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: S5W-33545

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 7 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of studies conducted by Public Health England that have identified a higher death rate from COVID-19 among people with learning disabilities, whether it has conducted any similar studies in Scotland and, if not, what assessment it has made of (a) the number of deaths from COVID-19 among people with learning disabilities compared with the general population and (b) any other increased risk for such people in relation to the ongoing pandemic.

Question reference: S5W-33561

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Clare Haughey on 7 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what research it has carried out on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with Down’s syndrome, and whether the mortality risk from the virus for people with this condition is higher than that for the general population.

At the outset of the pandemic, the four Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) published a list of six groups where people would be considered to be at the highest clinical risk from COVID-19.

The initial approach was based on best evidence at the time. We are committed to following the evidence and we have refined the shielding criteria as new evidence emerges.

For this reason the 4 UK CMOs considered data from a new study recently published (QCOVID model - https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m3731 ) and based on evidence agreed to include to the shielding list people aged 18 and over with Down’s Syndrome.

As indicated in the answer to question S5W-32920 on 2 November 2020, letters are being issued to those people affected to inform them that they will be added to the shielding list and to explain what it means for them.

All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx .

Question reference: S5W-33608

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 3 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how many East Lothian planning appeals Reporters have considered and how many decisions made by the local planning authority were overturned, in each year since 2016 to date, and how these figures compared with the Scottish average.

The number of planning appeals that have been examined by a reporter, and those that have been subsequently allowed by a reporter since 2016, for East Lothian Council area and Scotland as a whole, are set out in the following table.

Period	East Lothian			Scotland
Period	Decided	Allowed	%age Allowed	Decided	Allowed	%age Allowed
2016	4	3	75%	202	110	54%
2017	3	1	33%	173	73	42%
2018	4	1	25%	183	71	39%
2019	4	3	75%	162	69	43%
01-01-20 to 30-11-20	4	2	50%	123	55	45%

* Figures shown relate to the period 01-01-2016 until 30-11-2020, broken down by year.

Question reference: S5T-02555

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 30 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it is giving to lengthening the school Christmas holidays, in light of COVID-19 concerns.

Question reference: S5W-33294

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 30 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the General Teaching Council for Scotland regarding student placements in the 2020-21 academic year.

Question reference: S5W-33295

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 30 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the General Teaching Council for Scotland to ensure that student teachers who miss more than five days' placement due to self-isolating in relation to COVID-19 will not fail courses.

The Scottish Government has regular discussions with the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) in regard to student placements.

The GTCS and key stakeholders produced guidance on student teacher professional placements for the period to December 2020 which was issued to all local authorities. This states that if a student teacher considers that they have exceptional circumstances this should be discussed with their university in the first instance. Universities have issued communications to students advising them of the position on student placements including absence due to self-isolation.

The GTCS is in almost daily contact with the Scottish Council of Deans of Education and the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland to monitor students’ placements and discuss contingency plans to deal with the impacts of COVID-19.

Question reference: S5W-33293

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 30 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the impact of COVID-19 on the teaching workforce for the 2020-21 academic year.

We are acutely aware of the pressures that school staff are currently operating under as a result of the challenges of COVID-19. Staff will understandably be anxious about their own wellbeing and will be dealing with practical implications of Covid measures and mitigations in a school setting.

To address these issues, we have provided £80m for councils to recruit additional teachers, and other education support staff to help education recovery. While precise numbers will vary according to need, the additional £80m is enough for around 1,400 teachers and 200 support staff. Current figures show that an additional 1,303 teachers have already been recruited.

School staff will be offered new support as part of a £1.5 million funding package to help manage additional pressures as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This package of support for school staff, developed in partnership with organisations represented on the Education Recovery Group, provides direct access to a range of focused supports including coaching, reflective supervision and opportunities for school staff to learn together through the challenges presented by Covid-19.

A recent survey by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows no evidence of differences in the positivity rates of pre-school, primary and secondary school teachers and staff, relative to other worker groups of a similar age.

Data from Public Health Scotland also shows that the proportion of positive test cases from adults aged 18+ who reported they were employed and their occupation was “education/childcare” has remained largely constant since late August at between 3 and 7%.

Question reference: S5O-04819

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 November 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 December 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated to the Strategic Framework Business Fund.

Question reference: S5W-33297

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by Kevin Stewart on 25 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of planning decision appeals from the East Lothian area since 2016 it has determined in favour of the developer, and how this compares with the national average.

Question reference: S5W-33226

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 November 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 24 November 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how decisions taken regarding the 2020-21 SQA exam diet take account of advice from relevant organisations, such as Dyslexia Scotland, to comply with relevant equality legislation and public bodies duties.

SQA engages with a number of external stakeholder groups that work in this area. The SQA Equality and Inclusion Key Partner Group includes representation from Dyslexia Scotland, CALL Scotland, Additional Support for Learning Officer group, and LEAD Scotland. This group next meets on 26 November 2020.

SQA provides support and adaptation every year for learners with Additional Support Needs, including in the 2020-21 session. SQA will continue to monitor the need for further support as the year progresses. In relation to awarding in 2021 SQA will carry out an Equality Impact Assessment and Child Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment as appropriate for any areas of work where there is significant change from normal approaches. SQA will also develop guidance for centres and learners to support them, as appropriate.