Scottish Executive

Apprenticeships

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding will be made available for modern apprenticeship training in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10.

Maureen Watt: Delivery of the national training programme in Scotland, including funding for each intervention, is an operational matter managed by Skills Development Scotland.

The Skills Development Scotland budget is £176/£170/£170 million for 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-2010.

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of modern apprenticeship funding by industry sector for (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and (c) 2009-10.

Maureen Watt: Delivery of the national training programme in Scotland, including funding, is an operational matter managed by Skills Development Scotland.

The Skills Development Scotland budget is £176/£170/£170 million for 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 respectively.

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to promote modern apprenticeships for adults.

Maureen Watt: Details about the promotion of modern apprenticeships for adults is an operational matter for Skills Development Scotland. The information is not held centrally.

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to promote modern apprenticeships (MA) in the construction industry to women.

Maureen Watt: Details about the MA promotional activities within specific sectors is an operational matter for Skills Development Scotland. The information is not held centrally.

However, we will continue to promote equal opportunities within schools, information, advice and guidance and the promotion of learning across Scotland.

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why it has taken the decision to exclude the food and drink sector from support being directed to adult modern apprenticeships, in light of the older age profile within this sector.

Maureen Watt: The changes announced to the modern apprenticeship programme ensures that public investments supports the Government Economic Strategy. We have committed to target new support for MA 20+ to construction, engineering and related sector, where we know our investment delivers results.

Evidence from an evaluation on modern apprenticeships in Scotland carried out by Cambridge Policy Consultants showed that many non-traditional frameworks used by adults involve little added learning and therefore do not deliver value for money. Although there is a high proportion of older workers in the food and drink sector, it is important that future interventions are employer and demand-led. Therefore, Sector Skills Councils and Skills Development Scotland are currently working with employers and training providers to consider what the most appropriate skills interventions are and how these should be supported.

Children and Young People

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to educate young people in the north east on the subject of drugs misuse.

Maureen Watt: The curriculum in Scotland is not based on statutory prescription. It is for local authorities and schools, in the light of the curriculum framework within which they operate, to determine how best to organise the syllabus and offer substance misuse education as part of a wider health education programme.

Through Curriculum for Excellence, young people will be able to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding of substance misuse as part of education for health and well-being. Draft Curriculum for Excellence outcomes and experiences for health and wellbeing were published in May 2008 by Learning and Teaching Scotland. Practitioners are being asked to reflect on these and provide feedback, linked to a process of trialling over the coming months.

Through the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency, the Scottish Government supports the Choices for Life programme. The programme delivers positive lifestyle messages to around 54,000 primary 7 children each year with the aim of addressing issues about smoking, underage drinking and illegal drugs. "Choices" events have taken place in Aberdeen, Glasgow, Edinburgh and the Highlands and Islands. All schools within the north east were invited to send their primary 7 pupils and more than 5,200 young people attended the events held in Aberdeen in May.

Children with Disabilities

Marilyn Livingstone (Kirkcaldy) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what range of measures and what budgets it has in place to support the range of needs of disabled children and young people.

Adam Ingram: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the delivery of effective, equitable and empowering services which meet the needs of all Scotland’s disabled children and their families. This includes work on disability equality, support for learning in schools, further education and higher education, direct payments for self-directed care, equipment and adaptations (including adaptations in the private sector), wheelchairs and seating, and moving and handling.

The Scottish Government will be providing local government in Scotland with record levels of funding over the spending review period 2008-11. It is the responsibility of local authorities and health boards to allocate appropriate resources to meeting the needs of disabled children and young people. The Scottish Government also sponsors a wide range of organisations providing direct support to children and young people with disabilities, and their families.

Class Sizes

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that East Lothian Council has adequate funding to reduce class sizes to 18 for P1 to P3 pupils.

Adam Ingram: We have signed a concordat with local government under which local government will make year-on-year progress to reduce class sizes. Local government has been provided with funding of £34.9 billion over the spending review period which represents a 13.1% increase. Discussion with local government is on-going as to how we monitor progress against all the concordat commitments.

