- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 25 October 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what financial or other support there is for people seeking to obtain an educational psychology degree.
Answer
Eligible students on the MSc in Educational Psychology at Strathclyde or Dundee Universities can apply for a total support package of £7,900 for each year of their course. This support package comprises a £3,400 postgraduate tuition fee loan and a £4,500 living cost loan. The MSc in Educational Psychology is the only two year full-time postgraduate course in Scotland for which eligible students receive this funding for both years. Postgraduate students can also apply for financial support from the Discretionary Funds at the higher education institution at which they study.
Students may also be eligible for a Professional and Career Development Loan to help pay for vocational training leading to employment in the UK or EU. This bank loan can cover up to two years of learning and can be between £300 and £10,000.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 25 October 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have obtained an educational psychology qualification in each year since 2010-11.
Answer
In Scotland, the Universities of Dundee and Strathclyde offer 2 year Masters of Science (MSc) courses in educational psychology with outputs in alternate years. The number of students obtaining an educational psychology qualification each year since 2010 is shown in the following table:
|
Year Obtained
|
University
|
Numbers Obtaining an Educational Psychology MSc
|
|
2016
|
Dundee
|
23
|
|
2015
|
Strathclyde
|
16
|
|
2014
|
Dundee
|
21
|
|
2013
|
Strathclyde
|
20
|
|
2012
|
Dundee
|
21
|
|
2011
|
Strathclyde
|
27
|
|
2010
|
Dundee
|
26
|
Source: Data provided by Dundee University and Strathclyde University
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Friday, 07 October 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 25 October 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many people have enrolled on educational psychology courses in each year since 2010-11.
Answer
In Scotland, the Universities of Dundee and Strathclyde offer 2 year Master of Science (MSc) courses in educational psychology with intakes in alternate years. The number of new students enrolling on the course each year since 2010 is shown in the following table:
|
Year Enrolled
|
University
|
New Students Enrolling on an Educational Psychology MSC Course
|
|
2016
|
Dundee
|
17
|
|
2015
|
Strathclyde
|
12
|
|
2014
|
Dundee
|
24
|
|
2013
|
Strathclyde
|
17
|
|
2012
|
Dundee
|
21
|
|
2011
|
Strathclyde
|
22
|
|
2010
|
Dundee
|
22
|
Source: Data provided by Dundee University and Strathclyde University
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 October 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 25 October 2016
To ask the Scottish Government when the National Scottish Steering Group for Educational Psychology met in each of the last three years, and whether it will provide the minutes of those meetings.
Answer
The National Scottish Steering Group for Educational Psychologists met on: 11 February, 2 June and 11 October 2016; 26 January, 17 June and 18 November 2015; and 7 March and 8 September 2014.
The minutes for meetings up to June 2016 are available in SPICe, Bib number 55570. The minutes for the meeting of 11 October 2016 have yet to be finalised and will be available in SPICe in due course.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Monday, 10 October 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 24 October 2016
To ask the Scottish Government for what reason Skills Development Scotland has split the country into four broad areas for the delivery of its Work Able Scotland programme.
Answer
During 2017-18 we will operate a transitional programme where we want to start to move away from the very large prime contractor approach of the Work Programme, where Scotland was one contract package area (CPA). There were two key considerations in determining the 4 CPA approach.
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By aligning with the 4 Work Choice CPAs, the data we gather on each of the two transitional services will be co-terminus and therefore be easier to analyse in terms of geography. This data will help inform the new programme from 2018;
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It was essential that the contracts be viable, particularly in rural areas where there was a real risk of market failure. With four contracts which require bidders to be able to offer a service across the whole geographic area of the contract, we are able to ensure a service offer is in place across Scotland.
The 4 CPA approach has only been defined for the transitional year so far. We are giving further consideration to the optimal geographical structure for the delivery of devolved employment services from 2018 onwards.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 October 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 19 October 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what it understands to be the reasons for the departure of CalMac’s chief executive on 31 March 2017, which was announced on 5 October 2016.
Answer
Mr Martin Dorchester’s reasons for departing CalMac in March 2017 were set out in David MacBrayne Ltd’s press statement of 5 October 2016.
The statement indicated that Mr Dorchester has been with the company since 2012 and, having led CalMac Ferries Ltd during its successful bid for the new Clyde and Hebrides Ferry service contract, he wishes to pursue new opportunities once that contract has bedded in.
I would like to thank Martin for his contribution to David MacBrayne Ltd and wish him well with his future endeavours.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 October 2016
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 13 October 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school head teachers there have been in each year since 2013-14, broken down by local authority.
