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-32152

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 29 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 19 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to introduce a plan to support adult learning similar to the Lifetime Skills Guarantee that has been announced by the UK Government.

Prior to the UK Government announcement on the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, a commitment was made in the Programme for Government to progress a Lifelong Learning Strategy in the coming year.

Covid-19 has highlighted the challenges faced by adults and young people disproportionately affected by the pandemic. We need to do more to make sure Scotland’s most marginalised learners are not further disadvantaged by this pandemic. Ensuring Community Learning and Development can be integrated into Scotland’s wider education and skills system will play a vital part in Scotland’s economic recovery. This will help the Scottish Government in our ambition to provide people with the right level of support, to achieve the right skills, at a time when they are needed most.

Question reference: S5W-31894

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 15 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its plans to review the funding arrangements for student allied health professionals; how this review will be carried out, and who will conduct it.

The Scottish Government is still considering the scope, makeup and timeline required for an effective review of the education provided to the Allied Health Professions. It is intended that the review will be led by the Scottish Government with the participation from a range of stakeholders including Higher Education Institutions, Higher Education funding bodies and other key representative stakeholder groups and we will work with our AHP Education Advisor.

Question reference: S5W-31985

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 2 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when it will introduce legislation to entitle all children access to funded early learning and childcare in a deferred year, and whether it will commit to introducing this in time for the next cohort.

I can confirm that the Scottish Government will bring forward legislation to this effect before the end of this parliamentary session. The legislation will require an affirmative Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI) under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014.

As I set out to the Scottish Parliament on 2 October 2019, we are taking forward this change to early learning and childcare provision in partnership with education authorities, who hold the statutory duty to ensure provision of funded early learning and childcare.

Our work with education authorities is still underway to assess the resource implications and agree the implementation approach. I will update Parliament on that agreement when it has been reached.

Question reference: S5W-31984

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 2 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when (a) ministers and (b) its officials will next meet representatives from the Give Them Time campaign.

Question reference: S5W-31986

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Maree Todd on 2 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) its officials have had with (i) local government representatives and (ii) other partners regarding the (A) introduction of early learning and childcare for children whose school entry is deferred and (B) the increase to 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare.

My officials have met, and will continue to meet, regularly with local authorities and other partners to discuss the legislation that will entitle all deferred children access to funded early learning and childcare (ELC); and the increase to 1140 hours of funded early learning and childcare.

This includes engagement with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES) Early Years Network, ADES Resources Network, the ELC and Childcare Sector Recovery Working Group, the Scottish Government and COSLA jointly chaired ELC Finance Working Group, and Education Scotland.

Myself and Councillor Stephen McCabe, COSLA Spokesperson for Children and Young People, also jointly chair the ELC Joint Delivery Board (JDB). The purpose of the Board is to provide overall governance of the ELC expansion programme and the Board will agree a realistic timetable for full rollout of 1140 hours entitlement, taking full consideration of the factors impacting on delivery, including the disruption to capital programmes. The JDB will next meet on Wednesday 7 October. Details of full membership and minutes of JDB meetings are published on the Group’s webpage .

Question reference: S5W-31895

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 2 October 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comment by the First Minister on 2 September 2020 (Official Report, c.27), what consideration the Scottish Government has given to the campaign, Pay Student Paramedics, which is calling for the introduction of a bursary.

Question reference: S5W-31611

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 15 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government when the review of further and higher education support, which it announced on 4 June 2020, is due to report.

Question reference: S5W-31509

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 September 2020
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government what ongoing monitoring it will undertake of school pupils’ general wellbeing and the impact of (a) the use of face coverings, as recommended by WHO, and (b) other COVID-19 mitigation measures.

We are working with partners to monitor implementation of the agreed guidance carefully. The Health and Safety Executive have carried out 500 initial telephone sample checks and schools have achieved over 80% compliance rate. The HSE will be undertaking follow up visits where there are any areas of concern.

We seek regular feedback from partners via the Education Recovery Group about the experiences of pupils and staff in schools, and the way in which our guidance is being implemented in schools. Where there is a need to take action, either by updating our guidance or ensuring it is being given practical effect, we will work with partners to do so.

Question reference: S5W-31464

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 28 August 2020
Current Status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 8 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the figures for the number of hospital patients with COVID-19 on 25 August 2020, which state that there were 767 such patients in the UK, and 257 patients in Scotland, for what reason the figure for Scotland is disproportionately high for its population.

We are aware that our hospitalisation figures include people who may remain in hospital for other reasons, but may no longer be suffering from Covid. We have been working with NHS Boards to identify a more meaningful public measure for this point in the pandemic, which can be extracted from their information systems daily, and that more clearly focuses on hospital inpatients with a recent positive COVID-19 test.

Question reference: S5T-02364

Asked by: Iain Gray, MSP for East Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 07 September 2020
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 September 2020

To ask the Scottish Government how it will respond to reports from school leaders that they are facing "excessive" and "unsustainable" workloads.