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The number and percentage of permanent staff in the Scottish Government main bargaining unit and the senior civil service who worked part-time, as at 30 September 2008, along with the average salary, is shown in the following table.

Year	Number	Percentage	Average Salary (Full-Time Equivalent)
1999	494	8.32%	£16,563
2000	533	8.30%	£16,536
2001	617	9.17%	£18,282
2002	682	9.54%	£19,602
2003	779	10.21%	£20,752
2004	825	10.62%	£22,583
2005	815	10.76%	£22,963
2006	869	11.34%	£24,551
2007	1005	12.70%	£26,013
2008	1090	13.65%	£27,755

 

The number and percentage of permanent staff in the Scottish Government main bargaining unit and the senior civil service within each salary group, as at 30 September 2008, is shown below. The full-time equivalent salaries of part-time staff have been included in the calculation.

	Less Than £16,000		Less Than £18,000		Less Than £20,000		Less Than £25,000
Year	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage
1999	3,142	52.9%	3,612	60.8%	4,022	67.7%	4,772	80.3%
2000	3,390	52.8%	3,906	60.8%	4,326	67.4%	5,099	79.4%
2001	3,196	47.5%	3,550	52.7%	4,121	61.2%	5,191	77.1%
2002	3,076	43.0%	3,554	49.7%	3,971	55.5%	5,125	71.7%
2003	2,784	36.5%	3,293	43.1%	3,690	48.3%	5,151	67.5%
2004	2,652	34.1%	2,979	38.3%	3,299	42.5%	4,858	62.5%
2005	2,522	33.3%	2,851	37.7%	3,141	41.5%	4,696	62.0%
2006	1,361	17.8%	2,556	33.4%	2,946	38.4%	4,462	58.2%
2007	1,248	15.8%	2,490	31.5%	2,952	37.3%	4,407	55.7%
2008	967	12.1%	2,411	30.2%	3,063	38.4%	4,256	53.3%

 

It is too early to tell what impact the current economic uncertainty will have on low-paid workers in Scotland. This will depend on the length and depth of the economic slowdown, for which there is still a significant degree of uncertainty.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-17036 on 31 October 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at .

The Scottish Government is committed to the promotion of Gaelic and recognises the vital role that Gaelic education has to play in this. The announcement made by the First Minister referred to funding that will be available in the next two financial years and at this point it is too early to provide an indication of future allocations.

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-15005 on 3 September 2008 which details some of the initiatives which will help to tackle Islamophobia that are currently being funded by the Scottish Government. In addition educational resources are being developed for the Sectarianism: Don''t Give It, Don''t Take It online schools resource and we are working with groups representing Scottish Muslim communities to develop work in this area. Broader initiatives, such as that described in the answer to question S3W-16054 on 2 October 2008, which support multicultural community engagement and inter-faith dialogue will have a positive impact for all communities in Scotland, including the Muslim community.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at .

I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-16608 on 9 October 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament''s website, the search facility for which can be found at .

The Scottish Government is committed to creating a secure future for Gaelic in Scotland and aims to enhance the status of Gaelic, promote the learning of Gaelic and encourage the increased use of Gaelic in Scotland. In order to achieve this, the Scottish Government, has identified significant additional funding and is promoting Gaelic in education, in the arts, in broadcasting, in heritage and in public life.

In particular the Scottish Government has provided additional funding to authorities to assist with the costs of providing Gaelic education in their areas; the government has provided additional support to MG ALBA to deliver the new Gaelic digital service; the government has provided additional support to B²rd na G idhlig for the implementation of the National Plan, and the government has provided additional support for Scotland''s only all-Gaelic college, Sabhal M²r Ostaig.

The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Act 2005 took effect on 13 February 2006 and established B²rd na G idhlig with a clear role in promoting the increased use of Gaelic. B²rd na G idhlig has published the National Plan for Gaelic and Guidance on the Development of Gaelic Language Plans. The National Plan provides the strategic framework for delivering Scottish ministers'' priorities for Gaelic. B²rd na G idhlig also has the power to issue notices to public authorities in Scotland requiring them to develop Gaelic language plans. The B²rd has made progress with issuing notices, approving public authority Gaelic language plans and implementing the priorities in the National Plan for Gaelic. To date three local authorities have had their Gaelic language plans approved by the B²rd: Highland Council (May 2008); Argyll and Bute (June 2008), and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (July 2008).

The new open-market shared equity pilot scheme (OMSEP) was launched in January 2008. The scheme is now available in ten local authority areas where there are affordability problems for first time buyers caused by a shortage in housing supply. OMSEP includes a number of changes which have been made as a result of the findings of the evaluation of the former open-market Homestake pilot scheme to improve the targeting of the new scheme.

The Scottish Government wishes to test the operation of the new pilot scheme in different types of urban and rural pressured housing markets before considering expanding the number of areas where the scheme operates.

The previous open market Homestake pilot scheme was replaced in January 2008 by a new open market shared equity pilot scheme (OMSEP), which forms part of the Scottish Government''s low-cost initiative for first time buyers. OMSEP is principally targeted at allowing first time buyers on low to moderate incomes to access entry-level home ownership. However, it can also be accessed by others, such as people with disabilities whose current home does not suit their needs or people who have a experienced a significant change in their household circumstances.

The criteria used by registered social landlords to determine eligibility for OMSEP are set out in the grant procedures for the scheme. A copy of these procedures along with details of current threshold prices for OMSEP, which are the maximum prices of property which may be purchased in each region where the scheme operates, is available on the Scottish Government website at:

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