The Scottish Government issued the results of the CLD Activity Survey this week.
This report sets out the key findings of the 2007 national activity survey for community learning and development (and associated evaluation). The survey was carried out by Learning Connections (part of the Lifelong Learning Directorate in the Scottish Government) with the objective of quantifying the scale of the activity delivered by community learning and development ( CLD) providers across Scotland.
ISD Scotland, part of NHS Scotland, issued Scottish Breast Screening Programme Statistics yesterday.
“The proportion of cancers diagnosed pre-operatively has increased from 67.7% to 94.7% in the last 10 years. Due to the development of radiological biopsy techniques over this time period, 94.7% of women screened who have a breast cancer were diagnosed by radiological biopsy within the screening centre, rather than requiring diagnostic surgery. Therefore the number of women requiring two operations, diagnostic as well as therapeutic, has been significantly reduced.”
Scottish Government Social Research issued this Research Report which identifies, collates and reviews the research-based evidence, encompassing attitudes to vocational learning.
“Vocational learning is central to the skills agenda in Scotland. Skills for Scotland highlighted the importance of individual development; asserted the goal of achieving “parity of esteem between academic and vocational learning”; and stressed the value of school-college partnerships in establishing a coherent system to support transition and encourage young people to stay in education and training post-16.”
The British Library’s Annual Report and Accounts 2007/08 focuses on how they “bring knowledge to life for hundreds of thousands of people”.
“The British Library’s contribution to national life – secured because of the scale, richness, and range of our collections – is a legacy of the good stewardship exercised by our predecessors over 250 years, which has ensured that the collections have been held intact for the nation and in trust for the global community.”
This Command Paper issued by the UK Treasury outlines the tools which the Authorities would like to have at their disposal which would allow them to intervene effectively when banks are close to failure.
“The publication of this document is intended to enable all stakeholders with an interest, particularly those with relevant technical expertise and knowledge, to engage with the Authorities on the detail of the proposals, prior to the introduction of the primary legislation later in 2008. This will help ensure that the measures which are introduced are effective, providing the Authorities with the necessary additional tools for dealing with those rare cases of bank failure, whilst maintaining the UK’s position as the world’s pre-eminent international financial centre.”
The House of Commons Transport Committee investigates the railway system in their Tenth Report of Session 2007-08.
“Our investigation, along with analyses from the ORR [Office of Rail Regulation], have led us to believe that the engineering overruns are symptomatic of crucial systemic flaws which have to be resolved if we are to have any hope of getting a sustainable railway”
Note that most rail matters are fully devolved to Scotland, so the report relates primarily to England.
The House of Commons International Development Committee examines the crucial work of the World Food Programme and DFID’s involvement in it in their Tenth Report of Session 2007-08.
“Malnutrition is responsible for one–third of child deaths. Yet nutrition is under-funded and under-emphasised by the international community and the UN system. We are shocked that DFID lacks both a specific nutrition policy and measurable targets for assessing progress in reducing malnutrition. This must change.”
Eurostat, the statistical agency of the European Union, issued its Yearbook this month. It presents a comprehensive selection of statistical data on Europe. Most data cover the period 1996-2006 and some indicators are provided for other countries such as EU candidate countries, members of EFTA, Japan and the USA.
The following areas are treated: the economy, education, health, living conditions and welfare, the labour market, industry and services, agriculture, forestry and fisheries, international trade, transport, the environment, energy, science and technology, and European regions. This year’s spotlight chapter covers Europe’s aging society.
So, to cut a long story short, if you want to know what percentage of tertiary education students in Greece are studying engineering (16.5 %, seeing as you’re asking) or how many million tonnes of carbon monoxide the Swedes emitted in 2005 (0.6) then this is the place to go.