Education

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pages of instruction, guidance, regulation and any other sort of direction it has issued to head teachers in each of the last five years.

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many documents containing instructions, guidance, regulation and any other sort of direction it has issued to head teachers in each of the last five years.

Maureen Watt: The bulk of the government’s communication about school education is with local authorities, with whom responsibility for the provision of school education lies, rather than with head teachers themselves.

A trawl of files across government directorates to compile a comprehensive list of the limited instances of direct contact with head teachers could only be carried out at disproportionate cost.

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of children leave school functionally illiterate.

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of pupils leaving school at 16 are functionally literate.

Maureen Watt: Historically the Scottish Government has not had a definition of functional literacy.

Improving literacy and numeracy skills is at the heart of the Curriculum for Excellence programme. Within the programme, literacy is defined as the set of skills which allows an individual to engage fully in society and in learning, through the different forms of language, and the range of texts, which society values and finds useful. All staff have responsibility for the development of literacy and numeracy skills.

The current consultation on the next generation of National Qualifications in Scotland contains a proposal to create separate awards to accredit young people’s literacy and numeracy skills.

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of pupils entering S1 are functionally literate.

Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government does not have a definition of functional literacy.

Improving literacy and numeracy skills is at the heart of the Curriculum for Excellence programme. Within the programme, literacy is defined as the set of skills which allows an individual to engage fully in society and in learning, through the different forms of language, and the range of texts, which society values and finds useful. All staff have responsibility for the development of literacy and numeracy skills.

The Scottish Survey of Achievement (SSA) is the principal national source of information about pupils’ achievement in primary and early secondary stages. The SSA is being reviewed to ensure it continues to provide an accurate measure of literacy and numeracy achievement within Curriculum for Excellence.

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what professional expertise inspectors acting for, or employed by, HM Inspectorate of Education are required to have.

Maureen Watt: Inspectors are required to have a relevant degree, with first or second class Honours, or have other means to demonstrate achievement of an equivalent standard. They must have an appropriate professional qualification in education or services for children. In addition, they must have successful professional experience in education or services for children and proven success in a significant leadership role. Prior to appointment and to determine their suitability, potential inspectors undergo an intensive assessment centre. This evaluates both their professional expertise and their skills and competencies in key areas such as written and oral communication, analysis and investigation and team management.

HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) would generally expect assistant inspectors to have a proven successful track record in carrying out independent, external evaluation and reporting in the sector(s) to which they are deployed. They must show extensive and up-to-date knowledge of their educational sector(s) or in services for children, and have detailed working knowledge of the HMIE quality framework and inspection/review procedures for their educational sector(s) or in services for children. They are required to have a proven, successful career as a teacher, lecturer, and other education professional or within services which work closely with children and young people. Like inspectors, they must demonstrate success in a significant leadership role and high quality interpersonal and writing skills.

Although not employed directly by HMIE, promoted staff from schools and education authorities join HMIE inspection teams as associate assessors. HMIE would generally expect associate assessors to be experienced practitioners who carry high credibility in their field and have sound judgement and very good inter-personal and communication skills.

HMIE work closely with a number of organisations and other inspectorates participating in inward and outward secondments. Currently, HMIE has seconded professional staff from HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, the Social Work Inspection Agency, Care Commission and NHS Quality Improvement Scotland. Those seconded to HMIE must be professionals who will have worked successfully in their field for a significant period of time. Each must have in-depth experience of their particular sector and backgrounds and expertise which enable them to work across a range of sectors.

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what continuing professional development is provided for employees of HM Inspectorate of Education.