Answer
The number of head teachers in publicly funded primary schools between 2013 and 2015 is shown in table 1. The number of head teachers in publicly funded primary schools between 2013 and 2015 is shown in table two. Please note the caveats presented in the footnotes for each table when interpreting figures.
|
Table 1: Primary school head teachers, 2013-2015
|
|
|
2013
|
2014(1)
|
2015
|
|
Aberdeen City
|
43
|
42
|
40
|
|
Aberdeenshire
|
138
|
138
|
137
|
|
Angus
|
44
|
44
|
41
|
|
Argyll and Bute
|
61
|
56
|
59
|
|
Clackmannanshire
|
17
|
19
|
19
|
|
Dumfries and Galloway
|
85
|
67
|
66
|
|
Dundee City
|
32
|
34
|
30
|
|
East Ayrshire
|
41
|
40
|
40
|
|
East Dunbartonshire
|
36
|
31
|
31
|
|
East Lothian
|
30
|
32
|
31
|
|
East Renfrewshire
|
22
|
22
|
21
|
|
Edinburgh, City of
|
84
|
83
|
79
|
|
Eilean Siar
|
18
|
19
|
16
|
|
Falkirk
|
43
|
45
|
38
|
|
Fife
|
133
|
129
|
122
|
|
Glasgow City
|
139
|
132
|
130
|
|
Highland
|
139
|
130
|
121
|
|
Inverclyde
|
20
|
21
|
19
|
|
Midlothian
|
29
|
26
|
29
|
|
Moray
|
43
|
41
|
41
|
|
North Ayrshire
|
50
|
42
|
40
|
|
North Lanarkshire
|
116
|
112
|
121
|
|
Orkney Islands
|
12
|
11
|
12
|
|
Perth and Kinross
|
65
|
65
|
64
|
|
Renfrewshire
|
47
|
46
|
47
|
|
Scottish Borders
|
41
|
41
|
41
|
|
Shetland Islands
|
24
|
23
|
24
|
|
South Ayrshire
|
38
|
37
|
35
|
|
South Lanarkshire
|
119
|
118
|
118
|
|
Stirling
|
32
|
32
|
34
|
|
West Dunbartonshire
|
32
|
31
|
32
|
|
West Lothian
|
62
|
62
|
64
|
|
All local authorities
|
1,832
|
1769
|
1740
|
|
Grant aided
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1) 2014 teacher figures were revised in February and December 2015, see background notes 3.5a and 3.5b to the published data for details. The published data can be found at http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/12/7925
|
Table 2: Secondary school head teachers, 2013-2015
|
|
|
2013
|
2014(1)
|
2015
|
|
Aberdeen City
|
11
|
12
|
12
|
|
Aberdeenshire
|
17
|
18
|
17
|
|
Angus
|
8
|
8
|
8
|
|
Argyll and Bute
|
11
|
9
|
9
|
|
Clackmannanshire
|
3
|
3
|
3
|
|
Dumfries and Galloway
|
16
|
15
|
13
|
|
Dundee City
|
9
|
9
|
7
|
|
East Ayrshire
|
9
|
10
|
9
|
|
East Dunbartonshire
|
8
|
8
|
8
|
|
East Lothian
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
|
East Renfrewshire
|
7
|
8
|
7
|
|
Edinburgh, City of
|
22
|
23
|
23
|
|
Eilean Siar
|
3
|
2
|
3
|
|
Falkirk
|
8
|
8
|
8
|
|
Fife
|
19
|
19
|
19
|
|
Glasgow City
|
29
|
27
|
30
|
|
Highland
|
28
|
29
|
28
|
|
Inverclyde
|
6
|
6
|
6
|
|
Midlothian
|
6
|
5
|
6
|
|
Moray
|
8
|
8
|
8
|
|
North Ayrshire
|
9
|
9
|
9
|
|
North Lanarkshire
|
23
|
22
|
27
|
|
Orkney Islands
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
|
Perth and Kinross
|
10
|
10
|
10
|
|
Renfrewshire
|
11
|
11
|
11
|
|
Scottish Borders
|
9
|
8
|
9
|
|
Shetland Islands
|
5
|
4
|
4
|
|
South Ayrshire
|
8
|
8
|
8
|
|
South Lanarkshire
|
17
|
17
|
17
|
|
Stirling
|
7
|
7
|
7
|
|
West Dunbartonshire
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
|
West Lothian
|
11
|
11
|
11
|
|
All local authorities
|
353
|
349
|
351
|
|
Grant aided
|
1
|
1
|
1
|
1) 2014 teacher figures were revised in February and December 2015, see background notes 3.5a and 3.5b to the published data for details. The published data can be found at http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2015/12/7925
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Current Status:
Withdrawn
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Tuesday, 20 September 2016
-
Current Status:
Answered by Fergus Ewing on 4 October 2016
To ask the Scottish Government how many premises in Shetland do not have access to superfast broadband under the existing or planned infrastructure programmes and will be dependent on the winner of the bid for the contract for the superfast broadband programme that was published on 9 September 2016.
Answer
The Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) programme will deliver 95% fibre broadband access by the end of 2017. Following completion of DSSB deployment, 76% of premises in Shetland will have access to fibre broadband. Only 21% coverage would have been delivered commercially.
The Scottish Government is committed to delivering 100% superfast broadband access by 2021. We plan to launch an Open Market Review, ahead of new procurement activity in 2017, to determine (a) what has been delivered commercially and (b) what will be delivered commercially over the next three years. This will require suppliers to provide speed information at an individual premises level. We will use this information to define a new intervention area for future public investment in broadband, comprising those premises that are unable to receive superfast speeds.
- Asked by: Tavish Scott, MSP for Shetland Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
-
Date lodged: Monday, 03 October 2016
-
Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 4 October 2016
To ask the Scottish Government what environmental assessment it has made of the leak from the Clair oil platform, west of Shetland.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 4 October 2016
