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-06408

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 criteria, guidance or support local authorities will receive to help them make decisions about the deployment of additional graduates to nurseries.

As part of the announcement on the Additional Graduate commitment on 18January 2017 the Scottish Government set out more details and guidance as to how this commitment would be delivered. This can be found at: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/People/Young-People/early-years/ELCTrials/AdditionalGraduateCommitment.

In order to support delivery of the commitment the Scottish Government will invest nearly £1.5 million in 2017-18 to fund additional places for teacher training and the BA Childhood Practise.

We are currently working closely with local authorities on the implementation of this commitment.

Question reference: S5W-06406

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 by the Minister for Childcare and Early Years to the Education and Skills Committee of 18 January 2017 on the additional graduate commitment, for each local authority area, what proportion of allocations of additional graduate places will be for (a) teachers with early years expertise and (b) graduate practitioners with the BA Childhood Practice award.

The balance between the contribution of teachers with early years expertise and graduates with the BA Childhood Practice towards delivering the commitment will reflect a number of factors including the supply of suitably skilled professionals with early years expertise within local areas.

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

In order to support delivery of the commitment the Scottish Government will invest nearly £1.5 million in 2017-18 to fund additional places for teacher training and the BA Childhood Practice.

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-06245

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity on 12 January 2017 (Official Report, c. 2 and 4) that "Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has played a significant role in supporting the achievement of our commitment to provide broadband to 95 per cent of premises by the end of 2017" and that providing broadband across Scotland "is not a case of one size—or one technology—fits all", whether it has assessed how the planned centralisation of HIE will impact both this and the 2021 commitments.

Question reference: S5W-06244

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 17 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the comments by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity on 12 January 2017 (Official Report, c. 2) that “Highlands and Islands Enterprise has played a significant role in supporting the achievement of our commitment to provide broadband to 95 per cent of premises by the end of 2017”, what assurances it can provide that the planned board centralisation will not negatively impact this and the 2021 commitments.

Scottish Ministers have made it clear that Highlands and Islands Enterprise will continue to be locally-based, managed and directed providing dedicated support to the local economy. The new arrangements will protect the unique service that HIE delivers for our Highland and Island economies and will enhance the support that is available to businesses, employers and communities across the region. This move will not negatively impact delivery of the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband contract or our commitment to deliver 100% superfast broadband by 2021.

Question reference: S5W-06173

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 13 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take in light of the finding in the Civil Service People Survey 2016 that suggests that 35% of Education Scotland staff “want to leave Education Scotland as soon as possible, or within the next 12 months”, and what its position is on whether the organisation can continue in its present structure.

Historically, staff turnover in Education Scotland has been relatively low. In common with most organisations, Education Scotland expects a degree of turnover in staffing. To that extent, Education Scotland succession plans wherever possible to ensure that vacant posts in the organisation are filled swiftly. All structures and agencies within Scottish Education are being looked at as part of the Education Governance review. The role and functions of Education Scotland are being considered in that context.

Question reference: S5W-06172

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 13 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the finding in the Civil Service People Survey 2016 that records a decrease in positive responses by Education Scotland staff to 62 of the 63 questions.

Question reference: S5W-06174

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Friday, 13 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the finding in the Civil Service People Survey 2016 that suggests that 11% of Education Scotland's staff consider that "change is managed well in Education Scotland", what its position is on how the organisation manages change.

Question reference: S5W-06093

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how much has been provided through apprenticeship funding for early years workforce (a) recruitment and (b) training in each year since 2011-12.

The following table provides information on Modern Apprenticeship spend drawn down by learning providers for early years related frameworks.

	Spend
2011-12	£4,766,889
2012-13	£4,529,871
2013-14	£4,936,317
2014-15	£4,993,634
2015-16	£4,987,672

Please note that Skills Development Scotland make funding contributions towards training only. Recruitment costs are covered by employers.

For Foundation Apprenticeships, there was spend of £34,723 to one provider to deliver a 2015-17 pathfinder for the Children and Young People Foundation Apprenticeship Framework.

Question reference: S5W-06092

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 26 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have taken part in an early years workforce recruitment and training apprenticeship since 2011-12 and, of those, how many were employed as early years staff after the apprenticeship.