Questions and answers

Question reference: S5W-09034

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that the EIS teaching union is to consider a boycott of standardised assessments.

The Scottish government has fully involved the trade unions and staff associations in our development of the Scottish National Standardised Assessments and have fully incorporated their views into implementation.

The standardised assessments will simply replace existing assessments already used in most schools in Scotland. They will not increase workload for teachers or children but they will help teachers understand progress in literacy and reading, automatically generating information for teachers on where a pupil is doing well and where further support may be required.

Question reference: S5W-08900

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 2 May 2017

To ask the Scottish Government by what date farmers and crofters will receive an email or letter setting out the payment schedule for all 2017 farm and croft payments for which they are eligible.

Question reference: S5W-08540

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 24 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to ensure that initiatives aimed at increasing the number of teachers are targeting people from ethnic minority backgrounds and other groups that are currently under-represented in teaching.

The primary objective of the current ‘Teaching Makes People’ recruitment campaign is the recruitment of STEM undergraduates into Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) teaching courses. While the current campaign does not specifically target graduates from ethnic minority backgrounds into teaching we have been conscious to ensure that our campaigns are inclusive of people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

The second phase of the Teaching Makes People campaign will take place in 2017-18 and we intend to continue to address concerns about underrepresentation this year. It is intended that the next phase of the recruitment campaign will take account of recommendations from the Strategic Board for Teacher Education’s Working Group which the Board agreed to establish when it last met in January.

Question reference: S5W-08541

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 24 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01917 by John Swinney on 31 August 2016, what work the Strategic Board for Teacher Education has undertaken regarding the under-representation of teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds.

At the meeting of the Strategic Board for Teacher Education on 18 January 2017 the Board discussed the underrepresentation of teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds in the teaching profession. As part of this discussion the Board received a presentation on research related to the issues of recruitment and retention of teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Further to this the Board agreed to establish a small working group charged with making recommendations related to the range of factors that are involved in the under-representation of BME groups in teaching.

Question reference: S5W-08542

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 31 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 24 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-01917 by John Swinney on 31 August 2016, whether the Strategic Board for Teacher Education has made any recommendations regarding improving diversity within the teaching workforce.

At the meeting of the Strategic Board for Teacher Education on 18 January 2017 the Board discussed the underrepresentation of teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds in the teaching profession. As part of this discussion the Board received a presentation on research related to the issues of recruitment and retention of teachers from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Further to this the Board agreed to establish a small working group charged with making recommendations related to the range of factors that are involved in the under-representation of BME groups in teaching.

Question reference: S5W-08528

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 20 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been spent on advertising the PlayTalkRead initiative since October 2016.

Question reference: S5W-08527

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 20 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much online traffic the PlayTalkRead website has received since October 2016.

Question reference: S5O-00892

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how effective emergency control rooms are in recognising island geography.

Question reference: S5W-08286

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 18 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the submission by the Royal Society of Edinburgh to the Enterprise and Skills Review Phase 2, which states that "the removal of an arms-length, independent Board for Further and Higher Education would inevitably undermine the independence of the university sector from Government, and would introduce new uncertainties for Scotland's Colleges", whether it will continue to pursue inclusion of the Scottish Funding Council under the proposed overarching board.

The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work made a statement to parliament on Thursday 30 March 2017 on the Enterprise and Skills Review. The text of the statement can be found here: https://news.gov.scot/speeches-and-briefings/enterprise-and-skills-review-1

The statement confirmed that a new Strategic board will be established to drive alignment across the work of the agencies, including the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), and deliver a long-term step change in economic performance. The Chair of the SFC will be a member of the Strategic board.

Along with the other Agencies, the SFC will retain its board. The core functions of its board, as set out in statute, will remain legislatively unchanged. The establishment of the new board will not affect the autonomy of Scotland's universities or how they are governed.

Question reference: S5W-08285

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 18 April 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the submission by the Royal Society of Edinburgh to the Enterprise and Skills Review Phase 2.

The Scottish Government has consulted with and listened to a wide range of stakeholders during Phase two of the Enterprise and Skills Review, including representations from the Agencies, trade unions and the academic and business communities.

The Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work made a statement to parliament on Thursday 30 March on the Enterprise and Skills Review. The text of the statement can be found here: https://news.gov.scot/speeches-and-briefings/enterprise-and-skills-review-1.

Chamber and committees