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: S5O-01458

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 08 November 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 November 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what support it provides for community radio stations, such as East Coast FM in East Lothian.

Question reference: S5W-11734

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether the finance sub group of the Further and Higher Education Support Review has considered the possible costs of different options of student support.

Question reference: S5W-11753

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it provides all secretariat support to the Further and Higher Education Support Review and all the sub groups, or whether staff from Virgin Money are also providing such support.

As set out in the original remit for the review (which can be found at http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Education/UniversitiesColleges/studentsupportreview), Scottish Government officials provide secretariat support. This support has extended to both the main Review group and the review’s sub-groups. In order to help her carry out aspects of the role of independent chair of the review, Ms Gadhia has drawn support from members of her team within Virgin Money UK.

Question reference: S5W-11733

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 02 October 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 25 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government on what dates the finance sub group of the Further and Higher Education Support Review has met, and who attended.

Question reference: S5W-11542

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 23 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the decision to do so in England and Wales, whether it will introduce a five-year relief on non-domestic rates for new fibre cabling.

Question reference: S5W-11543

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 26 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 20 October 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, other than the support that it gives to the Student Awards Agency Scotland, what non-repayable student funding schemes its provides funding for, broken down by (a) which body receives this, (b) who administers the support given to students and (c) how much it provided in the most recent available year.

Providing student support funding for students in Further Education (FE), is a function of the Scottish Funding Council (SFC). The SFC sets the student support budget from within its overall funding allocation, distributing it to colleges who are then responsible for administering this funding to their students.

For academic year 2017-18, £107,789,744 has been allocated to the student support budget by the SFC and can be used for student maintenance for living costs, childcare costs, travel costs, study equipment, additional support costs for disabled students, and additional discretionary payments to students experiencing hardship.

The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) programme is administered by local authorities and the SFC on behalf of the Scottish Government. EMA aims to provide financial support to 16 to 19 year-olds from low-income households who are attending non-advanced education in school, college or Activity Agreement. It is also available to those who are home-educated. The funds are paid directly into the bank account of the young person at a rate of £30 a week paid fortnightly in arrears.

The most recently available statistics show that the total amount spent on EMA payments in 2014-15 was £26.5 million.

Question reference: S5W-11367

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 28 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the membership is of the (a) Product Design, (b) Benefits and Support, (c) Information, Advice and Guidance and Financial Literacy, (d) Effective Administration and (e) Finance sub group to the Further and Higher Education Support Review, and what (i) organisations and (ii) individuals have been invited on to these sub groups.

Jayne-Anne Gadhia, CEO of Virgin Money was appointed as Independent Chair of the Review of Student Support in October 2016. Membership of the Review Group is published on the Scottish Government website at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Education/UniversitiesColleges/studentsupportreview.

In her role as Chair, Ms Gadhia appointed four Review group members as Chairs of the Product Design; Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) and Financial Literacy; Benefits and Support; and Effective Administration and Delivery sub-groups. Each sub-group Chair has reported the work of their own group to the main Review group and Chair.

Overall membership of the four sub-groups was appointed by each of the sub-group Chairs and is provided below:

Product Design

Shona Struthers, Chair	Colleges Scotland
Dr John Kemp	Scottish Funding Council (SFC)
Lorna Caldwell	Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS)
Angela Cox	Borders College
Gillian Plunkett	City of Glasgow College
Erin McAuley	Scottish Youth Parliament and current student
Alastair Sim	Universities Scotland
Russell Gunson	IPPR Scotland
Annag MacLean	Headteacher
David Wallace	Student Loans Company
Maggie Wightman	Student Loans Company
Ann Gordon	University of Dundee/National Association of Student Money Advisers (NASMA)
Chris Greenshields	UNISON
Graeme Forrester	UNISON
Angela Toal	CPAG Scotland
Philip Whyte	NUS Scotland (until June 2017)
Vonnie Sandlan	NUS Scotland (until June 2017)
Fergus Boden	NUS Scotland (from June 2017)

