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: S4W-20239

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 18 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 31 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that correspondence between heads of NDPBs and arms-length organisations and MSPs should be treated in confidence.

Question reference: S4W-20192

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 27 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide a breakdown of the information at table 12 of Higher Education Student Support in Scotland, 2012-13 for students on sub-degree courses that year.

The following tables show a breakdown of the information at table 12 of Higher Education Student Support in Scotland, 2012-13 for students on sub-degree courses that year.

The tables only show data on students undertaking full-time courses. This excludes a large number of sub-degree courses that are supported at part-time level.

In addition, it should be noted that the comparatively high level of support shown under “awards” for students from households with income over £40,000 is primarily due to the payment of Disabled Students’ Allowance, which is a non income-assessed grant.

Any Support

Awards

Supported students	Number of students	Average amount (£)	Number of students	Average amount (£)
Total	32,635	4,650	18,975	1,805
< £10k	3,890	6,080	3,565	2,320
£10,000 - £19,999	5,195	5,765	4,765	2,350
£20,000 - £29,999	3,125	4,850	2,825	1,595
£30,000 - £39,999	1,955	4,045	905	515
£40,000 - £49,999	1,175	3,490	35	1,275
£50,000 - £59,999	660	2,665	20	2,370
£60,000 - £69,999	320	2,220	10	1,115
£70,000 - £79,999	150	2,025	*	*
£80,000 - £99,998	125	2,230	*	*
£99,999 and above	70	2,050	*	*
Income not declared/required	7,995	1,770	640	1,975
Exempt from parental/spousal contribution	7,965	6,725	6,195	1,350

Fees

Loans

Supported students	Number of students	Average amount (£)	Number of students	Average amount (£)
Total	29,245	1,285	21,315	3,715
< £10k	3,580	1,285	2,895	3,705
£10,000 - £19,999	4,765	1,285	3,405	3,695
£20,000 - £29,999	2,835	1,285	1,980	3,495
£30,000 - £39,999	1,790	1,280	1,400	3,625
£40,000 - £49,999	1,095	1,280	920	2,840
£50,000 - £59,999	620	1,300	495	1,815
£60,000 - £69,999	300	1,265	230	1,220
£70,000 - £79,999	140	1,245	105	1,010
£80,000 - £99,998	115	1,265	85	875
£99,999 and above	70	1,255	50	845
Income not declared/required	7,505	1,285	2,505	1,210
Exempt from parental/spousal contribution	6,425	1,285	7,245	5,085

Notes: Cells marked as * are those which have been suppressed due to disclosure control rules (possibility to identify individuals).

Source: The Student Awards Agency for Scotland

Question reference: S4W-20154

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 21 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what it considers the benefits are of online appointment booking services for (a) GP surgeries and (b) hospitals.

Question reference: S4W-20153

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 21 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what data protection issues arise from online appointment booking services for (a) GP surgeries and (b) hospitals.

GP surgeries and hospitals are bound by a legislative and regulatory framework to protect people’s information, which includes the Data Protection Act 1998, duties of care and confidentiality and guidance issued by the Information Commissioner’s office and regulatory bodies such as the General Medical Council and British Medical Association. Part of this includes being open and transparent with people on how their information will be fairly processed and handled in a safe and secure manner. These considerations are applied to the handling of all information (paper or electronic) including offering online booking of appointments as a service.

Question reference: S4W-20112

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 21 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to publish its updated guidance on instrumental music services and what (a) consultation it has carried out and (b) meetings it has had with regard to this.

The government subgroup taking forward the revision of the guidance on instrumental music services is made up of: the Heads of Instrumental Teaching Scotland (HITS), the Scottish Association for Music Education (SAME), the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and Education Scotland.

The group is aiming to conclude its work by December 2014. The group met in January 2014 and plans to meet again in March 2014 before producing a first draft by the end of June 2014 and a final draft by December 2014.

The subgroup consulted with HITS managers and associate members at the HITS conference in January 2014 and there will be further consultation with all member organisations involved in the Instrumental Music Implementation group.

Question reference: S4W-20115

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 11 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 21 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how its updated instrumental music service guidelines will ensure that traditional Scottish instruments are available in each local authority area.

Most schools offer a range of instrumental music tuition and as with Curriculum for Excellence, the detail of which instruments are taught and how instrumental tuition is delivered is decided by local authorities and schools. These decisions are based on a range of considerations and take account of resource limitations, local traditions, demand and the availability of specialist instrumental music instructors.

We welcome the wide range of instrumental music tuition that local authorities provide and believe that music plays a vitally important role in education, helping shape our sense of personal, social and cultural identity as well as providing significant cognitive, societal and economic benefits to Scotland as a nation and its people.

The government subgroup currently revising the instrumental music service guidelines is aiming to conclude its work by December 2014. These guidelines will not specify which instruments should be taught by local authorities’ instrumental music services.

Question reference: S4W-20152

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 20 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to implement online appointment booking services for (a) GP surgeries and (b) hospitals across the country.

Question reference: S4O-03063

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports mothers to return to education part-time.

Question reference: S4T-00635

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the resignation of the head of the curriculum for excellence ahead of the first sitting of the new national exams.

Question reference: S4W-19999

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 March 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 14 March 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many university students have been subject to academic sanctions in pursuit of debts in each year since 2007.