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-06651

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 9 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06038 by John Swinney on 18 January 2017, for what reason no minutes of the meetings are held; whether informal minutes or notes where taken and if (a) so, whether it will publish these and (b) not, how it was able to (i) keep a record of the views of Universities Scotland and Colleges Scotland and (ii) inform ministers regarding what was discussed.

Question reference: S5W-06596

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 9 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05641 by Mark McDonald on 12 January 2017, what the (a) aims, (b) processes, (c) membership, and (d) distinct remit is of the (i) ELC Strategic Forum, (ii) ELC Managers Forum, and (iii) Senior Leaders Forum.

Membership of the three Forums is listed below. The remit of the Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) Strategic Forum is to develop and drive a strategic vision for high quality, flexible ELC in Scotland that is affordable and accessible for all. The forum provides strategic advice to Scottish Ministers through maintaining a high-level oversight of our ELC programme. The Forum meets three times per year.

The Senior Leaders’ Forum, which meets bi-monthly, provides an opportunity for senior representatives from local authorities with an interest in the ELC expansion programme to engage with Scottish Government officials directly in the strategic planning and implementation of the programme. It is intended that this group will help Scottish Ministers deliver on our vision for the expansion of ELC at local level. This forum will also communicate and share best practice in strategic planning with regional colleagues, and assist in resolving regional issues where these arise.

The ELC Managers’ Forum, which also meets bi-monthly, assists in the planning and implementation of the ELC expansion programme by providing specialist knowledge in ELC service delivery and infrastructure planning. This forum will also communicate and share best practice in service delivery with regional colleagues, and assist in resolving regional issues where these arise.

Early Learning and Childcare Strategic Forum

Mark McDonald (Chair)	Minister for Childcare & Early Years
Irene Audain	Scottish Out of School Care Network
Sally Cavers	Children in Scotland
Lesley Brown	Education Scotland
Jean Carwood-Edwards	Early Years Scotland
Davina Coupar	West College Scotland
Anna Fowlie	Scottish Social Services Council
Valerie Gale	Care and Learning Alliance
Lesley Gibb	Association of Directors of Education in Scotland
Ann Henderson	Scottish Trades Union Congress
Vicky Crichton	Save the Children
Gerry McLaughlin	NHS Health Scotland
Fiona McQueen (Chief Nursing Officer)	Scottish Government
Kevin Mitchell	Care Inspectorate
Jane O’Donnell and Cllr Stephanie Primrose	CoSLA
Satwat Rehman	One Parent Families Scotland
Bruce Robertson	ELC Strategic Evidence Group Chair
Clare Simpson	Parenting Across Scotland
Maggie Simpson	Scottish Childminding Association
Christine Stephen	Stirling University
Purnima Tanuku	National Day Nurseries Association Scotland
Jim McCormick	Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Julie Wild	National Parent Forum of Scotland

Senior Leaders’ Forum

John Butcher	Executive Director, Education and Youth Employment, North Ayrshire Council (Chair at the request of SG)
Craig McArthur	Head of Finance and ICT, East Ayrshire Council
Laura Mason	Chief Education Officer, West Dunbartonshire Council
David McClelland	Head of Service Development, Glasgow City Council
Bill Alexander	Director of Care and Learning, Highland Council
Alan Wood	Director of Finance, Aberdeenshire Council
Donna McMaster	Head of Service, West Lothian Council
Grace Vickers	Head of Education, Midlothian
Jim Boyle	Executive Finance Officer Stirling Council
Robert Naylor	Director of Children's Services, Falkirk Council

ELC Managers’ Forum

Morag McDonald	Early Years Strategic Manager, South Lanarkshire Council
Rosemary Smith	PT Early Years, Dumfries & Galloway Council
Kathleen McDonagh	Education Officer (Early Years), Renfrewshire Council
Simon Mair	School Improvement & Planning Manager, East Dunbartonshire Council
Catherine Diamond	Principal Teacher – Manager of Early Years Services, Orkney Council
Alison Mackenzie	Principal Officer Early Years, Argyll and Bute Council
Graham Jarvis	Head of Lifelong Learning, Culture and Sport, Moray Council
Donna Murray	Quality Improvement Education Officer- Early Years, Edinburgh
Grace Frew	Senior Lead Education Officer Early Years, Scottish Borders Council
Carrie Lindsay	Head of Education and Children's Services, Fife Council
Lesley Gibb	Education Manager, Dundee City Council

Question reference: S5W-06649

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 8 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a list of the modern apprenticeship frameworks that will be supported for apprentices over the age of 25 by April 2017.

