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-07399

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 8 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider an independent review of North Lanarkshire Council's provision of dyslexia support.

The Additional Support for Learning Act provides the framework for all support for learning, including provision for dyslexia. It is the responsibility of all education authorities to identify, make provision for and review the support in place for the additional support needs of the pupils for whose education they are responsible. Therefore this is a matter for North Lanarkshire council.

The Scottish Government, in partnership with Dyslexia Scotland, launched the online “Assessing Dyslexia” Toolkit in June 2010 to support those in schools to identify early the signs of literacy difficulties and dyslexia.

To further enhance this, the Scottish Government has provided an additional £40,000 to Dyslexia Scotland to:

review and update the “Toolkit”;

add new materials on how to support children and young people with dyslexia, and

develop a section for local authorities on how to best implement the resource.

Question reference: S4W-07398

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 22 May 2012
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 8 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the number of children in the North Lanarkshire Council area recorded with dyslexia is low.

The Additional Support for Learning Act provides the framework for all support for learning, including provision for dyslexia. It is the responsibility of all education authorities to identify, make provision for and review the support in place for the additional support needs of the pupils for whose education they are responsible. As this is the responsibility of North Lanarkshire Council it is not appropriate for the Scottish Government to comment on.

The Scottish Government will consider the issue of statistical collection as part of the long-term plan to support implementation of the Additional Support for Learning Act.

Question reference: S4O-01100

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 June 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the statement by the chief economist at the Bank of Scotland that "April's barometer showed the strongest improvement in the Scottish jobs market for 11 months."

Question reference: S4O-01002

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 May 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how the recently announced additional funding of £150,000 for Housing Options Hubs will be used to best refocus services to look at individuals' housing options.

Question reference: S4O-00960

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 May 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how it supports employment in the steel industry in North Lanarkshire.

Question reference: S4O-00881

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 19 April 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to help new graduates acquire jobs in their chosen fields of study.

Question reference: S4O-00799

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 March 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 15 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on concerns that the appeals procedure for altering council tax bands is being applied inconsistently.

Question reference: S4W-04485

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider making free transport schemes available to all war pensioners and recipients of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

War pensioners in receipt of a war disablement pension mobility supplement and those aged 60 and over can already receive free bus travel under the Scotland-wide Free Bus Travel Scheme for Older and Disabled People. Many other injured and disabled HM Forces personnel and veterans also qualify under the scheme’s disability eligibility criteria. From 1 April 2011, eligible HM Forces personnel and veterans’ applications to the scheme have been fast tracked. The Scottish Government has no plans to extend free travel beyond these criteria.

Question reference: S4O-00534

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 December 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many applicants have failed the police force entrance exam in the last five years.

Question reference: S4O-00323

Asked by: Richard Lyle, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the reduction in the number of Scots applying for university places in England.