Questions and answers

Question reference: S6O-02035

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to maintain relationships with Scotland's European neighbours post-Brexit.

Question reference: S6W-15717

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 March 2023
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 14 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent inspection by Historic Environment Scotland of the works at the Union Chain Bridge over the River Tweed, and what its position is on whether the works carried out by Northumberland County Council comply with the consents granted in relation to the site's listed building status.

The Scottish Government delivers support for the historic environment through sponsorship of Historic Environment Scotland. We rely on Historic Environment Scotland as the experts to conserve and protect our important heritage assets for current and future generations to enjoy and benefit from. I am pleased that Historic Environment Scotland provided £500,000 for the Union Chain Bridge project to fund repair work. As the site visit that was carried out at the Union Chain Bridge is an operational matter for Historic Environment Scotland, I have asked it to write to the member with a more detailed answer to his question.

Question reference: S6O-01980

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 March 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential impact of the retirement of Hunterston B and Torness on Scotland’s CO2 emissions.

Question reference: S6O-01954

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 March 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent study by the University of Stirling, published on 20 February 2023, which showed that the curriculum is narrowing under the Curriculum for Excellence, with a reduction in the choice of school subjects.

Question reference: S6F-01829

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 February 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 February 2023

To ask the First Minister what recent action the Scottish Government has been taking to keep The Promise to young people in care.

Question reference: S6W-14439

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what requirements there are to undertake a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) as part of designing and planning new schools.

Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) is a process through which authorities can identify, research, analyse and record the anticipated impact of any proposed measure – including new schools - on children’s human rights and wellbeing.

The CRWIA provides a template to help assess the impact of the measure on the Articles of the UNCRC, and consider how implementation of it can help progress the realisation of children’s rights, and support and promote the wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland.

The Learning Estate Strategy 2019 which underpins the Learning Estate Investment Programme incorporates a requirement to consult in its guiding principles. The subsequent CRWIA guidance Nov 2021 states that the CRWIA template “is a tool that can help inform and meet these duties”. The Learning Estate Investment Programme will signpost the CRWIA guidance and templates as part of the shared learning event programme.

Question reference: S6W-14440

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to update its guidance, School design: optimising the internal environment: building our future: Scotland's school estate, which was published in 2007.

As part of a continual cycle of feedback and sharing lessons learned, Scottish Government and COSLA jointly published ‘Scotland’s Learning Estate Strategy - Connecting People, Places and Learning’ in 2019. This includes information from a findings report which draws out experiences from projects in the £1.8bn Scotland’s Schools for the Future (SSF) Programme.

Information is gathered via a Post-Occupancy Evaluation of each school constructed or refurbished through the SSF Programme, and this is a requirement of funding to ensure that lessons learned help inform future investment. A review of this feedback is currently being undertaken and will distil findings by summer 2023 to help identify any actions needed to review guidance or develop new methods for sharing best practice.

In addition, an ongoing series of shared learning events which will are open to all local authorities has also been established as a forum to work collaboratively. These will occur quarterly and include the annual Learning Places Scotland Conference.

Question reference: S6W-14441

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2023
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 7 February 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what information it collects on whether new schools in Scotland meet the standards set out in the (a) UK Government document, Building Bulletin 93: Acoustic design of schools: performance standards, and (b) Scottish Government guidance, School design: optimising the internal environment: building our future: Scotland's school estate.

It is the statutory responsibility of all local authorities to manage and maintain their school estate, therefore, we do not routinely collect this information.

Information is however gathered via a Post-Occupancy Evaluation of each school constructed or refurbished through the £1.8bn Scotland’s Schools for the Future Programme, and this is a requirement of funding to ensure that lessons learned help inform future investment. A review of this feedback is currently being undertaken and will distil findings by summer 2023 to help identify any actions needed to review guidance or develop new methods for sharing best practice.

In addition, an ongoing series of shared learning events which will are open to all local authorities has also been established as a forum to work collaboratively. These will occur quarterly and include the annual Learning Places Scotland Conference in November.

We understand that BB93 is in the process of being updated and will review the new version when available. Implications arising from this will be assessed and considered for adoption within projects supported through the Learning Estate Investment Programme.

Question reference: S6O-01829

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill, including the latest discussions it has had with the UK Government.

Question reference: S6W-11591

Asked by: Martin Whitfield, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 December 2022
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 10 January 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made in delivering equity of access to mental health support services for college and university students.

We have met the manifesto commitment to provide more than 80 additional counsellors in Further and Higher Education over four years as set out in our 2018-19 Programme for Government and reiterated in our 2021-22 Programme for Government. The commitment was achieved ahead of time, with an investment of £11.5 million to date and a further £2 million committed in this Academic Year to March 2023. We are also committed to provide further funding for the remainder of the Academic Year (April to July 2023), which falls into the Government’s next financial year.

We have also invested in the NUS Think Positive Initiative which has led to the creation of institution led Student Mental Health Agreements to improve student mental health support in colleges and universities. In addition, the launch of the Think Positive hub, in spring 2022, provides students with extra clarity on how to access student mental health services in colleges and universities.

At the same time we have invested in a comprehensive package of support for mental wellbeing through NHS Scotland and in communities, including an investment of £21 million for adult community based initiatives.

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