- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 04 September 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Richard Lochhead on 19 September 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how much compensation was paid in respect of set-aside land in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Answer
The following table details the subsidy paid on set-aside land in Scotland in the last five years for which figures are available (2003 to 2007 inclusive).
| | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| Set-Aside Paid in £ million* | 22.407 | 15.945 | 11.244 | 10.564 | 10.333 |
Note: *Payment figures before modulation.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 11 September 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what contact it has had with Her Majesty’s Government to discuss improvements to the support available to kinship carers.
Answer
There is regular discussion between officials of the Scottish Government and of the UK Government on improvements to the UK benefits and welfare system for all families with children. Specific support for kinship carers is raised as part of these discussions, whenever appropriate.
These matters are also raised regularly at relevant meetings between Scottish and UK Ministers. The most recent meeting was with the UK Government''s Minister for Children, Ms Beverley Hughes, on 15 July 2008.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 September 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 10 September 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified teachers of Gaelic there have been in each year since 1995.
Answer
The number of Gaelic teachers are published each year in
Teachers in Scotland, available on the Scottish Government website using the following links:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/03/18093809/42;
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/04/25165316/53393.
Information is not available prior to 2003.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 September 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Maureen Watt on 10 September 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how many qualified teachers of Gaelic are employed in each local authority area.
Answer
The number of teachers of Gaelic are published in tables 8.9 and 8.10 of
Teachers in Scotland 2007, available on the Scottish Government website using the following link:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/03/18093809/0.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 9 September 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made from its initial discussions with Her Majesty’s government about its proposals that the child care element of working tax credit and childcare vouchers should be merged as reported in its news release of 16 July 2008.
Answer
Scottish Government officials met with HM Treasury and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officials in August 2008 to discuss their current consultation on the modernisation of the tax credits system. As part of the consultation process, officials have stressed the Scottish Government''s desire that the child care element of the working tax credit and child care vouchers should be merged to create a straightforward, progressive and more accessible system.
The Scottish Government will continue to liaise with HMRC regarding the simplification of the tax credits system to make the process easier for parents and improve uptake for those families in need of support.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 9 September 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive how it is working with COSLA to increase the practical support available to kinship carers beyond its announced kinship care payment.
Answer
The Scottish Government and COSLA recognise more support is necessary for many kinship carers, including carers of children who are not looked after, and that includes practical and emotional support as well as financial assistance. Our work includes:
Commissioning jointly the national reference group, which is taking forward implementation of getting it right for every child in kinship and foster care, to produce a long-term vision for kinship care in Scotland, and will deliver guidance covering holistic support of kinship carers;
Providing a central government grant to Citizens Advice Scotland to deliver a specialist advice and information service to all kinship carers, which will be launched in September 2008. COSLA is a member of its national advisory group;
Working in partnership on the development of an early years framework to support the building of parenting, family and community capacity.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 15 August 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Adam Ingram on 9 September 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to ensure that, in line with the getting it right for every child in kinship and foster care strategy, kinship care is the first option considered for every child who can no longer live with its parent(s).
Answer
One of the guiding principles of getting it right for every child in foster and kinship care is: unless there are clear reasons why placement within the family would not be in the child''s interests, care within the wider family and community circle will be the first option for the child.
The steps being taken to achieve this include:
Guidance on the assessment and approval process for kinship carers of looked after children will be published shortly. This will cover the provision of support to kinship carers to ensure they are enabled to take on care of a child wherever this best meets the child''s needs;
Revised looked after children regulations will be issued for consultation by the end of 2008, which will make clear the role of the family in decision-making about the child and also the role of and responsibilities of approved kinship carers of looked after children, and
Training, information and guidance to support the implementation of the Adoption and Children (Scotland) Act 2007 has been commissioned. This will include the role of kinship carers in providing a permanent home for the children in their family.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 August 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 September 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the rates of meal allowances for NHS staff working away from home apply uniformly to all NHS staff or whether different grades or categories of staff have specific rates of meal allowance.
Answer
Whilst different staff groups within NHSScotland do work under different terms and conditions, the standard subsistence rates contained within these terms and conditions are currently the same. These rates are uniform and do not change according to the seniority of the claimant within a given staff group.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 August 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 September 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it is having with NHS employers on reviewing the rates of meal allowances for NHS staff working away from home to reflect rises in the cost of living.
Answer
Any changes to current terms and conditions for NHS staff, including subsistence rates, would be discussed on a UK-wide basis between health service trades unions and staff representative groups, NHS employers and UK health departments through the relevant negotiating machinery. No such discussions are currently taking place.
- Asked by: Jamie Hepburn, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 21 August 2008
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Current Status:
Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 5 September 2008
To ask the Scottish Executive under what agreement the present rates of meal allowances for NHS staff working away from home were set.
Answer
Subsistence rates for all non-medical staff are specified within Agenda for Change terms and conditions. Rates for medical staff are covered by the terms and conditions for their particular staff group.