Question reference: S5W-06597

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05641 by Mark McDonald on 12 January 2017, whether the operational guidance has been provided to head teachers, and whether it will make a copy available to the Parliament.

A draft of the operational guidance for the Pupil Equity Fund was issued to all headteachers on 1 February 2017 along with indicative individual school level allocations. On the same date the operational guidance and indicative allocations were made available online (www.gov.scot/Topics/Education/Schools/Raisingeducationalattainment/pupilequityfund) and details were passed to the Scottish Parliament Information Centre. The operational guidance will be kept under review.

Question reference: S5T-00381

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 06 February 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reports that almost half of head teachers consider that there is a lack of teaching staff in schools.

Question reference: S5W-06653

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 27 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 6 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it produces to officials regarding keeping records of meetings, and under what circumstances it considers that a meeting will require (a) a formal minute, (b) an informal minute, (c) a formal note, (d) an informal note and (e) no formal or informal record to be taken.

The Scottish Government Intranet contains useful guidance and a template on how to structure formal/informal minutes.

Responsibility for what minutes, notes or recording, if any, should be taken at a meeting will be made at the discretion of the Chair of the meeting.

The chair is also responsible for ensuring the accuracy of the minutes and that they are circulated and or stored as appropriate.

Question reference: S5W-06304

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 3 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when it was advised that the full processing of applications for its New Entrant Scheme for crofters from the National Reserve 2016 would not be possible until February 2017, and what measures it has introduced to mitigate delays for applicants.

The Scottish Government incorporated the required IT functionality to process National Reserve - New Entrant Scheme applications into its 2016 delivery schedule. Due to the delivery schedule, and upon announcement of the 2016 National Basic Payment Support Scheme, we introduced manual assessments to allow loans to issue, under the NBPSS 2016, to those applicants where eligibility could be established.

Question reference: S5W-05923

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 22 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 1 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many members of staff each of the locations for the second round of the programme of trials for the expansion of early learning and childcare expansion require, and how many have been recruited.

Trial area	Projected additional staff, including childminders (FTE)	Number recruited to date
Angus^1,3	2.0	0.0
Argyll and Bute^1,3	10.0	0.0
Dumfries and Galloway^1,3	4.0	0.0
Dundee²	-	-
East Ayrshire²	-	-
Eilean Siar^{1, 3}	1.9	0.0
Glasgow	6.1	5.6
Midlothian³	1.0	0.0
North Ayrshire	2.0	2.0
Shetland¹	TBC	0.0
South Lanarkshire³	3.0	0.0

Notes

Local consultation is underway on the design of these trial services, including desired patterns of delivery, which will determine the final staffing model. Recruitment will commence following this period of consultation. These trials are currently on track to admit children on time.

These trials focus on redesigning existing services with registered childminders.

These trials are seeking to recruit new registered childminders.

Additional staff include local authority employed staff and registered childminders.

More information on each of the approved trials can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/People/Young-People/early-years/ELCTrials/ELCTrials

Question reference: S5W-06404

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 1 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what it expects the impact of its additional graduate policy will be on (a) the number and proportion of children attending high-quality nursery settings, (b) the number and proportion of children meeting expected developmental milestones at school entry and (c) attainment gaps at school entry points.

By providing more children who face the greatest disadvantages with access to highly qualified staff with expertise in early childhood learning and development our Additional Graduate commitment will help support our ambition to close the attainment gap.

We are working closely with local authorities to progress the delivery of this commitment, and will monitor the impact on child outcomes as part of the wider evaluation of the early learning and childcare expansion to 1140 hours.

Question reference: S5W-06405

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 20 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 1 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the letter from the Minister for Childcare and Early Years to the Education and Skills Committee on 18 January 2017 on the additional graduate commitment, of the 432 nurseries identified, how many directly employ (a) qualified early years teachers, (b) qualified graduates, (c) staff working towards a graduate-level teaching qualification and (d) staff working towards a Childhood Practice qualification, broken down by (i) headcount and (ii) full-time equivalent.

Allocations of the additional graduates to local authorities were determined by their share of the nurseries located in the 20% most deprived postcode areas. Using the Care Inspectorate data on Early Learning and Childcare settings, and the latest Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD), 432 nurseries were identified as being located in the 20% most deprived postcode areas. Each of the three local authorities (Orkney, Shetland, and Western Isles) without a nursery in the 20% most deprived postcode areas will also receive one additional graduate.

However, to ensure that this commitment benefits as many children as possible local authorities will be given flexibility to draw on their local data to prioritise how they allocate these additional places.

We are currently working closely with local authorities on progressing this commitment, and will ask them provide plans setting out how they propose to allocate the additional places in their area, including how many of the additional training places they wish to access.