested is shown in the table below. Authorities provide for special educational needs in different ways and there is likely to be some variation between authorities in how they record numbers of pupils and expenditure in the returns made to the Scottish Executive. The significant variations in the figures in the column for the special sector should be viewed in that light.
| Net current expenditure on local authority primary, secondary and special schools1998-1999 (at outturn prices) |
| Primary Expenditure Per Pupil (£) | Secondary Expenditure Per Pupil (£) | Special Expenditure Per Pupil (£) |
Aberdeen City | 1,950 | 3,235 | 11,012 |
Aberdeenshire | 1,981 | 2,997 | 13,190 |
Angus | 2,024 | 3,065 | 54,311 |
Argyll & Bute | 2,232 | 3,236 | 14,700 |
Clackmannanshire | 1,914 | 3,170 | 18,595 |
Dumfries & Galloway | 1,874 | 3,038 | 44,720 |
Dundee City | 1,955 | 3,213 | 24,436 |
East Ayrshire | 1,726 | 2,738 | 17,073 |
East Dunbartonshire | 1,772 | 2,905 | 13,843 |
East Lothian | 1,962 | 2,931 | 12,110 |
East Renfrewshire | 1,770 | 2,881 | 19,076 |
Edinburgh, City of | 1,993 | 3,278 | 12,369 |
Eilean Siar | 3,408 | 4,804 | 41,028 |
Falkirk | 1,862 | 2,986 | 14,087 |
Fife | 1,943 | 2,932 | 23,228 |
Glasgow City | 2,100 | 3,365 | 11,865 |
Highland | 2,104 | 3,181 | 34,242 |
Inverclyde | 1,987 | 3,177 | 15,235 |
Midlothian | 2,058 | 3,157 | 16,678 |
Moray | 1,888 | 3,195 | 23,690 |
North Ayrshire | 2,003 | 3,132 | 13,376 |
North Lanarkshire | 2,023 | 3,059 | 12,567 |
Orkney Islands | 2,839 | 4,245 | 41,810 |
Perth & Kinross | 1,951 | 2,896 | 20,000 |
Renfrewshire | 1,890 | 3,027 | 11,282 |
Scottish Borders | 1,843 | 3,000 | 41,989 |
Shetland Islands | 2,881 | 6,167 | 41,545 |
South Ayrshire | 1,838 | 3,052 | 10,856 |
South Lanarkshire | 1,877 | 2,939 | 13,176 |
Stirling | 2,049 | 3,161 | 14,117 |
West Dunbartonshire | 2,003 | 2,996 | 15,773 |
West Lothian | 1,961 | 3,154 | 9,876 |
Scotland | 1,982 | 3,117 | 15,619 |
Notes1. All figures are net current expenditure excluding costs of home to school transport, school meals, education authority central administration costs, and loan and leasing charges.2. Figures derived from local authority financial returns (LFR 1) for 1998-1999 and the annual school census.3. Figures in the special column include expenditure on local authority, grant-aided and independent special schools, and special classes in local authority primary and secondary schools.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 16 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any records exist of its quarterly liaison meetings with the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) since March 1999 which contain more detailed information than the minutes made available to the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee; whether any such records are held by the Scottish Executive or the SQA, and whether it will place copies of any such records in SPICe.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer I gave to question on 2 October.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 16 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in SPICe copies of all the letters or other representations which it received from schools and colleges reporting difficulties with the electronic transfer of information to the Scottish Qualifications Authority or other aspects of the handling of this year's exams, referred to by the Minister for Children and Education in his statement to the Parliament on 6 September (Official Report, col. 21).
Answer
I refer Mr Ewing to the written evidence submitted by the Executive to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee as part of its inquiry into this year's exam results, in particular to paragraph 4.17 of the Education Department's Memorandum (which is available through SPICe and the Parliament website). It is not the practice of the Scottish Executive to publish correspondence which falls outwith the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 16 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive on what date Deloitte & Touche were appointed to carry out the independent inquiry into the exams crisis.
Answer
As I announced to Parliament in my statement on 6 September (Official Report, col. 25), Deloitte & Touche were appointed on 5 September.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 16 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in SPICe a copy of the contract under which Deloitte & Touche have been appointed to conduct the independent inquiry into the handling of this year's exam results.
Answer
The contract with Deloitte & Touche is commercially sensitive and it is therefore not the practice of the Scottish Executive to make this public.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 16 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place in SPICe copies of all the tender documents for the contract to conduct an investigation into the handling of this year's exams, in particular the letter or other document specifying the remit of the inquiry, any other specific instructions and the proposed contract terms.
Answer
Tender documents are commercially sensitive and it is therefore not the practice of the Scottish Executive to make them public. The terms of reference for the independent review being carried out by Deloitte & Touche have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 13 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any decisions taken by the Scottish Qualifications Authority in relation to this year's exams were mistaken and, if so, which decisions.
Answer
The independent inquiry which I have commissioned will determine what caused the problems with the production and issue of this year's exam results and how these can be avoided in future.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 13 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the work of markers in this year's exams has been checked adequately and, if not, what failures it has identified.
Answer
I have confidence in the professional judgement of those who undertook the making of scripts this year. The Scottish Qualifications Authority have long-established quality assurance procedures for the marking process. The inquiry, which I have commissioned, will determine whether they were applied fully and correctly this year and make recommendations about how quality assurance on marking should operate in future.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 24 August 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 13 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether more markers will be needed if any difficulties encountered in the marking of this year's examination papers are to be avoided next year and, if so, what arrangements should be put in place to ensure that persons with sufficient skill and experience to act as markers are recruited next year and whether greater resources will be needed.
Answer
The recruitment of markers is an operational issue for the Scottish Qualifications Authority. However, the independent inquiry into this year's exam results which I have commissioned will look at recruitment of markers and will make recommendations about how the procedures should operate in future.
