- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 10 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publicise the precise remit of each inquiry or review referred to in the Ministerial Statement by the Minister for Children and Education on 6 September 2000 on the exam results which it has initiated and whether it has carried out any consultation as to the extent of such remits.
Answer
The terms of reference for the independent review being carried out by Deloitte and Touche have been placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. Consultation on the remit for this inquiry was not possible in the time available. The precise terms of reference for the Policy and Financial Management Review of the Scottish Qualifications Authority have yet to be agreed, but will be made public in due course.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 10 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive on what date or dates it was informed of (a) potential and (b) actual difficulties in recruiting sufficient exam markers.
Answer
The Executive became aware of potential difficulties with the recruitment of markers at the Scottish Executive/Scottish Qualifications Authority Liaison meeting on 10 May. Actual difficulties were identified as a result of a letter from SQA to centres on 31 May.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 10 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether HM Inspectorate of Schools was alerted to any potential difficulties with the administration of the marking of this year's exam results, and, if so, when.
Answer
HM Inspectorate of Schools has no locus in the administration of marking. However, Education Department officials including HMI became aware in June that SQA were short of markers in some subjects.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 9 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what recommendations were made by officials to Ministers regarding this year's exam results, whether any of these were (a) rejected outright, (b) not acted upon within one month of the date of the recommendation and (c) subject to deferred action, and whether it will place a copy of all relevant documents in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.
Answer
It is not the practice of the Scottish Executive to make available advice from officials to Ministers.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 25 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 9 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions the powers of direction granted by (a) section 11 of the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991 and (b) section 9 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1996 have been exercised.
Answer
The powers of direction granted by section 11 of the Natural Heritage (Scotland) Act 1991 and section 9 of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 have never been used.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sarah Boyack on 9 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6203 by Sarah Boyack on 22 August 2000, what the cost is of the consultancy work on a trial set of indicators of sustainable development which it has commissioned; why it considers that such expenditure is justified; whether any further expenditure in this area is planned, and whether it intends to take any action to inform the public about issues surrounding the application of strategic environmental assessment.
Answer
The Scottish Executive is committed to integrating the principles of environmentally and socially sustainable development into all its policies. In pursuit of this commitment, we have let a consultancy to develop proposals for a set of sustainable development indicators covering waste, energy and travel, relevant to Scotland's distinctive environment. The indicators will help focus on specific actions and on measuring their effectiveness. They may also be important in applying strategic environmental assessment, stemming form a proposed EC Directive, now in final form. The cost of the consultancy is about £27,000. No further spend on consultancies on sustainable development indicators is planned. If the Executive decides to proceed with the development of indicators, there will be costs associated with data collection and dissemination. It is too early to say now what those costs would be.
The Scottish Executive also let this month a contract for about £20,000 for a scoping study to review the experience of strategic environmental assessment in other countries and consider how to apply it to Executive programmes. A key objective is to increase public participation in the process. We will consider carefully how to inform the public about the issues surrounding the application of strategic environmental assessment.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Food Standards Agency has provided any examples of processing companies who were ordered to recall scallops which were tested following processing.
Answer
There have been no recalls of scallops by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) due to samples failing end product testing. In the event that a commercially processed product fails end-product testing, it is the responsibility of the producer to ensure that products which could pose a danger to public health are not placed on the market. The FSA are not informed of the results.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 14 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 9 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether end-producer testing will be introduced as the sole precondition for allowing scallops to enter the market.
Answer
There are no plans to introduce end-product testing as the sole precondition for allowing scallops to enter the market.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 9 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish (a) the minute or other document of 10 May from the Scottish Qualifications Authority and (b) the subsequent Scottish Qualifications Authority paper to a committee meeting referred to in the Ministerial Statement by the Minister for Children and Education on 6 September 2000.
Answer
Copies of these documents have been submitted to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee.
- Asked by: Fergus Ewing, MSP for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Sam Galbraith on 9 October 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Education, Culture and Sport and Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committees, in conducting their inquiries into the exam results issue and the Scottish Qualifications Authority, will be given access to Scottish Executive Cabinet minutes, memoranda and all other relevant cabinet documents.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-9735.