Maureen Watt: HM Inspectorate of Education (HMIE) is strongly committed to continuing professional development (CPD) for all its employees. HMIE use a variety of approaches to delivering programmed CPD for inspectors and assistant inspectors amounting to an average of eight days per year. Such CPD ranges from corporate training conferences and seminars to sector-specific, directorate training events. Inspectors also attend specific external courses and events associated with the sectors they are deployed in to ensure they remain at the forefront of national and international developments. Corporate services staff receive regular programmes of corporate training and bespoke training relevant to their job within the corporate services team. Although not employees, all associate assessors and lay members appointed to HMIE receive specific training to allow them to undertake their inspection responsibilities and contribute fully to the work of HMIE. Across HMIE, extensive use is also made of shadowing, mentoring and coaching to enable staff to develop the skills, behaviours and attitudes needed for them to carry out their work to a high standard.

Hugh O'Donnell (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how school leadership and staff of an inspected school have the opportunity to contribute to the final inspection report by HM Inspectorate of Education.

Maureen Watt: The findings of an inspection are reported orally to the head teacher at the end of the inspection and any comments made are taken into account in drafting the final report.

In normal circumstances head teachers and their relevant local authority are given the opportunity to comment on and discuss the inspection report in draft form before it is published.

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pupils were suspended from schools in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

Maureen Watt: The number of different pupils temporarily excluded from school each year, broken down by local authority, is given in the following table.

Note: Figures include primary, secondary and special schools. They may include a small amount of double counting where a pupil has been temporarily excluded from more than one school during the year. Caution should therefore be taken when interpreting small differences in numbers.

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total numbers of suspensions from schools were in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

Maureen Watt: The total number of temporary exclusions from school, broken down by local authority, is published each year on the government website. The information is available using the following link http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/01/28122247/27.

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what provisional figures are available on the number of pupils suspended from schools in the 2007-08 academic year.

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what provisional figures are available on the total number of suspensions from schools in the 2007-08 academic year.

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what provisional figures are available on the number of pupils excluded from schools in the 2007-08 academic year.

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what provisional figures are available on the total number of exclusions from schools in the 2007-08 academic year.

Maureen Watt: There are no provisional figures available. Information on exclusions from school during 2007-08 are due to be published in January 2009. They will be available on the government website using the following link. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/schoolstats.

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pupils were excluded from schools in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

Maureen Watt: An estimate of the number of different pupils excluded from school, broken down by local authority, is published each year on the government website. This is available using the following link. http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/School-Education/PubExclusions.

Figures may include a small amount of double counting where a pupil has been temporarily excluded from more than one school during the year. Caution should therefore be taken when interpreting small differences in numbers.

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the total numbers of exclusions from schools were in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

Maureen Watt: The total number of exclusions, broken down by local authority, is published each year on the government website. The information can be obtained using the following link http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/01/28122247/29.

Equalities

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which equalities organisations it met in developing its skills strategy.

Maureen Watt: Equality is a guiding principle of the Skills Strategy and, during the development of this strategy, Scottish Government officials met with representatives from the Commission for Racial Equality.

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how its skills strategy will address disproportionate levels of unemployment among disabled people.

Maureen Watt: A key challenge of the skills strategy is that we encourage the integration of employment and skills services to facilitate the journey individuals make from long-term unemployment to sustained employment and in-work progression. This includes working jointly with the UK Government and Jobcentre Plus who have the primary responsibility for helping disabled people find employment and working with COSLA to develop a framework for supported employment in Scotland. Equality is a guiding principle of the skills strategy and we will ensure that each programme underpinning this strategy will be equality impact assessed across six strands (race, disability, gender, sexual orientation, age and religion/faith) to make sure that they are appropriate.

Further and Higher Education

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it (a) provided in each of the last three years and (b) will provide over each of the next three years through the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) for (i) full-time undergraduate, (ii) part-time undergraduate, (ii) full-time postgraduate, (iii) part-time postgraduate and (iv) all students, also broken down by average amount per student.

Maureen Watt: This information is not held centrally.

The SFC does not publish any information on funding per student at higher education institutions (HEIs). The SFC’s teaching funding allocation method distributes funding according to Units of Teaching Resource, reflecting relative costs of delivering different subjects. There is no standard rate of per-student funding.

