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-06841

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what meetings it has had with island councils to discuss allocation of the Pupil Equity Fund, and what suggestions it received from them.

The Scottish Government continues to engage with individual authorities, the Association of Directors of Education (ADES) and local government bodies such as COSLA and SOLACE, both directly and through the Scottish Attainment Challenge Advisory Group, to discuss the £750m Attainment Scotland Fund that has been committed over this parliamentary term. These engagements include on-going discussions with the island authorities on the allocation and distribution of the Pupil Equity Funding.

Question reference: S5W-06842

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 17 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it is giving to alternative pupil equity funding allocation methods for rural and island communities.

Question reference: S5W-07121

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, following reports that an annual average 42.3% of teachers on their first year of probation since 2007 do not progress on the first step on the qualified teacher pay scale, what information it holds on (a) the paths that they follow post-probation and (b) the percentage of those who find (i) full- and (ii) part-time teaching jobs post-probation.

(a) We do not hold information on the paths that probationers take if they do not become teachers.

(b) The number of probationer teachers in permanent and temporary, full and part time positions from 2009-10 to 2015-16 can be found in table 3.5 of Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland, No: 7-2016 (page 14 in the .pdf version). This can be accessed at the link below.

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/12/9271/

Data from 2006-07 and 2010-11 are published in table 2.4 of Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland, No: 2-2011. This can be accessed at the link below.

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2011/12/06114834/0

Question reference: S5W-07120

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 09 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 16 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the employment rate of probationer teachers has been in each year since 2007, broken down by teachers who found (a) permanent, (b) temporary, (c) full-time and (d) part-time teaching positions.

The number of probationer teachers in permanent and temporary, full and part time positions from 2009-10 to 2015-16 can be found in table 3.5 of Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland, No: 7-2016 (page 14 in the .pdf version). This can be accessed at the link below.

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2016/12/9271/

Data from 2006-07 and 2010-11 are published in table 2.4 of Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland, No: 2-2011. This can be accessed at the link below.

http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2011/12/06114834/0

Question reference: S5W-06647

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 13 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of Work Able Scotland’s funding will come from the Apprenticeship Levy.

Question reference: S5W-06646

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 13 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the anticipated number of modern apprenticeship opportunities for 2017, broken down by framework.

The Scottish Government will set out its target for the number of Modern Apprenticeship starts in 2017 in the coming weeks as part of our ongoing commitment to deliver 30,000 new opportunities each year by 2020.

In contracting for the delivery of Modern Apprenticeship places, Skills Development Scotland do this by occupational grouping, rather than individual framework. Details of these contracts will be published by Skills Development Scotland in April 2017.

Question reference: S5W-06648

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 13 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is giving Skills Development Scotland to help deliver 3,000 new Foundation Apprenticeship starts in the next academic year.

This is an internal aspirational target set by Skills Development Scotland. The expansion of Foundation Apprenticeships is being funded through European Social Funding then matched by Grant in Aid from the Scottish Government.

In order to support the development and delivery of Foundation Apprentices across Scotland a Foundation Apprentices working group was established in 2015, consisting of representation from Skills Development Scotland, ADES, Scottish Funding Council, Education Scotland, SQA and Scottish Government.

Question reference: S5W-06638

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 10 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide further details on the new Flexible Workforce Development Fund.

Question reference: S5W-06637

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 10 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an updated timeline for the establishment of the Flexible Workforce Development Fund.

Question reference: S5W-06650

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 10 February 2017

To ask the government how it will alleviate the reported shortfall in employment in the road haulage industry in (a) the short-term to attract aspiring drivers and (b) the long-term to address issues such as training, insurance and the impact of Brexit on the industry.

Scottish Government support, for both employers and people looking to work in the industry, is provided by Skills Development Scotland. Funding for Modern Apprenticeship training in Freight Logistics and Driving Goods Vehicles is available.

Support is available, to those oil and gas workers faced with redundancy, to help them transition to other roles or sectors, through the £12 million Transition Training Fund, which is nearing the end of its first year in a three year programme, Today we have also seen announced a successful second procurement round commissioned by the fund, which is looking to support 250 employment opportunities within the road haulage sector, amongst other successful tenders.

In the longer term, and in recognition of the importance of the haulage industry to the Scottish economy, Skills Development Scotland commissioned work to gather evidence on the shortage of drivers within the sector and to put in place a plan of action to address it. The road haulage industry is on the steering group for this piece of work.

We continue to work in partnership with freight industry stakeholders through the Scottish Freight and Logistics Advisory Group.

The Scottish Government remains committed to protecting, as far as possible, Scotland's interests following Brexit.