- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 24 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce a sports and physical activity Bill.
Answer
No.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 24 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote Scottish architecture and how these plans are being implemented.
Answer
The Executive continues to promote Scottish architecture through its policy on architecture. A progress report which details both the achievements of policy to date and our future plans was published in February 2005, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 35568). Recent initiatives have included events promoting Scottish architecture abroad in Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and France.
The establishment of Architecture and Design Scotland in April 2005 as a national champion for good architecture and design represents a major step forward in encouraging and promoting quality development in the built environment across Scotland. In 2006 we plan a formal review of policy which will take into consideration the Cultural Commission's recent recommendations on architecture and the built environment.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 24 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding has been allocated to implement its policies on architecture in each of the last five years.
Answer
The funding directly allocated to activities in support of the policy on architecture in each of the last five years is as follows:
| Financial Year | Funding |
| 2001-02 | 拢612,215 |
| 2002-03 | 拢948,496 |
| 2003-04 | 拢1,113,524 |
| 2004-0 | 拢1,131,677 |
| 2005-06 (planned) | 拢1,447,500 |
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 28 July 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 18 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to ensure physical activity for every child and youth in day care and in school.
Answer
We are seeking to ensure that every child in Scotland has access to services that support them in being physically active. Services should be at a level that children can meet the minimum activity required for health. The Executive has invested 拢24 million in Active Schools and more than 600 Active School Co-ordinators have already been recruited. The co-ordinators have developed programmes of high-quality opportunities to enable children to participate in regular, frequent, safe and fun activities incorporating physical activity, sport, play and active travel.
In response to the PE Review Group report published on 14 June 2004, the Minister for Education and Young People outlined a 10-point action plan aimed at providing more time for physical education, more teachers of physical education and more choice in physical education. The Scottish Executive Education Department are working with Learning and Teaching Scotland, Her Majesty鈥檚 Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) and other stakeholders to take this forward.
For children of pre-school age, physical development and movement is one of the five key aspects of A Curriculum Framework for Children 3 to 5. This underpins the provision of pre-school education and providers are required to provide opportunities for physical activity both indoors and outdoors. In addition the National Care Standards for Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 include a requirement for children and young people to have the opportunity for energetic physical play. Quality in pre-school education and child care is ensured through inspection by HMIE and the Care Commission.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Peter Peacock on 17 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what strategies it is using to promote Scotland鈥檚 natural features as a means of encouraging and promoting physical activity.
Answer
The Scottish Executive has introduced a range of strategies to encourage physical activity, sport and the use of Scotland鈥檚 natural features, such as the National Physical Activity Strategy, our policy on Active Schools and the Healthy Living Campaign.
As part of Scotland鈥檚 National Physical Activity Strategy, the Paths to Health programme supports over 90 local schemes to promote walking in communities across Scotland. The recent release of the Walkwise magazine, which is partly funded through the Healthyliving Campaign, compliments this by highlighting scenic countryside routes and providing local environmental information.
We also want more people to experience the far reaching benefits of physical activity in the outdoors, and see opportunities for outdoor education for young people as an important means of encouraging that. LTS has been commissioned to undertake a development programme to raise the profile of outdoor education. Through a Development Officer, we will work to promote better opportunities for young people to engage with Scotland鈥檚 outdoors at an early stage and develop lifelong interest.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 July 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Andy Kerr on 15 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive what mechanisms are in place to monitor physical activity participation within the population.
Answer
There are three national surveillancetools used to monitor physical activity levels in Scotland. Theseare: the Scottish Health Survey which monitors overall levels of physical activityin Scotland among adults; the Health Education Population Survey which monitorschanges in knowledge, attitudes, motivation and action among adults around physicalactivity, and the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children, a World Health Organisationcross-national collaborative study which compares Scottish children at ages 11,13 and 15 to children of the same age in other countries.
Targets within the National Strategyfor Sport, Sport 21, which relate to physical activity, will be measuredthrough the Scottish Health Survey, the Scottish Opinion Survey and data compiledfrom schools by education authorities.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 02 August 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Patricia Ferguson on 10 August 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-11869 by Ms Patricia Ferguson on 12 November 2004, what progress has been made in relation to a possible contribution from the UK Delegation to UNESCO of up to 拢50,000 to UNESCO鈥檚 new Creative Cities Fund.
Answer
The UK Delegation to UNESCO contributed拢50,000 to the UNESCO Fund of the Global Alliance to assist with thedevelopment of the Creative Cities network in December 2004.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 26 July 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to its consultation paper, Reforming Complaints Handling, Building Consumer Confidence: Regulation of the Legal Profession in Scotland, whether it will provide a breakdown of the calculations of the cost of option C, referred to in paragraph 5.15, and what consultation it had with the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman and the Law Society of Scotland before arriving at this figure.
Answer
The basis for the estimate isexplained in paragraph 5.15. As the number of staff in the Ombudsman鈥檚 office hasrecently been increased, the budget for 2005-06 is now 拢0.4 million.
On that basis the annual runningcosts of option C on current caseload would be in the order of 拢2.1 million peryear. The main variables are (a) whetherthe input to complaints handling processes currently provided by members of thelegal profession on a voluntary basis or for notional remuneration would continueto be available under option C, and if so to what extent, and (b) the extent ofeconomies of scale arising from complaints handling functions being substantiallytransferred to one body.
We shall consider costings furtherin the light of the responses made to the consultation by the legal professionalbodies and the Ombudsman.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 26 July 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to its consultation paper, Reforming Complaints Handling, Building Consumer Confidence: Regulation of the Legal Profession in Scotland, what the estimate is of the costs of option D, setting up an independent complaints handling body, referred to in paragraph 5.17.
Answer
Such a body would cost a minimumof 拢2.1 million per year to run
, but that figure is based solely on the currentannual costs of the complaints handling functions of the Scottish Legal ServicesOmbudsman
and the Law Society of Scotland.
It would also be necessary totake into account (a) the opportunity cost of time at present given voluntarilyor for notional reward by members of professional bodies; (b) indirect costs relatingto complaints handling currently met by the professional bodies (c) start up costssuch as those relating to recruitment; and (d) economies of scale realised by merginginto a single office for legal complaints the complaints handling functions of theprofessional bodies and the Ombudsman. The annual cost of remuneration for the boardwould depend on its size and composition (an issue raised in the current consultation)but would be at least 拢0.1 million a year.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 30 June 2005
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Current Status:
Answered by Hugh Henry on 26 July 2005
To ask the Scottish Executive, with regard to its consultation paper, Reforming Complaints Handling, Building Consumer Confidence: Regulation of the Legal Profession in Scotland, how it calculated the estimate of additional resources of100,000 for the office of the Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman, referred to in paragraph 5.11, and what consultation it has had with the Ombudsman on this figure.
Answer
The estimate of 拢0.1 millionis based on the assumption that the additional functions associated with the optionB gateway of sifting complaints, forwardingthem to the professional bodies for substantive action/investigation and monitoringprogress would require the complement of the Ombudsman鈥檚 office to be increasedby between three to five staff. We have discussed this figure with the Ombudsmanwho will carry out her own estimate for our consideration.
