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-24979

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on when the Initial Teacher Education National Maths Group will next meet.

As announced in the statement to the Scottish Parliament on 12 December 2023, the Council of Deans agreed to reconvene their Initial Teacher Education (ITE) National Maths Group.

The first meeting of the reconvened group took place on 29 January 2024 and we understand that the Council of Deans will be communicating with members in due course about the timings and focus for future meetings.

The ITE Maths group will meet up to four times per year. An Education Scotland representative will be invited to each meeting. Contact details for the Council of Deans are available at: https://www.scde.ac.uk/contact-us/ .

Question reference: S6W-24968

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding the use of mobile phones in schools.

Work to refresh guidance on the use of mobile phones in schools is underway. There have been high level discussions with local authority and school representatives as part of that process. The Scottish Advisory Group on Relationships and Behaviour in Schools, which includes a wide range of representative interests, including local authorities and others, will oversee the development of the refreshed guidance, which will be published in the Spring.

Question reference: S6W-24978

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 19 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates the review of the literacy and English curriculum update will begin.

Question reference: S6W-25171

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 02 February 2024
Current Status: Answered by Tom Arthur on 16 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will extend the 100% non-domestic rates relief for eligible day nurseries beyond June 2023.

Question reference: S6W-25023

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 15 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it anticipates that the advisory group considering the implementation of the recommendations from the review of allied health professionals will report.

The Advisory Group is expected to offer expert advice and provide assurance on activities being taken forward to progress the implementation of the recommendations of the Allied Health Professions Education and Workforce Policy Review and, although is not expected to exist in perpetuity, will continue until such time as systems, processes and activities are embedded that can demonstrate that progress is adequately assured..

This is likely to mean at least 4 quarterly meetings and meetings are currently scheduled until October 2024.

The group is chaired by Professor Carolyn McDonald, Chief Allied Health Professions Officer, who will report progress towards the implementation of the recommendations to the Chief Nursing Officer and Scottish Ministers as required.

Question reference: S6O-03101

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to support access to health and social care services in Glasgow.

Question reference: S6W-24980

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 30 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 13 February 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-24473 by Natalie Don on 26 January 2024, what impact it anticipates the reallocation of funding away from regional improvement collaboratives will have on the newly appointed speech and language leads carrying out their objectives.

Question reference: S6W-24473

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 26 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23500 by Jenni Minto on 11 December 2023, how it expects that regional leads for early years speech and language will work with regional improvement collaboratives.

The Regional Early Years Speech and Language Leads will work alongside the Regional Improvement Collaboratives and across local services and agencies to encourage the development of a sustainable whole systems approach to improving children’s speech, language and communication outcomes from pre-birth to school entry. They will work together to connect partners, develop and share resources and expertise, and maximise opportunities to support children’s speech, language and communication development.

Question reference: S6W-23885

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 23 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many probationer teachers are currently supernumerary.

The total number of Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS) probationers allocated to local authorities in May 2023 on a supernumerary basis was 626.

This is the number for which local authorities have declared there are no specific probation places for. Probation numbers fluctuate due to deferrals and drop-outs etc. To date there are over 500 deferrals and withdrawals from this year’s initial cohort so the 600 “supernumerary” figure as of May 2023 does not mean there are 600 surplus teachers.

The teacher workforce planning model estimates future student teacher intake numbers by rolling forward recent patterns in the school pupil and staff censuses and other data including national population projections and teacher wastage and turnover.

Question reference: S6W-24474

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it expects to have confirmed a university to lead the Centre of Teaching Excellence.