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: S4W-18400

Asked by: Jean Urquhart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many of the (a) deck and (b) engine ratings trained by Caledonian MacBrayne since 2000-01 were (i) new entrants to the industry and (ii) from other ratings grades.

Please see the following information.

	Deck Rating Trainee	Engine Rating Trainee
2006-07	4	0
2007-08	0	0
2008-09	0	0
2009-10	3	0
2010-11	0	0
2011-12	0	0
2012-13	0	0
2013-14	6	4
TOTAL	13	4

Of the ten trainees in the current year, two are ex-seasonal senior chief ratings with the company while two were ex-seasonal port assistants with the company.

It is not possible to break down the figures for previous years as this information is not held centrally.

Information is only available for the period during which CalMac Ferries Ltd has provided services under the Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services under the terms of a public service contract with the Scottish Government.

Question reference: S4W-18396

Asked by: Jean Urquhart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many maritime (a) ratings and (b) officer apprenticeships Caledonian MacBrayne will offer in each of the next three years.

CalMac Ferries Ltd have the following plans for 2013-14:

Officer cadets: 15 will complete their training and 16 new cadets to be recruited.

rating to officer cadets: three will be continuing from the previous year. Any new applications for rating to officer training will depend on applications received and appraisal recommendations.

Rating Trainees: 10 new ratings currently being trained to meet fleet manning requirements. These all follow the new apprenticeship route and four have transferred from other departments.

CalMac’s expectations for 2014-15 and 2015-16 are as follows:

Officer cadets: Year 2014-15: 12 will complete their training and expect to recruit 12 new cadets.

Officer cadets: Year 2015-16: 17 will complete their training and expect to recruit 17 new cadets.

Rating to officer cadets: Any new applications for rating to officer training will depend on applications received and appraisal recommendations.

Rating Trainees: CalMac are currently expecting to train 10 new ratings to meet fleet manning requirements each year. Again, all will follow the new apprenticeship route and some will upskill and transfer from other departments.

The officer cadets are employed by Clyde Marine Training Limited and then sponsored by CalMac Ferries Limited. They are not regarded as apprentices. The rating trainees are employed by CalMac Ferries Ltd directly and follow the Merchant Navy Training Board Ratings Apprenticeships scheme.

Question reference: S4W-18401

Asked by: Jean Urquhart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 15 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 28 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what Caledonian MacBrayne's expenditure on training has been in each year since 2000-01.

Expenditure on seagoing staff training since 2007-08 is as follows:

Year	Expenditure on Training
2007-08	£1,175,796
2008-09	£1,371,256
2009-10	£1,165,407
2010-11	£1,146,779
2011-12	£771,969
2012-13	£1,378,505

Additional costs have been incurred in training for the introduction of new vessels.

Question reference: S4O-02539

Asked by: Jean Urquhart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 October 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its review of the regulatory framework that supports the community pharmacy applications process and the power that NHS boards are given in relation to dispensing GP practices.

Question reference: S4O-02502

Asked by: Jean Urquhart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to review the document retention policies of all public bodies in the criminal justice system.

Question reference: S4W-17425

Asked by: Jean Urquhart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 9 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Minister for Children and Young People (a) has met and (b) plans to meet the Scottish Kinship Care Alliance on the issue of kinship care and what the reasons are for its position on the matter.

The Minister for Children and Young People met with representatives of the Scottish Kinship Care Alliance on 25 September 2013 to discuss, part 9 - Counselling Services and part 10 – Support for Kinship Care Order, of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill.

A link to the Scottish Governments Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill and its accompanying documents is attached.

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/People/Young-People/legislation.

Question reference: S4W-17421

Asked by: Jean Urquhart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 8 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has not published the response by the New Fossils, East Glasgow Kinship Care support group to the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S4W-17422

Asked by: Jean Urquhart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 8 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the support of kinship carers for the Children 1st Kinship Care project.

The Scottish Government funded Kinship Care National Training and Outreach Service delivered by Children 1^st is the first service of its kind in Scotland which builds the capacity of carers and their communities to help each other.

Providing regular support and information to over 509 kinship carers and 42 groups across Scotland the service has helped to helped create new peer support groups and given voice to carers.

Children 1^st carried out a service user survey between 16 May and 13 June 2013. The results of this survey can be found at the attached link.

http://www.children1st.org.uk/media/162911/july-newsletter.pdf.

Question reference: S4W-17423

Asked by: Jean Urquhart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 8 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had with (a) Children 1st and (b) kinship care support groups since April 2011.

Question reference: S4W-17426

Asked by: Jean Urquhart, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 8 October 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it takes account of the views and experiences of (a) kinship carers and (b) children with (i) formal, (ii) informal and (iii) other kinship care arrangements or who are subject to (A) residence and (B) supervision orders and, if so, how it does this and since when.

The Scottish Government has regularly sought the views and experiences of all kinship carers and children living in kinship care arrangements whether formally through a supervision order or informally , including through a residence order.

In seeking the views and experiences of kinship carers, the Scottish Government has engaged regularly with kinship carers from across Scotland, including groups such as the Scottish Kinship Care Alliance. To seek the views of children and young people, including those in a range of care arrangements we have engaged with organisations that have expertise in working with children and young people, such as Children 1st, Who Cares, Through Care and Aftercare Forum, Children’s Parliament, Scottish Youth Parliament, Young Scot and others.