IAG and Financial Literacy

Yvonne MacDermid, Chair (from March 2017, previously Louise Macdonald, Young Scot to March 2017)	Money Advice Scotland
Laura McCluskey	Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS)
Angela Toal	CPAG Scotland
Patricia Murray	UNISON
Liz Clark	UNISON
Letitia Friary	Napier University
Neil Cowie	North East Scotland College (NESCOL)
Ian Hanson	Skills Development Scotland (SDS)
Ann Gordon	University of Dundee/National Association of Student Money Advisers (NASMA)
Louise Macdonald	Young Scot
Dr Jenny Peachey	Carnegie Trust UK
Philip Whyte	NUS Scotland (until June 2017)
Vonnie Sandlan	NUS Scotland (until June 2017)
Risga Carson	NUS Scotland (from June 2017)

Benefits and Support

Russell Gunson, Chair	IPPR Scotland
Angela Toal	CPAG Scotland
Erin McAuley	Scottish Youth Parliament and current student
Dr Muir Houston	University of Glasgow
Steven McAvoy	ENABLE Scotland
Paul Traynor	Carers Trust
Satwat Rehman	One Parent Families Scotland
Robert Foster	WhoCares? Scotland
Louise Park	Ayrshire College
Chris Greenshields	UNISON
Angie Cruikshank	UNISON
Heather Noller	Carer’s Trust Scotland
Rebecca Scarlett	LEAD Scotland
Philip Whyte	NUS Scotland (until June 2017)
Vonnie Sandlan	NUS Scotland (until June 2017)
Fergus Boden	NUS Scotland (from June 2017)

Effective Administration and Delivery

Dr John Kemp, Chair	Scottish Funding Council (SFC)
Paul Lowe	Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS)
Andrew Cunningham	Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS)
Tracey Slaven	University of Edinburgh
Chris Greenshields	UNISON
Graeme Forrester	UNISON
Wendy Brymer	Fife College
David Wallace	Student Loans Company
Philip Whyte	NUS Scotland (until June 2017)
Risga Carson / Fergus Boden	NUS Scotland (from June 2017)

The Scottish Government provides secretariat support to both the main Review group and all sub-groups. Complementing the four sub-groups, Ms Gadhia has been working with Scottish Government officials on a Finance sub-group concerned with assembly of relevant financial information on the current student support system as it relates to colleges and universities, with the Chair reporting directly to the Review group on that.

The Review process has engaged extensively with students via a student survey, consultation, and focus groups which have taken place at both colleges and universities across Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-11123

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 07 September 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what process it will undertake to implement the introduction of chief education officers in every local authority, as legislated for in the Education (Scotland) Bill, and what the timescale is for this.

Question reference: S5O-01260

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 September 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 20 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take on sentencing and stronger controls on the sale of corrosive chemicals to tackle the use of acid as a weapon.

Question reference: S5W-10474

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 25 July 2017
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 12 September 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking or plans to invest in drug education and prevention for young people and school pupils in the Motherwell and Wishaw constituency.

It is the responsibility of local authorities and schools to determine how they will best resource and deliver substance misuse education to suit the children and young people in their area, in line with the Curriculum for Excellence experiences and outcomes. The level of drug taking among young people remains low (Scottish Schools Adolescent Lifestyle and Substance Use Survey published 25 October 2016).

The Scottish Government has recently reviewed the types of substance misuse education and prevention interventions for which there is evidence of effectiveness. This work will inform policy making and best practice guidance for Scottish local authorities, including North Lanarkshire council.

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/12/4388

The interventions we directly support will also be aligned with evidence from the review. This includes the ‘Choices for Life’ substance misuse education programme for school children, delivered in partnership with Young Scot and Police Scotland. Proactive targeting of interventions to address emerging local trends is part of this work.

http://young.scot/choices-for-life/