Indicative information on the number of funded places in HEIs, with per-subject and overall levels of funding can be found in table A2a of the SFC’s Circular SFC/10/2008 (Main grants in support of teaching and research for higher education institutions for academic year 2008-09):

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/information/info_circulars/sfc/2008/sfc1008/sfc1008.html.

While this shows the relative allocations to fund undergraduate and postgraduate provision, this is on a full-time equivalent basis and does not demonstrate how funding is allocated within individual institutions to support the range of full-time and part-time provision.

Additionally, the gross funding figures include the tuition fee element of funding which is not paid by SFC. We are unable to disaggregate this on a per student basis as different students pay different fees depending on their domicile.

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much on average per student (a) further, (b) higher and (c) all tertiary education institutions (i) spent in each of the last three years and (ii) will spend in each of the next three years, also broken down by institution.

Maureen Watt: This information is not held centrally. The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) does not publish spend per student by institution.

The SFC does publish performance indicators for colleges, which note colleges’ total income and a breakdown of this income and total expenditure. It also provides the actual Weighted Student Units of Measure (WSUMs) delivered, but not the number of students. WSUMs reflect the relative costs of delivering different subjects

The most recent performance indicators for colleges can be found at:

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/publications/FinPerfIndicators0405.pdf.

SFC does not publish any information on spend per student at higher education institutions (HEIs). The SFC’s teaching funding allocation method distributes funding according to Units of Teaching Resource, reflecting relative costs of delivering different subjects. There is no standard rate of per-student funding.

Indicative information on the number of funded places in HEIs, with per-subject and overall levels of funding can be found in Table A2a of the SFC’s Circular SFC/10/2008 (Main grants in support of teaching and research for higher education institutions for academic year 2008-09):

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/information/info_circulars/sfc/2008/sfc1008/sfc1008.html.

For both colleges and HEIs teaching funding is also provided on a full time equivalent (FTE) basis and institutions use this to fund both part-time and full-time provision.

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many full-time equivalent student places at higher education institutions will be funded in the next three academic years.

Maureen Watt: The total number of full-time equivalent student places at higher education institutions in academic year 2008-09 will be 130,238. This includes 2,182 ring-fenced places in controlled subjects. As the number of full-time equivalent student places at higher education institutions is calculated on an annual basis, details are not yet available for academic years 2009-10 and 2010-11.

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the teaching activity target for colleges will be in each of the next three academic years.

Maureen Watt: The teaching activity target for colleges in 2008-09 is that 2,310,323 weighted student units of measurement are to be delivered.

This is set out in more detail in Annex A3 of the Scottish Funding Council’s (SFC) circular SFC/17/2008 Main grants to colleges for academic year 2008-09. This can be found at:

http://www.sfc.ac.uk/information/info_circulars/sfc/2008/sfc1708/sfc1708.html.

The SFC has not yet set targets for the following two years.

Health

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what specialist support is available to stroke victims.

Nicola Sturgeon: Stroke remains one of the clinical priorities of NHSScotland. Stroke managed clinical networks operate in each NHS board area and work together with the voluntary sector to deliver and improve services for stroke patients.

The current revision of the CHD and Stroke Strategy recognises the wide ranging and often devastating effect stroke can have on physical and mental wellbeing, including long-term problems such as aphasia. We expect to issue our revised strategy shortly on a consultative basis.

We have also made available funding to help provide training which will allow those who have had a stroke to take part in the work of the stroke managed clinical networks. This will allow people to make a direct contribution, based on their own experience, to the development of stroke services.

Housing

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive why the reporting of freedom of information requests placed on the Scottish Housing Regulator’s website excludes information on who made the request.

Stewart Maxwell: I have asked Karen Watt, Chief Executive of the Scottish Housing Regulator to respond.

Her response is as follows:

The regulator’s policy of not reporting who makes freedom of information (FOI) requests is in line with the approach taken by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament. The Data Protection Act 1998 prevents the regulator publishing personal data about private individuals. This includes information on who makes requests under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. The regulator’s website publishes a log of the information released in response to FOI requests where it may be of wider public interest and has not been published elsewhere.

