- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 24 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive when the Inclusive Learning Network for children with special educational needs announced by the Minister for Education and Young People on 14 January 2003 will be expanded to enable all local authorities to become part of the scheme.
Answer
The Inclusive Learning Network is a discrete project, ending in March 2004, funded via the Executive's Special Educational Needs Innovation Grants Programme for the voluntary sector. There are no current plans to extend it beyond the six local authorities involved. There will be a final evaluation report on the project which should help inform best practice in other local authority areas.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Lewis Macdonald on 24 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what role rail services will play in the provision of rural transport, in the light of paragraphs 2-9 in section B of the report by the Scottish National Rural Partnership, Implementing Services in Rural Scotland: A Progress Report.
Answer
The Scottish Executive's consultation paper Strategic Priorities for Scotland's Passenger Railway, published in November 2000, included our priorities for rail services in rural Scotland.In particular, the paper outlined the Executive's expectation that the rail industry in Scotland would assist in the development of viable rural communities and the objective of tackling the peripherality of many rural communities through the delivery of reduced journey times from those communities where sufficient benefits can be generated.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 24 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the statement in paragraph 81 of the Audit Scotland report, Dealing with offending by young people, that some children's panel members and reporters had reservations about the capability of children's hearings to deal with persistent offenders in part due to a lack of resources.
Answer
Ministers have made clear that tackling persistent young offenders effectively is a priority. The fast-track children's hearing pilots which will begin soon will deal specifically with this group by offering a guaranteed place on an appropriate programme to help address their needs and prevent re-offending. The Executive is making available significant additional resources to support these programmes and the operation of the pilots in general.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 23 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what period the #150,000 announced by the Minister for Education and Young People on 14 January 2003 for the Inclusive Learning Network for children with special educational needs will cover.
Answer
The Inclusive Learning Network was formally launched on 14 January 2003. The Equity Group were awarded 拢150,000 to take forward this project within the period June 2002 to March 2004. Funding is paid through the Special Educational Needs Innovation Grants Programme.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 23 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the statement in paragraph 139 of the Audit Scotland report, Dealing with offending by young people, that "a serious problem is the lack of throughcare and aftercare" and "prisoners serving less than four years are not subject to statutory aftercare and may receive no support after leaving prison".
Answer
We have recognised the need for improved throughcare and aftercare of prisoners in a major new policy development based on the Tripartite Group's report, Developing the Service. The report, which is to be published later this month, identifies young offenders as a priority group. Membership of the Tripartite Group is drawn from the Scottish Executive, the Scottish Prison Service and local authorities.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 22 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it provides (a) to Capability Scotland and (b) towards the costs of schools such as Westerlea School in Edinburgh.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is providing direct funding to Capability Scotland in 2002-03 as set out in the table:
| Project/Purpose | Amount | Paid Under |
| Parents as Partners Project | 拢73,600 | Educational Development, Research and Services (Scotland) Grant Regulations 1999 |
| Supporting the Inclusion of Pupils with Physical Disabilities | 拢51,500 | Educational Development, Research and Services (Scotland) Grant Regulations 1999 |
| Chatability Project | 拢7,000 | Educational Development, Research and Services (Scotland) Grant Regulations 1999 |
| Core Funding | 拢45,000 | Section 10 (1) Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 |
| Total | 拢177,100 | |
The Scottish Executive does not provide funding for Westerlea School but provides grant aided funding to Capability Scotland for Corseford School, Kilbarchan and Stanmore House School, Lanark. Grant aid in 2002-03 is 拢1,020,200 for Corseford School, and 拢1,408,200 for Stanmore House School for running costs, with 拢47,957 and 拢59,007 respectively, for capital expenditure.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 22 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what data it has on the number of young people in residential and secure units and young offenders institutions that have mental health difficulties and on the staffing provision in such units and institutions, as referred to in paragraph 166 of the Audit Scotland report, Dealing with offending by young people.
Answer
In 2001-02 there were two admissions to secure care for children with a clinically diagnosed mental health illness. In the same year, 103 young people with a clinically diagnosed mental health illness were admitted to residential accommodation. Many young people in residential care are reported to have mental health issues and there are specialist resources available that care establishments draw from to support these young people. This support should be included in the young person's care plan. In the secure estate an independent child care psychologist provides services at St Mary's Kenmure and NHS Glasgow provides sessional psychological support at Kerelaw and at Rossie implementation of an improved mental health assessment and care package has commenced.The Health Department is also conducting a review of the need for a secure facility for young people with a clinically diagnosed mental health illness. In relation to Young Offenders Institutions (YOI), Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service has responded as follows:Approximately 10% of the young offender population at Polmont YOI have mental health problems. 2-3% of those are in receipt of prescribed psychiatric medication. HM YOI Polmont has a dedicated mental health team.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Jim Wallace on 22 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive how many women under the age of 21 received (a) a custodial sentence, (b) a community penalty, (c) a monetary penalty and (d) any other penalty in (i) 1999-2000, (ii) 2000-01, (iii) 2001-02 and (iv) 2002-03 to date.
Answer
The information available, which relates to calendar years, is given in the following table.Females Aged Under 21 With a Charge Proved in Scottish Courts, by Type of Sentence, 1999-2001
| | Year of Sentence |
| Main disposal | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 |
| Custody | 282 | 336 | 331 |
| Community sentence | 582 | 525 | 505 |
| Monetary | 1,530 | 1,416 | 1,357 |
| Other sentence | 885 | 782 | 730 |
| Total | 3,279 | 3,059 | 2,923 |
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 22 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to the statement in paragraph 204 of the Audit Scotland report, Dealing with offending by young people, that, because the costs of custody in young offenders institutions are met by the Scottish Prison Service and the local authority meets the costs of secure accommodation which is five times more expensive, "this means that financial incentives and the objective of minimising costs could conflict with the objective of achieving the best results for young people who have offended" and whether it will accept the recommendation in the joint report by the Justice 1 and 2 Committees, Report on the Budget 2003-04, that funding for secure accommodation should come from the justice budget.
Answer
Audit Scotland has made no recommendations on this point.Where a child has been sentenced to be detained under section 205 or section 208 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995, the place and conditions in which the child is detained are subject to the direction of ministers. Normally, as a matter of policy, the place of detention is secure accommodation.
- Asked by: Christine Grahame, MSP for South of Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 10 January 2003
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Current Status:
Answered by Cathy Jamieson on 22 January 2003
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has responded formally to the Audit Scotland report, Dealing with offending by young people, and, if so, whether it will make copies of its response publicly available.
Answer
The Executive responded to the Audit Scotland report, Youth Justice in Scotland on 5 December 2002. The news release containing this response, SEED 153/2002, is available at .
