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: S5T-01023

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 16 April 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 April 2018

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has called in the planning application for a substation on the site of the former Cockenzie power station.

Question reference: S5O-01866

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 February 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 March 2018

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will comment on the trends in spending on schools since 2010-11.

Question reference: S5W-14473

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 28 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the inclusion of the experience of patients under 16 in the Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey.

We recognise the importance of ensuring that patient experience is captured and used in a meaningful way to influence the care that NHS Scotland provides to children and young people with cancer.

A stakeholder group has been established to provide advice on the methodology for the next Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey. However, the group agreed that it would not be appropriate to extend the Scottish Cancer Patient Experience Survey to children who are under 16. This is because the survey materials would need to be significantly tailored for those under 16, both to capture the different issues facing children and young people with cancer and to take account of the different information governance requirements for children.

Question reference: S5W-14534

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 08 February 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 20 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government(a) how many and (b) what percentage of children in each local authority area are absent from school due to sickness and are eligible for alternative education provision; how many (i) have and (ii) have not been provided with this within the target timescale, and what support it is giving to local authorities to ensure that all eligible children receive this within the target timescale.

The Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000 places duties on education authorities to make special arrangements for children or young people who are unable to attend school due to ill health to receive education elsewhere than at an educational establishment. This applies to all children who are unable to attend school due to ill health. Information on the numbers of children who have received support is not held centrally.

In June 2015, the Scottish Government published revised guidance to education authorities to support them in implementation of their duties under this legislation. This guidance is available on the Scottish Government’s website through the following link: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/06/6846.

Question reference: S5O-01781

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 31 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 8 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish responses to the consultation on the provisions of the proposed Education (Scotland) Bill, and its analysis of them.

Question reference: S5T-00913

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 05 February 2018
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 February 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to UCAS recording a fall in university applications by 18-year-olds from the most deprived areas.

Question reference: S5W-13978

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 22 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 29 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of children who were looked after for at least part of 2015-16 are in positive destinations, broken down by (a) local authority, (b) on leaving school and (c) 9 months after leaving school.

The following table shows percentages of children looked after in each local authority in Scotland who were in positive destinations a) on leaving school, and b) 9 months after leaving school. The figures are broken down by whether the child was looked after for the full year or only part of the year.

Total numbers of looked after school leavers in each local authority have been included for context. Numbers under 5 have been redacted for data protection and replaced with *.

Full year initial destinations

Full year follow up destination (after 9 months)

Part year initial destination

Part year follow up destination (after 9 months)

Local Authority	Positive %	Negative %	Positive %	Negative %	Total number of school leavers looked after for the full year	Positive %	Negative %	Positive %	Negative %	Total number of school leavers looked after for part of the year
Aberdeen City	87	13	73	27	15	35	65	35	65	26
Aberdeenshire	77	23	77	23	13	76	24	59	41	17
Angus	86	14	71	29	7	75	25	58	42	24
Argyll & Bute	60	40	80	20	5	63	38	63	38	8
Clackmannanshire	60	40	60	40	10	50	50	17	83	6
Dumfries & Galloway	100	0	54	46	13	68	32	74	26	19
Dundee City	75	25	68	32	19	63	38	13	88	8
East Ayrshire	65	35	65	35	17	58	42	75	25	12
East Dunbartonshire	100	0	75	25	*	75	25	25	75	*
East Lothian	91	9	100	0	11	54	46	54	46	13
East Renfrewshire	100	0	50	50	*	50	50	50	50	*
Edinburgh, City of	83	17	65	35	52	72	28	70	30	46
Eilean Siar	0	0	0	0	0	100	0	100	0	*
Falkirk	86	14	64	36	14	67	33	67	33	12
Fife	86	14	86	14	42	50	50	33	67	44
Glasgow	86	14	76	24	63	73	27	45	55	11
Highland	84	16	79	21	19	82	18	74	26	34
Inverclyde	50	50	75	25	*	80	20	40	60	5
Midlothian	75	25	50	50	8	79	21	74	26	19
Moray	60	40	60	40	10	60	40	60	40	5
North Ayrshire	80	20	67	33	15	79	21	57	43	14
North Lanarkshire	74	26	63	37	19	58	42	50	50	12
Orkney Islands	0	100	100	0	*	0	100	0	100	*
Perth & Kinross	91	9	91	9	11	90	10	80	20	10
Renfrewshire	57	43	57	43	21	52	48	48	52	21
Scottish Borders	73	27	82	18	11	78	22	67	33	9
Shetland Islands	100	0	100	0	*	50	50	50	50	*
South Ayrshire	62	38	62	38	13	85	15	70	30	20
South Lanarkshire	71	29	71	29	14	69	31	56	44	16
Stirling	67	33	63	38	8	57	43	43	57	7
West Dunbartonshire	80	20	80	20	10	22	78	22	78	9
West Lothian	46	54	62	38	13	74	26	52	48	23
All Scotland	78	22	71	29	466	66	34	56	44	462

The table above shows percentages of children looked after in each local authority in Scotland who were in positive destinations a) on leaving school, and b) 9 months after leaving school. The figures are broken down by whether the child was looked after for the full year or only part of the year. * Numbers under 5 have been redacted for data protection.

Question reference: S5W-13810

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2018
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 19 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of children who were looked after for at least part of 2015-16 are in positive destinations.

For young people who were looked after from August 2015 to July 2016 and those who left school during 2015-16 :

66% of school leavers looked after for part of the year left school for a positive destination.
78% of school leavers looked after for the full year left school for a positive destination.
9 months after leaving school, 56% of school leavers looked after for part of the year were in positive destinations.
9 months after leaving school, 71% of school leavers looked after for the full year were in positive destinations.

This information was published in Education Outcomes for Looked After Children 2015-16 http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2017/06/2978

Question reference: S5W-13602

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what estimate it has made of the proportion of people who have been homeless who also had a history of sexual abuse as a child.

The Scottish Government collects information from local authorities on homelessness applications through the HL1 quarterly return. This return provides individual-level information on applicants and their circumstances prior to making a homelessness application, such as their reason for making an application. It does not provide details of an applicant’s history of sexual abuse, and we would not consider it appropriate to collect such sensitive information in a return of this type.

We recognise that experiencing sexual abuse as a child can have a devastating long term impact on the lives of victims, and increase an individual’s vulnerability to circumstances such as homelessness. We are working with local authorities, health services and others to ensure that we address the more complex issues that can result in homelessness. We also recognise the need for services to be better aligned to both prevent homelessness and to provide trauma informed recovery and support services where necessary.

Question reference: S5W-13603

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 21 December 2017
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 17 January 2018

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it will take to ensure that (a) public and (b) third sector services working with people who are homeless have trained staff and resources available to identify and support survivors of child sexual abuse.

We recognise that sexual abuse can have a devastating, long-term impact on the lives of victims and increase an individual’s vulnerability to circumstances such as homelessness.

The Scottish Government has commissioned NHS Education Scotland to lead the development of a comprehensive National Trauma Skills and Knowledge Framework for anyone working with people who are affected by complex trauma, such as child sexual abuse. The framework will equip practitioners working in the statutory and voluntary sectors with the knowledge and skills to be able to identify those affected, or those at risk of abuse, and be able to respond in a way which will enhance the safety of children and adults in Scotland.