NHS Hospitals

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the discovery of personal records at Strathmartine Hospital, it is now confident that all sites of NHS buildings that have been decommissioned will be totally cleansed of all personal records, both paper and digital versions.

Nicola Sturgeon: The NHSScotland Chief Executive wrote to all NHS boards on 22 May seeking confirmation that obligations were met with regard to the management, retention and disposal of records. A reference to decommissioned hospitals premises was also included. All replies have given that assurance.

NHS Staff

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many examples of "leapfrogging" there have been since the introduction of the Agenda for Change pay system, broken down by type of NHS employee.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is not held centrally.

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has had in relation to "leapfrogging" resulting from the introduction of the Agenda for Change pay system, and from whom.

Nicola Sturgeon: Representations in relation to "leapfrogging" have been made by health trades unions at both UK level, in the NHS Staff Council and at Scottish level in the Scottish Pay Reference and Implementation Group. There are no plans, however, to amend the assimilation process currently in place and which is being taken forward in partnership.

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S3W-13149 and S3W-13150 by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 May 2008, what differences there are between Welsh implementation issues and Scottish implementation issues.

Nicola Sturgeon: Agenda for Change is a UK-wide agreement and, as such, implementation issues throughout the UK are similar. However, in Wales, concerns were raised with the implementation process being used, particularly around the consistency of application and outcomes. The Welsh review rightly aimed to address a number of these concerns. In Scotland, Agenda for Change has been implemented in full partnership and arrangements have been in place to check consistency of outcomes prior to assimilation since the process began.

Jackson Carlaw (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13147 by Nicola Sturgeon on 30 May 2008, whether it intends to discuss the Welsh response to Agenda for Change with the Welsh Assembly Government with a view to learning lessons that could be applicable to Scotland, and what its position is on the matter.

Nicola Sturgeon: Whilst there are no plans to hold specific separate discussions with the Welsh Assembly Government, it is likely that there will be further discussion at UK level on how the findings of the Welsh review impact on the overall UK agreement and I can confirm the Scottish Government will participate in any such discussions and take any steps that are required to ensure Agenda for Change in Scotland is fit for purpose.

Schools

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects to complete the national evaluation of the role of the "campus cop" scheme.

Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government will shortly start the commissioning process for the evaluation of campus police officers in schools. We expect research contractors to be appointed in the autumn and to publish a report of the evaluation in summer 2009.

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which schools are currently awaiting a new building or refurbishment under the Scottish Futures Trust, broken down by local authority.

Maureen Watt: The Scottish Government does not hold lists of schools awaiting renewal or refurbishment under different possible funding or procurement mechanisms. Strategic planning and investment priorities, consideration of funding and procurement options and the allocation of resources for building work on individual schools are all matters for individual local authorities. One of the objectives for the Scottish Futures Trust is that it should work with the public sector to assist in the development of national strategies for the delivery and funding of schools.

Iain Gray (East Lothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it believes that East Lothian Council has adequate funding to maintain the current level of extra-curricular activity in East Lothian schools.

Maureen Watt: This Scottish Government, as part of its new relationship with local government, is investing record levels of funding in local government. The settlement for each local authority provides a single budget within which authorities can exercise flexibility to reach decisions on how to achieve agreed outcomes. This new agreement is built on mutual respect and partnership, and reinforces the need for local authorities to balance local needs and priorities across their area. This means that local government should have sufficient resources not just to maintain, but also improve front-line services.

One of the national outcomes towards which we are working is that our young people should become successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens; as part of this, local authorities and the Scottish Government are committed to the development and implementation of Curriculum for Excellence. The draft experiences and outcomes for Curriculum for Excellence which have been released over the course of the school year contain rich opportunities for schools and other educational establishments to encourage activities outwith the normal school day. Building the Curriculum 3: a framework for learning and teaching, also restates a definition of the curriculum as comprising: the ethos and life of the school as a community; curriculum areas and subjects; opportunities for personal achievement, and interdisciplinary learning. This definition enables many different approaches to learning and teaching and can include, for example, outdoor learning, work-related activities, out of school hours learning as part of a young person’s curricular experience.

