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: S3W-29450

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 14 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the pupil uptake rate is of the languages baccalaureate.

Question reference: S3W-29451

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 30 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 14 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what the percentage uptake of the baccalaureate is, broken down by local authority.

Details of the percentage of schools in each local authority who have entered pupils for the Scottish Science and Languages Baccalaureates can be found in the following table:

Local Authority	No. of Secondary Schools	No. of Secondary Schools with Entries for Languages Baccalaureate	% of Secondary Schools Presenting Pupils for Languages Baccalaureate
City of Aberdeen	12	0	n/a
Aberdeenshire	17	1	5.9%
Angus	8	0	n/a
Clackmannanshire	3	1	33.3%
Dumfries and Galloway	16	0	n/a
City of Dundee	10	0	n/a
East Ayrshire	9	0	n/a
East Renfrewshire	7	1	14.3%
City of Edinburgh	23	3	13.0%
Falkirk	8	0	n/a
Fife	19	1	5.3%
City of Glasgow	30	1	3.3%
Highland	30	1	3.3%
North Lanarkshire	24	0	n/a
Perth and Kinross	10	1	10.0%
South Lanarkshire	17	0	n/a
Stirling	7	1	14.3%
West Dunbartonshire	6	0	n/a
West Lothian	11	1	9.1%

Local Authority	No. of Secondary Schools with Entries for Science Baccalaureate	% of Secondary Schools Presenting Pupils for Science Baccalaureate
City of Aberdeen	2	16.7%
Aberdeenshire	0	n/a
Angus	2	25.0%
Clackmannanshire	1	33.3%
Dumfries and Galloway	2	12.5%
City of Dundee	6	60.0%
East Ayrshire	1	11.1%
East Renfrewshire	5	71.4%
City of Edinburgh	3	13.0%
Falkirk	2	25.0%
Fife	0	n/a
City of Glasgow	0	n/a
Highland	1	3.3%
North Lanarkshire	3	12.5%
Perth and Kinross	1	10.0%
South Lanarkshire	1	5.9%
Stirling	4	57.1%
West Dunbartonshire	2	33.3%
West Lothian	1	9.1%

Notes:

1. Figures on number of schools with entries for Science and Language Baccalaureates are from Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), and are correct as of 3 December 2009.

2. Figures on number of secondary schools by local authority are from Pupils in Scotland, 2008.

Question reference: S3W-29176

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 19 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 1 December 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive whether there will be a time gap between the closure of the 5 to 14 curriculum website and the Curriculum for Excellence website becoming fully operational and, if so, what measures will be put in place to meet demand for assessment information during this time.

No decision has been taken on the timing of the closure of the National Assessment Bank and the bank will only be switched off when I am satisfied that there is sufficient support available to meet assessment demand during the period of transition from the existing system to the new system. The materials available for the new National Assessment Resource must also be of sufficient quality to provide the necessary support to pupils and teachers from August 2010.

The Framework for Assessment, to be published in due course, will provide guidance on assessment for Curriculum for Excellence, including information on the National Assessment Resource and the national system of quality assurance and moderation which supports teachers in making their professional judgements. Following its publication, there will be an extended series of CPD opportunities for practitioners on the new assessment approaches.

Question reference: S3W-28518

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 12 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools have been identified as containing asbestos in the fabric of the buildings, broken down by schools in each local authority area.

The information requested is not held centrally. Health and Safety Regulations require duty holders who are responsible for the maintenance and repair of buildings in their control to manage the risks arising from asbestos. In the case of publicly funded schools that is the local authority. The Health and Safety Executive provides advice and guidance to local authorities and others on the management of asbestos.

Question reference: S3W-28519

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 29 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Shona Robison on 12 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many former teachers have been diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Question reference: S3O-08338

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 November 2009
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 5 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress it has made in supporting young farmers and helping new entrants to farming.

We continue to develop and improve the support available to new and young farmers in Scotland. For example, I propose to supplement the existing interest rate relief available to new young entrants under the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) with a new establishment grant of up to £20,546. A wide range of other support is also available, both within the SRDP and through other initiatives, often at enhanced rates for young farmers.

