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.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 2507 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S5O-02247

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 June 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it is progressing the Distress Brief Intervention pilot.

Question reference: S5O-02218

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 June 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 13 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the Young Women Lead report on sexual harassment in schools.

Question reference: S5O-02190

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 June 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it will report on the consultation on its Review of the Regulation of Legal Services.

Question reference: S5W-16498

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on collecting national data regarding prejudice-based bullying, instead of collecting this on a local basis.

We recognise that monitoring of bullying incidents is essential and helps organisations identify recurring patterns thereby ensuring early intervention and support. In addition, the data can help identify numeric trends, specific issues around equality and diversity and other relevant data/patterns which may help schools and local authorities to address bullying incidents efficiently.

That is why we believe that collection of data is more appropriate at the local authority and school level.

Question reference: S5W-16497

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how (a) it and (b) education authorities ensure that the collection and analysis of data relating to prejudice-based bullying is robust for each school.

We acknowledge that the existing system for recording and monitoring needs to change. The Short Life Working Group on Recording and Monitoring of Bullying Incidents in Schools was convened in December 2017 to recommend improvements to SEEMiS which will inform the implementation of universal approach to record and monitor incidents in schools.

SEEMiS is the national school management system which allows schools to record incidents of bullying through it’s Bullying and Equalities application.

As part of the introduction of a universal approach the Short Life Working Group are developing an evaluation process to ensure that schools are recording appropriately.

Question reference: S5W-16491

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government which third-sector organisations were represented on its advisory council for its anti-bullying strategy, and whether any have a specific remit of advocating for discriminated persons.

The working group that informed the development of ‘Respect for All’ included LGBT Youth Scotland; Stonewall Scotland; and ENABLE. All of these organisations have a specific remit for advocating for discriminated persons.

LGBT Youth Scotland and Stonewall Scotland advocate for equality for LGBTI pupils, ENABLE is a member led charity that supports people who have learning disabilities and their families.

Question reference: S5W-16489

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that victims of sexualised racial assault in schools are assisted in reporting this as a crime.

The safety of children and young people in schools is of paramount importance, everyone who works in a school has a duty of care to ensure the welfare of all pupils.

Child protection is vitally important and the Scottish Government agrees that everyone working in schools should clearly understand their child protection responsibilities.

All those working with children and young people should have a clear understanding of what bullying is and the importance of children’s rights and child protection. All people working with children and young people should be very clear on what action to take if they feel that a crime may have been committed. In each and every case a crime is suspected, Police Scotland should be contacted.

We are working with schools, local authorities and Police Scotland to ensure that children and young people have the ability to report a crime. The work of Police Scotland’s Campus Officers has been invaluable in this regard.

Question reference: S5W-16500

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what structures and processes it will put in place to ensure that the longer-term recommendations of the Short Life Working Group on Recording and Monitoring Bullying in Schools are progressed.

We recognise that it is important that the universal approach to recording and monitoring incidents of bullying in schools is implemented with as much support available to schools as possible. Members of the Short Life Working Group have agreed to continue to meet to oversee implementation and to ensure that it is making a difference to children and young people and is meeting the needs of all school staff.

We are proposing to establish an Operational Support group who will be available to assist schools and local authorities as the new approach is implemented.

Question reference: S5W-16495

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that education authorities meet their obligations under the Equality Act 2010 to work to (a) eliminate discrimination, harassment, and victimisation, (b) advance equality of opportunity and (c) foster good relations between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not, in relation to bullying.

Bullying of any form is entirely unacceptable and we must challenge and address all types of bullying behaviour in schools. We want all children and young people to learn tolerance, respect, equality and good citizenship to address and prevent prejudice.

Education authorities are covered by the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (as amended), which sets out a number specific duties for public authorities, including: publishing equality outcomes, assessing policies and practices against the requirements of the public sector equality duty; publishing employee information; and reporting on the mainstreaming of equality throughout the organisation.

Education authorities publish regular reports, either in their own right or as part of a local authority, on the work they are doing to deliver the public sector equality duty. Regulation of the Equality Act 2010, including the 2012 Regulations, is carried out by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Education Scotland is responsible for inspecting all schools in Scotland (local authority and independent) against the same quality indicators as part of assessing How Good is Your school (HGIOS4).

Question reference: S5W-16492

Asked by: Linda Fabiani, MSP for East Kilbride, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 08 May 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 May 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to incorporate a legal definition of prejudiced-based bullying in Scots law and, if so, how this is being progressed.

There is no legal definition of bullying in Scotland and there are currently no plans to define bullying including prejudice-based bullying in law.

The Equality Act 2010 places an obligation on schools and other public authorities to ensure that bullying by pupils that is related to a protected characteristic is treated with the same level of seriousness as any other form of bullying and that anti-bullying and other relevant policies are assessed against the public sector equality duty.