- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 28 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students have entered the BSc honours degree in audiology course at Queen Margaret University since 2005.
Answer
Since September 2005, 44 students have entered the BSc honours degree in audiology course at Queen Margaret University.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 April 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 28 April 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many students have entered the graduate diploma in audiology course at Queen Margaret University since the course began in 2005.
Answer
Since September 2005, 39 students have entered the Graduate Diploma in Audiology at Queen Margaret University.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 February 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 28 February 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what specific funding or programmes are in place to help young people deal with low self-esteem or depression.
Answer
Helping young people deal with low self-esteem and depression is part of the Scottish Government''s priority, cross-cutting action to improve mental health and wellbeing in children and young people and to support those experiencing mental health problems.
This includes a range of action to implement the Framework for Promotion, Prevention and Care by promoting positive mental health and wellbeing, preventing mental health problems and caring for children and young people who experience mental health problems.
The framework has been reinforced by commitments on improving mental health services, including that by 2008 a mental health link person is available to every school and that basic mental health training should be offered to all those working with, or caring for, looked after and accommodated children and young people. In addition, we are committed to increasing the availability of evidence-based psychological therapies for all age groups in a range of settings. We are providing £100,000 each year for the next five years for the provision of training for child psychotherapy.
The Scottish Government funds the free Breathing Space advice and signposting telephone line. It is aimed primarily (though not exclusively) at young men experiencing low mood or depression.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Linda Fabiani on 28 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts it has made to develop links with Shandong in respect of oil and renewable energy.
Answer
Our trade and investment arm,Scottish Development International (SDI) has been targeting companies across China, includingin Shandong, that offer Scotland investment or collaboration opportunities.
Recent developments relatingto energy include organising a visit by academics to the Ministry of Science andTechnology in June 2008 in pursuit of a Scottish element of the wider UK-China researchand development agreement. SDI officials have also built relationships with a rangeof Chinese oil and gas companies and will carry out further market research during2008 to identify specific oil and gas opportunities in China, includingin Shandong province.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 10 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Mather on 28 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-4527 and S3W-5969 by Jim Mather on 5 October and 12 November 2007 respectively, whether it has been advised whether the Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise has written to John Wilson MSP stating that Mr Willie Haughey has never received remuneration nor claimed expenses in relation to his membership of the board of Scottish Enterprise Glasgow or his role as Chair of the Scottish Enterprise Careers Scotland Advisory Board.
Answer
I understand that on 5 December 2007 theChief Executive of Scottish Enterprise responded to John Wilson MSP in regard toquestion S3W-4527. In that letter, the Chief Executive confirmed that Mr WillieHaughey’s role as a board member of Scottish Enterprise Glasgow is not a remuneratedpost, and that no claims for expenses have been made by Mr Haughey. Nor has Mr Haugheybeen remunerated or claimed expenses in relation to his role as Chair of the ScottishEnterprise Careers Scotland Advisory Board.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Linda Fabiani on 28 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what work is being done between Scotland and Shandong to raise the awareness of areas and attractions in (a) Scotland for tourists from Shandong and (b) Shandong for tourists from Scotland.
Answer
China is one of the emerging markets for VisitScotland witha huge potential for expansion. That is why VisitScotland is keen to take furthersteps to see a significant increase in Chinese visitors to Scotland including ShandongProvince through targeted promotion of Scotland as a tourism destination.
In particular, we hope to buildon successes such as Angus Council’s close links with Yantai City, Shandong Provinceto promote each others historical sites and golf courses.
A range of marketing materials,brochures in Chinese etc and initiatives aimed at the Chinese market has thereforebeen developed by VisitScotland. VisitScotland also participate in sales missionsand trade shows in China which provide opportunities to meet with agents fromthe whole of the China market. In particular, VisitScotland hosted over 60 representativesfrom Chinese travel agencies for their International Chinese Tourist Association (ICTA) AnnualLeadership Summit held in Edinburgh in November 2007. The first time the ICTA haveheld their summit in Scotland.
The Scottish Government has alsoprovided funding to support specific training for Chinese-speaking students to workas tour guides in Scotland. The first of these guides will qualify to coincide withChinese New Year.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Linda Fabiani on 28 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to improve business links between Scotland and Shandong.
Answer
Our trade and investment arm,Scottish Development International (SDI), has been targeting companies across China, includingin Shandong, that offer Scotland investment or collaboration opportunities. Scotland signeda Co-operation Agreement with Shandong in 2006, and this has helped SDI developrelationships with economic development officials, which has in turn facilitatedintroductions to leading Shandong companies in the life sciences, financial services,electronics and communication technologies and energy sectors.
A Shandong lifesciences company visited Scotland in summer 2007 and is helping SDI explore possibilitiesfor a broader life sciences collaboration.
SDI also exhibited at the CreativityWorld Forum in Qingdao in November 2007.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Linda Fabiani on 28 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether any links have been established between Scotland and Shandong to encourage collaboration between science and technology industries.
Answer
Our trade and investment arm,Scottish Development International (SDI), has been targeting companies across China, includingin Shandong, that offer Scotland investment or collaboration opportunities. Scotland signeda Co-operation Agreement with Shandong in 2006, and this has helped SDI developrelationships with economic development officials, which has in turn facilitatedintroductions to leading Shandong companies in the science and technology sectors.
A Shandong lifesciences company visited Scotland in summer 2007 and is helping SDI explore possibilitiesfor a broader life sciences collaboration.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Linda Fabiani on 28 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts it has undertaken to improve the understanding of Chinese languages in Scotland.
Answer
The Scottish Government is currentlyproviding £4 million to local authorities to support modern language teaching andlearning in Scottish schools. Across Scotland, we are beginning to see greater numbers of pupils studyingChinese languages and culture and increasing numbers of Chinese language assistantsworking in schools.
Through the concordat with COSLAwe are moving to an outcomes-focused approach which empowers local authorities andgives them more flexibility to meet the Scottish Government’s national outcomes,including making Scotland the most attractive place to do business in Europe, realisingour full economic potential and ensuring that we are better educated, more skilledand more successful and our young people are successful learners, confident individuals,effective contributors and responsible citizens. Understanding of a diversifiedrange of languages including Chinese makes a valuable contribution to the successfuldelivery of all these outcomes.
We are also supporting the developmentof certificated courses in Cantonese and Mandarin at Intermediate 1 and 2 whichwill be available from August 2008, with Higher and Advanced Higher following inAugust 2009. Courses at Access 3 are already available.
Additionally, we are sponsoringLearning and Teaching Scotland (LTS) and British Council Scotland to coordinatea number of Scotland-China educational opportunities, including summer schools forpupils and study visits for teachers and head teachers.
- Asked by: Tom McCabe, MSP for Hamilton South, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 14 January 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Linda Fabiani on 28 January 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has developed joint education programmes and increased student flow between universities and colleges in Scotland and Shandong.
Answer
The Scottish Government continuesto support the development of educational links with China and Shandong. Forexample, in September 2007 we welcomed a high-level education delegation from theShandong Provincial Education Department. In November, we also supported a delegationof college and university principals on their visit to Jinan in Shandong. Thisdelegation met the Vice Governor of Shandong and presented him with a letter ofsupport from the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning.