Question reference: S3W-28446

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 28 October 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 4 November 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive what projects have received funding from the Scottish Veterans’ Fund.

Recipients of grant funding from the Scottish Veterans'' Fund in both 2008-09 and 2009-10 are detailed in the following tables. In addition, Veterans Scotland, which administers the fund on behalf of the Scottish Government, has been provided with £8,000 over the same two year period to meet its administrative and advertising costs.

Scottish Veterans Fund, 2008-09

Organisation	Amount (£)	Description
Veterans Scotland	2,200	A public event to mark the Veterans Awareness Day celebrations.
Veterans Scotland	5,500	Thanksgiving Service for those Service personnel killed on active service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Freight Agency	7,800	A book used to raise awareness of Veterans and issues surrounding their well being, aimed at young people.
Erskine	8,000	Research for a report on the needs of service personnel returning from active service.
Poppy Scotland	9,000	A report to gain a better understanding of alcohol dependency issues as they relate to Veterans.
Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH)/Combat Stress.	9,500	To provide a practical Veterans guide to those agencies working with mental health difficulties.
Scottish Poverty Information Unit.	9,500	To collect base line information on the financial information on the financial situation and well being of veterans in Scotland.
Lady Haig Poppy Factory	9,500	Ventilation system for the Factory.
Scottish Veterans Residencies	9,500	To develop a new website to reach out to Forces leavers with the focus on Housing.
First Base Agency	9,500	To improve the lot of Service personnel with drug dependency as a result of being unable to cope with civilian life. This is a pilot project in the Dumfries area.
Total	80,000

2009-10

Organisation	Amount (£)	Description
Gardening Leave	3,000	To train a fully qualified horticultural therapist.
Gordon Highlanders Museum	4,500	To hold workshops to give children a better understanding of veterans affairs.
Officers Association in Scotland	4,500	To run a pilot scheme for a bespoke service assisting transitions to civvy street.
Poppy Scotland/ Blake Stevenson	5,750	For research into employment needs of disabled veterans.
Veterans Scotland	9,000	Bi-annual newsletter and directory for veterans.
Cadet Training Centre “ Inverness	2,500	Trip to Normandy for 12 cadets and four veterans carrying the baton of Remembrance to celebrate the D-Day landings. With presentations on return.
Poppy Scotland	10,000	A three year educational programme for children 3-18 on the importance of remembrance and the main issues facing veterans today.
Erskine	9,000	Development of web-based CMS system.
Holybush House	3,500	To set up and support a carers support website.
Combat Stress	10,000	One year fixed term contact “ Assistant Psychologist.
Officers Association Scotland	4,500	To gain accreditation in coaching.
Scottish Veterans Residences	7,500	To convert the games room in Whiteford House into a resource and IT centre, for use by veterans.
Erskine	4,750	Start up costs for Pathfinder initiative.
Combat Stress	1,500	90th anniversary service at St Giles Cathedral, 14th May 2009.
Total	80,000

Question reference: S3F-01903

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Current Status: Answered by Alex Salmond on 24 September 2009

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government intends to respond to recent criticisms that have been voiced by teachers, academics, business leaders and unions concerning the Curriculum for Excellence.

Question reference: S3W-25266

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 21 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many young people were classified as not being in employment, education or training (NEET) in each of the last 10 years.

The official source for statistics for Scotland on the number of young people not in employment, education or training (NEET) is the Annual Population Survey. The numbers of 16 to 19-year-olds not in education, employment or training for each of the last 10 years for which data are available are given in the following table:

16 to 19-Year-Olds Not in Employment, Education or Training, Scotland 1998-2007

1998	37,000
1999	36,000
2000	39,000
2001	37,000
2002	36,000
2003	35,000
2004	35,000
2005	37,000
2006	32,000
2007	32,000

Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS), Calendar Quarters combined for 1996-2002. The 2003 figure includes some of the boost from the Annual Scottish LFS (ASLFS). Data from 2004 onwards are taken from the Annual Population Survey (APS). The APS and ASLFS include boosts to the main LFS. This means there is a discontinuity in the series.

Question reference: S3W-24846

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 15 June 2009
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 13 July 2009

To ask the Scottish Executive how many schools will offer the science baccalaureate in the 2010-11 academic year.