Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-36987

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government when ministers last spoke to businesses about their expectations regarding opportunities through the funding provided through the Skills and Growth Levy and when they would be able to access such opportunities.

Question reference: S6W-36986

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in developing a replacement vehicle for the Flexible Workforce Development Fund, in light of the findings of the report that it commissioned EKOS Ltd to prepare, Evaluation: Flexible Workforce Development Fund (FWDF), which was published in January 2023.

Question reference: S6W-36985

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 April 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 6 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to bring back the Flexible Workforce Development Fund through the Skills and Growth Levy.

Question reference: S6W-36633

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-35365 by Jenny Gilruth on 11 March 2025, what progress it has made on any commitments in relation to (a) mainstreaming instrumental music tuition and (b) ensuring General Teaching Council for Scotland registration for instrumental music teachers.

As stated in my previous response to S6W-35365, Instrumental Music Tuition is offered in all local authority areas as an optional extra complementing classroom music lessons which form part of the Expressive Arts curriculum for all children.

Since 2021-22 the Scottish Government has provided dedicated funding to local authorities to remove fees for instrumental music. A further £12 million will be provided to councils in 2025-26, bringing the total funding since 2021-22 up to £51.3 million.

The Scottish Government continues to engage closely with a range of partners, including local authorities, teacher unions and the GTCS, to implement our commitments on instrumental music tuition. We intend to discuss detailed options in relation to GTCS Registration with interested parties in the coming months.

Question reference: S6W-36398

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 17 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to ensure that all aspects of the child contact process, including legal proceedings, court-ordered contact arrangements and the use and condition of contact centres, (a) meet the needs of children with additional support needs, including autism, (b) prioritise children's wellbeing and expressed wishes and (c) provide a trauma-informed, child-friendly environment.

The Scottish Government plans to lay secondary legislation in summer 2025 to add child contact services to the list of care services that the Care Inspectorate regulates. The Care Inspectorate will develop a Quality Framework for child contact services to help ensure the best outcomes for all children using these services, including those with additional needs.

The intention is that the Care Inspectorate will also be required to notify the Equality and Human Rights Commission where a child contact service provider has, or may have, failed to comply with their duties under the Equality Act 2010, and in particular any duty to make reasonable adjustments to premises to facilitate their use by disabled people.

The Children (Scotland) Act 2020 provides for a register of child welfare reporters, who can be appointed in child contact cases to obtain the child’s views or report on the child’s best interests. Once implemented, the register will help ensure reporters are skilled and trained in key areas, such as communicating with children and child development, including learning disabilities.

The Scottish Government will make further commencement regulations this year in relation to the 2020 Act, including provisions to enhance how the views of the child are heard. This was outlined to the Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee on 11 March 2025: Letter from the Minister for Victims and Community Safety.

The Scottish Government has also consulted on a proposed Learning Disability, Autism and Neurodivergence Bill. Proposals include better identification of neurodivergence within the justice system and mandatory training. The Scottish Government has committed to publishing draft provisions for this Bill.

Question reference: S6W-36294

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 April 2025
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 17 April 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to encourage GP practices in Glasgow to assess the access requirements of their patients.

GP practices in Glasgow, and elsewhere, must meet minimum standards for their practice premises which comply with their obligations under the Equality Act. This includes taking such steps as are reasonable to provide for ease of access to the practice premises and ease of movement within the practice premises for all users of the practice premises (including wheelchair users) and to provide adequate sound and visual systems for the hearing and visually impaired.

NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde is responsible for ensuring that its GP practices are meeting their contractual obligations.

Question reference: S6W-36804

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the report in The Herald on 4 April 2025 that critical materials have failed to be kept secure before the date of the assessment, what its response is to reported concerns that marking for the National 5 History paper has been compromised.

Question reference: S6W-36793

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 April 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 8 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-33240 by Jenny Gilruth on 28 January 2025, when the School Libraries Education and Policy Working Group will next convene.

Question reference: S6W-36729

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how the £900,000 that was allocated to local authorities in March 2024 to provide professional learning for school support staff in response to distressed behaviour was distributed; what criteria were used to determine allocations; what proportion of support staff has received training; what assessment it has made of (a) the effectiveness of this training as a standalone intervention and (b) whether this was adequate to meet the training needs of support staff, and how the impact of this funding is being monitored.

Question reference: S6W-36779

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 April 2025
Current Status: Answer expected on 7 May 2025

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason no school in the East Lothian Council area is reportedly offering Advanced Higher English for 2025-26; what discussions it has had with the local authority regarding this, and what support it can offer to pupils in the area seeking to study the subject.