Speech and Language Therapy

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many stroke victims have been identified in each of the last five years as having problems with speech.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information on the number of patients with a diagnosis of stroke and identified as having speech problems as a result of their stroke is not available from central statistical sources.

The final report of the Aphasia in Scotland Project, commissioned by NHS Quality Improvement Scotland, highlighted the difficulty in obtaining robust data on prevalence and incidence of aphasia.

Student Finance

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13909 by Fiona Hyslop on 16 June 2008, how many students will receive any financial support excluding non-means tested loans from the Scottish Government in each of the next three years if earnings rise at the average rate for 2007-08, broken down by household income.

Maureen Watt: The latest year for which data are available for students receiving some form of support is for 2006-07. Similarly, 2006-07 is the latest year for which data are available for average earnings. The data show that median weekly earnings rose by 3.1% in the year to April 2007.

Irrespective of how earnings may rise in the next three years, the number of Scottish students receiving support other than non means tested maintenance loans would be unaffected as under current funding rules all eligible students are entitled to tuition fees (or tuition fee loans if they are studying elsewhere in the UK) which are not means tested. The table below shows the number of Scottish students receiving Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) support other than non means tested maintenance loans in 2006-07 by parental/spousal income. The table also shows how these data would look if average earnings rose by 3.1% (figure based on growth in average median weekly earnings in the year to April 2007) in each of the subsequent three years.

Source: SAAS.

Notes:

Constant Student Numbers are assumed. Student numbers have been rounded to the nearest five.

Income bands are based on residual parental or, in the case of students who are married or in a civil partnership, spousal income. This is income after deductions allowed by SAAS have been subtracted.

This table does not include students on the Nursing and Midwifery Bursary Scheme.

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-13905 by Fiona Hyslop on 16 June 2008, how much financial support was provided to students excluding non-means tested loans in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2005-06 and (d) 2004-05, broken down by (i) household income and (ii) numbers of students in each income band.

Maureen Watt: The following table shows higher education students who are receiving support, other than non means tested maintenance loan, from the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) and the amount of such support received broken down by parental/spousal income for academic years 2004-05 to 2006-07.

Source: SAAS.

Notes:

Student numbers have been rounded to the nearest five and monetary amounts to the nearest 1,000.

Students are included in the table if they receive support including tuition fees, or tuition fee loans if they study outside Scotland, and/or awards and/or means tested maintenance loans. Income bands are based on residual parental or, in the case of students who are married or in a civil partnership, spousal income. This is income after deductions allowed by SAAS have been subtracted.

This table does not include students on the Nursing and Midwifery Bursary Scheme. Academic year 2006-07 is the latest for which figures are available.

Teachers

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies exist for (a) home economics teachers and (b) physical education teachers, broken down by local authority area.

Maureen Watt: The information requested is published annually on the Scottish government website. The latest data are available in Appendix 2 from the following link:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/17090110/11.

Young People

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to identify and assist young runaways.

Adam Ingram: A national multi-agency working group has recently reported to ministers with a series of recommendations for strategic action relating to service provision for young runaways. The group identified the need for significant action in a number of areas including risk assessment, training, emergency accommodation and refuge provision, data collation and improved practice in relation to the delivery of Return Home Welfare Interviews for young people who run away from home or care. Ministers have asked for work to be undertaken in partnership with stakeholders on how best to take forward the recommendations.

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities have included action to identify and assist young runaways in their draft single outcome agreements.

Adam Ingram: Single outcome agreements (SOAs) for 2008-09 have been agreed with all 32 councils and should all now be publicly available. All SOAs should reflect the priorities and agreed outcomes for each council and include relevant supporting indicators and targets. As councils were responsible for producing the SOAs and are responsible for the delivery of local service, questions regarding the content of individual SOAs should be directed to them in the first instance.