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-05736

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 19 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 12 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the written submission from Fair Funding for Our Kids to the Education and Skills Committee as part of its overview sessions on early learning and childcare, whether the 10% deduction from each child's partnerhip funding after the lifting of the cap on partnership places by Glasgow City Council is legal, and what discussions it has had with (a) parents, (b) public nurseries, (c) partnership nurseries and (d) Fair Funding for Our Kids in relation to this issue.

The proposed 10% deduction is an individual arrangement discussed between the nursery and parents, which has now been rejected by the nursery in question. Local authorities are legally obliged to provide the mandatory amount of early learning and childcare free of charge. We expect nurseries to pass on the full entitlement of their partnership provider funding to parents. We have identified partner provider funding and parent charges as an area that could usefully be clarified through updating the statutory guidance on early learning and childcare, which will be carried out in 2017. Officials have spoken with Glasgow City Council who have confirmed that the issue with the nursery in question is resolved. My officials have also written to Fair Funding for our Kids to confirm this and to indicate that we will consider this issue when we update the statutory guidance to provide further clarity for all local authorities and partner provider nurseries.

Question reference: S5W-05646

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 12 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its commitment to ensure that nurseries in the most deprived areas benefit from an additional qualified teacher or graduate by 2018.

The Scottish Government believes that children must have access to highly qualified staff with expertise in early childhood learning and development – and that this is particularly vital for those facing particular disadvantages. That is why we are committed to ensuring that nurseries in the most deprived areas will have an additional teacher or graduate from 2018.

We will set out further details as to how this commitment will be delivered later this month.

Question reference: S5W-05645

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 12 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the finding in the 2016 End of Cycle Report by UCAS that university places will need to rise to meet demand, what (a) action it is taking and (b) discussions it has had with Scottish universities to address this.

We can see no finding in the UCAS 2016 End of Cycle Report which states that ‘university places will need to rise to meet demand’. However, the report does show an all-time record high number of Scottish domiciled students gaining a place at our universities through UCAS, as well as recording the highest ever entry rate to our universities for 18 year olds from Scotland’s 20% most deprived areas.

This record has been achieved as a result of substantial Scottish Government investment in Scotland’s higher education sector – with more than £1 billion invested each year for the past five years, and a further investment of more than £1 billion allocated in the 2017-18 draft budget. It has also been achieved whilst maintaining the Scottish Government’s commitment to ensure that access to university is based on the ability to learn and not the ability to pay.

Question reference: S5W-05647

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 15 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 12 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to its commitment on this issue, which nurseries are eligible to receive an additional qualified teacher or graduate by 2018.

Question reference: S5W-05807

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 11 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many interpreters each local authority has had in each year since 2007-08, and for which languages.

Question reference: S5W-05828

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Paul Wheelhouse on 11 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of the overall quayside construction costs of Global Energy's Nigg yard was met by its award of £6.5 million.

Question reference: S5W-05838

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 11 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the announcement of £120 million of funding for schools, which will be passed on to head teachers, whether the funding will (a) include a review of the devolved school management system and (b) be tied to staff costs under the devolved school management system.

In 2017-18, £120 million Pupil Equity Funding will be targeted to help children and young people overcome the barriers to learning associated with poverty. It will extend the reach of the Scottish Attainment Challenge to around 95% of Scotland’s schools and it will be a matter for schools to use the funding for additional staffing or resources that they consider will help raise attainment.

Pupil Equity Funding will be paid by means of specific grant to local authorities, indicating the allocations for individual schools. Pupil Equity Funding will be additional to core education funding and therefore separate to any funding provided under the devolved school management system.

Question reference: S5W-05837

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 11 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered the proposal by the Royal Society of Edinburgh to establish "a dedicated centre for the study of economics in education".

The proposal by the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) to establish a dedicated centre for the study of economics in education forms part of its response to the Government’s consultation on “Empowering Teachers, Parents and Communities to Achieve Excellence and Equity in Education, a Governance Review”. The RSE’s paper will be considered alongside all other responses to the consultation which closed on 6 January 2017.

Question reference: S5W-05836

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05026 by John Swinney on 6 December 2016, whether it will confirm that local authorities hold teacher vacancy data.

Question reference: S5W-05811

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 10 January 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether any local authorities have made changes to the definition of "Additional Support Needs" since 2010.