§ Mr. WallaceTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if Lord Cullen's recommendation for the development of a Scottish vocational qualification in respect of work with children has now been fully implemented; and if he will make a statement. [42419]
§ Mr. DewarA considerable amount of ground work has been undertaken by The Scottish Office in considering Lord Cullen's recommendation on a suitable qualification. Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQs) are work-based qualifications derived from national occupational standards. The then SCOTVEC (now part of the Scottish Qualifications Authority) was therefore unable to develop an SVQ prior to the development of standards by appropriate lead bodies (the relevant National Training Organisations for the various sectors involved in work with children and young people). An SVQ, however, might not in any case be the most suitable approach to training for a sector with a high incidence of volunteers. To date, priority has been given to consideration of Recommendation 27 in Lord Cullen's report for the accreditation and vetting of adults working with children and young people, the outcome of which could have a significant bearing on the training and qualifications requirements. A consultation paper on various options for training will be issued shortly.