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-05381

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 15 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-04911 by Mark McDonald on 1 December 2016, what the compliance rates are for mandatory staff to child ratios in nursery schools, broken down by local authority.

Scottish Government does not collect information on rates of compliance for mandatory staff: child ratios in early learning and childcare settings.

The Care Inspectorate regulates and inspects care services in Scotland to make sure that they meet the right standards. They expect day care of children services to comply with the staff: child ratios in the National Care Standards for Early Education and Childcare up to the age of 16 years. In addition, the Care Inspectorate would expect there to be enough skilled, knowledgeable and qualified staff to meet the needs of the children.

Question reference: S5W-05263

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 13 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-03845 by Mark McDonald on 3 November 2016, whether it will provide the minutes of the meeting of the Early Learning and Childcare Strategic Forum of 17 November 2016.

Question reference: S5W-05264

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 01 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 13 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government further to the answer to question S5W-04688 by John Swinney on 17 November 2016, whether it will provide the minutes of each meeting and the actions that were discussed at these.

Question reference: S5W-05301

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 05 December 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 13 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the rate of successful Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) grant applicants with dyslexia has been compared with other forms of disability in each year since 2010-11.

The following table shows the rate of successful Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) applications for Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) with the declared disability type of dyslexia, compared to other disability types since 2011-12. The data for 2010-11 is not comparable as the disability types were changed a year later.

The data provided in the table shows that a small number of DSA applications made to SAAS each year, do not result in a DSA award being made. The reasons for this will include:

Student withdraws early from course;

Student never attends the course;

Student withdraws their DSA application as they may be getting sufficient support through their institution;

Application reject as student is ineligible (residency, course not eligible, etc);

Supporting diagnostic or needs assessment evidence not submitted.

	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17*
All	98%	90%	86%	84%	84%	73%
Autistic spectrum disorder	100%	91%	85%	90%	90%	73%
Deafblind	97%	-	100%	-	-	-
Dyslexia	98%	92%	90%	89%	89%	80%
Hearing impairment	98%	89%	84%	81%	77%	71%
Learning disability	97%	96%	83%	80%	92%	-
Mental health problem	97%	86%	79%	80%	82%	64%
Multiple disabilities	-	-	-	68%	71%	63%
Other	96%	86%	79%	77%	79%	57%
Moderate learning difficulties	100%	88%	83%	-	-	-
Specific learning difficulties	90%	100%	-	78%	90%	84%
Physical health problem	96%	87%	84%	72%	69%	94%
Motor impairment	98%	80%	79%	76%	68%	77%
Social and behavioural difficulties	100%	91%	-	78%	83%	-
Unseen disability	-	-	-	82%	89%	84%
Visual impairment	98%	90%	77%	80%	74%	75%

Source: SAAS

Note: - signifies that either no applications were received, no DSA support was provided, or that numbers are too low to be disclosed.

* Provisional figures are subject to revision, such as the addition of new or unprocessed applications.

Question reference: S5O-00479

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government how many eligible farmers and crofters have received a letter explaining their entitlements under the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme.

Question reference: S5W-04899

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 21 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 6 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, whether its document, Scotland: A European Nation, will be submitted to the Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Relations Committee as part of its inquiry on the EU referendum and its implications for Scotland.

Question reference: S5W-05026

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government further to the answer to question S5W-04683 by John Swinney on 22 November 2016, what is meant by "local intelligence".

Question reference: S5W-05003

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-00370 by John Swinney on 23 November 2016 (Official Report, c. 6), what action it will take to insure that academic independence will remain unchanged under the new overarching board’s remit of managing the responsibilities of the Scottish Funding Council.

Question reference: S5W-05005

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-00370 by John Swinney on 23 November 2016 (Official Report, c. 6), what impact the abolition of the board of (a) Highlands and Islands Enterprise, (b) Scottish Enterprise, (c) Skills Development Scotland and (d) the Scottish Funding Council will have on its current remit and responsibilities.

As part of Phase 2 of the Enterprise and Skills Review which began on 1 November 2016 we will focus on developing and implementing the Phase 1 decision to bring greater integration and focus to the delivery of our enterprise and skills support by creating a new, single, strategic Scotland-wide statutory board to co-ordinate the activities of SEn and HIE, Scottish Development International, SDS and the SFC.

We have already confirmed that each body will retain its separate legal status once the new statutory board is in place and current boards will continue to perform their duties in line with their existing remits and legislative requirements until the new single board is established and transition arrangements are put in place.

Question reference: S5W-05004

Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Thursday, 24 November 2016
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 6 December 2016

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5O-00370 by John Swinney on 23 November 2016 (Official Report, c. 6), by what date it will provide full details of the planned changes to the boards of the skills and enterprise organisations.

Phase 2 of the Enterprise and Skills Review will consider the implementation of Phase 1 recommendations. This includes the recommendation to create a Scotland wide Statutory Board for Skills Development Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and the Scottish Funding Council. Phase 2 commenced on 1 November 2016 and is expected to report back in six months' time. Ministers will then consider Phase 2 recommendations and announce details of the implementation of the Review to Parliament.