Tracker
>> UPCOMING CROSS-PARTY GROUPS
DECEMBER 16 Cross-Party Group on Sexual health
Cross-Party Group on Climate Change Committee Room 5, Scottish Parliament, 5.30pm
Committee Room 6, Scottish Parliament, 5.30pm Catherine Murphy 0141 332 3838 Catherine.Murphy@tht.org.uk
Ruth Dawkins 0131 311 6512 Ruth.Dawkins@rspb.org.uk
JanUaRy 7
DECEMBER 17 Cross-Party Group on Palliative Care
Cross-Party Group on Golf Committee Room 4, Scottish Parliament, 5.45pm
Room TG20-21, Scottish Parliament, 12.30pm Pauline Britton 0131 229 0538 pauline@palliativecarescotland.org.uk
Gemma Climson 0131 348 5830 Gemma.Climson@scottish.parliament.uk
JanUaRy 29
Cross-Party Group on international Development Cross-Party Group on Sport
Committee Room 6, Scottish Parliament, 5.30pm Committee Room 3, Scottish Parliament, 12.45pm
Christopher Kelly christopher.kelly@scottish.parliament.uk Peter Warren 0131 348 5714 Peter.Warren@scottish.parliament.uk
The number of children with six referrals to the tribunal, one of bly within a dedicated new forum. “development to the next stage is
additional support needs that do which was upheld, MSPs heard. Durrani, however, questioned the very difficult”. Duckett later added
not have a Co-ordinated Support The Government has also com- “plan’s coherence”, warning that that memorandums between govern-
Plan (CSP) - an educational plan missioned the Govan Law Centre the various objectives should not ments “can be useful”, but warned
prepared for certain children and to undertake development courses be considered in isolation from that the most successful working
young people with additional sup- on advocacy with a number of vol- each other. relationships are developed “from
port needs by their local authority unteer advocacy organisations like Ted Brocklebank (Con) asked the bottom up”.
- is “not good enough”, McKend- the National Autistic Society. It whether the witnesses believed “One of the key things that the
rick added. A short-term working is now considering how advocacy Scotland should have its own strat- Scottish Government could do that
group between a number of local support can be improved but the egy on interactions with China, would benefit Scottish universities is
authorities is currently discussing decision about what services will be separate from that of the United to provide more support for schol-
this issue, he said. The outcome of provided has yet to be made. Kingdom. Blackmore expressed arships, and for bringing the best
these discussions will be shared with “no doubt” that a Scottish strategy researchers to the UK from China,”
Learning and Teaching Scotland is important, while also stressing he added, stressing that “there is a
to consider continuing professional EURoPEan anD the importance of connecting “our perception in China that the US is
development and publicise best
EXTERnaL RELaTionS
strategy firmly with the UK strat- the place to go because that is where
practice.
CoMMiTTEE
egy”. McKerracher also backed the scholarships are”. McKerracher
Parents’ inability to get assis- an integrated Scottish strategy, agreed on that point, also stressing
tance with legal representation in DECEMBER 2 arguing that Chinese officials wel- that Scotland has to compete with
tribunals was raised by SNP MSP By Chris Wilson come co-ordination between Scot- shorter – and therefore cheaper –
Kenneth Gibson. Given that edu- At the first of two round-table dis- tish and UK policies. Cross added qualifications and top-up courses in
cation authorities have recently cussions about the Scottish Govern- that the main benefit of having a England.
begun to “show up with fairly senior ment’s China plan, the committee distinct Scottish approach “is that Alex Neil (SNP) later asked
legal representation”, McKendrick heard evidence from Roy Cross, it provides a focus for joined-up whether a formal group bring-
agreed this is an issue. A level play- director of the British Council Scot- engagement on the part of Scot- ing together Scottish organisations
ing field is not always there in tribu- land, Frances Christensen, general tish organisations and institutions”, with an interest in China should
nals and the experience is not often manager of the Confucius Insti- while also calling for more research be established. Blackmore said this
a pleasant one for parents, he told tute for Scotland, Professor Kay on Scotland’s strengths and how would be “helpful” as the various
MSPs. Livingston, Learning and Teach- these can best be marketed to Scottish bodies “need to get better
Given the adversarial nature of ing Scotland, Professor Stephen China. Houlihan called for greater at listening to what our counterparts
tribunals, Gibson asked the witness Blackmore, director of the Royal co-operation between educational and others in China are interested
about parents’ access to advocacy Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Profes- institutions, while Duckett argued in doing”. McKerracher noted
and mediation prior, to avoid having sor Tariq Durrani, vice-president for “a bit more cohesion and inter- that while many stakeholders meet
to go through this process. of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, linking between higher education regularly in different groups, “there
The Government recognises Michelle Grimley, Scotland’s Col- and the business objectives”. is a lot to be gained from an over-
the need to re-examine advo- leges International, Morag Arnot, Jim Hume (Lib Dem) then asked arching view” of Scottish-Chinese
cacy services for additional sup- Scottish Arts Council, Professor where the witnesses had found diffi- relations. Livingston argued such a
port needs, McKendrick said. It Jane Duckett, Universities Scotland, culties building links with China, to group would be “extremely helpful”
stepped in to save ISEA, a free and Professor Dominic Houlihan, which Grimley responded that “it is to the early development of Scot-
support and advocacy service for University of Aberdeen. very difficult for the college sector to land’s China plan. “Such engage-
parents of children with special The witnesses broadly wel- make links in China”, despite suc- ment would not necessarily go on
needs, when its principal sources comed the Scottish Government’s cessful work from Elmwood College for a long time, but it is important
of funding dried up in October. China plan, while also calling on golf management qualifications. that we co-ordinate activity at the
Since that time it has taken 94 calls, widely for greater co-operation She also argued that forming work- beginning,” she added. Duckett
taken on 19 new cases and made between domestic bodies, possi- ing agreements is “easy” but that and Houlihan also backed the idea
| www.holyrood.com | Holyrood magazine | 15 December 2008 |
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