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-13735

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 15 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 2 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the recruitment of teachers for Gaelic-medium education.

There are currently 343 teachers teaching through the medium of Gaelic in all levels from Nursery through to Secondary. In 2012 we saw 24 probationers graduate which was the largest number of Gaelic Medium Teachers ever to come through training in a single year.

However, we are aware that the recruitment of teachers to the Gaelic sector remains a challenge. To help address this challenge Bòrd na Gaidhlig has set up the Gaelic Teachers Recruitment and Retention Group which is made up of representatives from the Scottish Government, all the Teacher Education Institutions and a number of local authorities who provide GME. The Group seeks to identify recruitment, promotion and retention opportunities in the sector whilst seeking to remove any barriers to individuals who wish to teach. The Group is making good progress and a new Gaelic Teacher Immersion Course is being developed through its work. The aim of this course will be to enable teachers to transfer to Gaelic Medium teaching.

In addition the Scottish Government has written to the Scottish Funding Council asking it to support initiatives which could improve effectiveness and widen access to Gaelic teacher education. In response to this request the Council have agreed to support The University of the Highlands and Islands with the funding of 20 additional student places for Gaelic Teacher Training.

Question reference: S4W-13736

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 15 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 2 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what regard it has had to Gaelic in relation to the provision of additional pre-school hours.

The Children and Young People Bill, currently being developed, includes provisions to increase the current entitlement to 475 hours per year of funded pre-school education for 3 and 4 year olds, to a minimum of 600 hours per year of funded early learning and childcare for 3 and 4 year olds, as well as 2 year olds who are looked after or subject to a kinship care order, from 2014.

We expect that providers of Gaelic medium early learning and childcare will have an important role to play in delivering the entitlement to those eligible children whose parents wish to make use of this type of provision.

Scottish Ministers aim to see the expansion of Gaelic medium education at all levels and see Gaelic early years as playing a key role. Gaelic early years are also a key priority area listed in the National Plan for Gaelic. In view of this, and the forthcoming expansion of the funded early learning and childcare hours set out above, we are working closely with local authorities and Bord na Gaidhlig to expand this sector.

Question reference: S4W-13733

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 15 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 28 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it will (a) use and (b) actively promote Gaelic in the forthcoming independence referendum.

In line with standard practice for elections and referendums, the referendum ballot paper will be provided in English. Counting officers may choose to display a translation of the ballot paper at polling stations if they consider this appropriate and this could, of course, include Gaelic. Voter information will also be available in other languages on request, again including Gaelic. In addition, the Electoral Commission, which will be responsible for ensuring that voters know how to register and how to vote in the referendum, is expected to produce this information in other languages, including Gaelic.

Question reference: S4W-13641

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 22 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-13242 and S4W-13243 by Kenny MacAskill on 6 March 2013, whether it will publish information on any final measures required to transpose the obligations of the EU directives into domestic legislation and, if so, when.

The Scottish Government regularly provides to the Justice Committee a high level update on EU directives. This generally includes an assessment of actions that the Scottish Government might be required to take in order to comply with individual directives. We consider that secondary legislation under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1975 will be required in order to transpose fully the directives mentioned in his earlier questions. The secondary legislation will set out the specific measures being taken to transpose the obligations into domestic law.

Question reference: S4O-01960

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that fares on public transport do not become so expensive that people are priced back into their cars.

Question reference: S4W-13608

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 20 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many operations were cancelled in each NHS board in the Highlands and Islands in each of the last five years due to equipment not being sterilised properly, broken down by specialism; what the cost was to each board, and how much of the cost was for reimbursement of travel and accommodation.

Question reference: S4W-13432

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what subjects are taught in both Gaelic and English at (a) S1, (b) S2 and (c) from S3 to S6, broken down by (i) local authority and (ii) school.

The Scottish Government would like to see an expansion of Gaelic medium education in secondary schools. In 2012-13 there were a total of twelve subjects taught through the medium of Gaelic in Scottish schools in both S1 and S2. In S3 and S4 there were eight subjects taught through the medium of Gaelic and in S5 this dropped to four and in S6 to two.

In total there are thirteen 13 subjects (including Gaelic as a subject) taught through the medium of Gaelic. These are: Gaelic, English, Religious Education, Geography, History, Home Economics, French, Personal and Social Education, Maths, Modern Studies, Physical Education, Science and Technology.

Subjects presented by school and local authority area are set out in the following table.

Secondary School

Area

Gaelic

English

Geog.

History

Home Ec

French

PSE

Maths

M. Studies

Science

Technology

Hazelhead

Aberdeen

Oban

Argyll and Bute

Dunoon

Argyll and Bute

Islay

Argyll and Bute

Tiree

Argyll and Bute

Tobermory

Argyll and Bute

James Gillespie’s

Edin.

Grange

E Ayrshire

Meadowburn

East Dunbarton

Glasgow

Ardnamurchan

Highland

Plockton

Highland

Tain

Highland

Kingussie

Highland

Farr

Highland

Gairloch

Highland

Millburn

Highland

Inverness Royal Academy

Highland

Dingwall

Highland

Lochaber

Highland

Mallaig

Highland

Portree

Highland

Ullapool

Highland

Greenfaulds

N Lanark

Perth

Perth and Kinross

Calderglen

South Lanark

Wallace High

Stirling

Castlebay

W. Isles

Linaclete

W. Isles

Lionel

W. Isles

Shawbost

W. Isles

Sir E Scott, Tarbert

W. Isles

Nicholson

W. Isles

Subjects presented by year are set out in the following table (where numbers are less than 10, the data is not given for data protection reasons).

Subject	S1	S2	S3	S4	S5	S6
Gidhlig	248	253	212	217	113	42
English	42	28	37	43	-	-
RE	115	101	46	53	-	-
Geography	129	112	29	34	-	-
History	152	140	52	40	-	-
Home Economics	70	95	-	-	-	-
French	59	40	-	-	-	-
PSE	115	100	74	75	-	-
Maths	69	28	37	43	29	-
Modern Studies	88	103	-	-	-	-
PE	14	-	-	-	-	-
Science	83	76	-	-	-	-
Technology	-	-	-	-	-	-

Question reference: S4W-13425

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what sanctions there are to deal with public (a) bodies and (b) service providers that do not pursue the terms of their Gaelic language plans.

Question reference: S4W-13426

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the most recent figure is for the number of pupils discontinuing Gaelic bi-lingual education (a) in the transition to secondary school, (b) at S2 and (c) from S3 to S6; what analysis it has made of the reasons for this, and whether it plans to take steps to reduce these numbers.

The Scottish Government wants to see an increase in the number of young people in Gaelic medium education and recognises that maintaining pupil continuity at key stages of schooling is a vital part of this.

The table below shows the most recent figures from 2012-13. This shows the number of pupils in Gaelic bilingual education at different stages.

263

248

253

215

222

116

The Scottish Government has commissioned research into ‘Language Models in GM Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education’. This was published in 2012 and further research has been commissioned by Bòrd na Gidhlig into parental attitudes in Gaelic medium education.

In addition, views from consultations and public meetings indicate there are a range of reasons for Gaelic medium pupils numbers declining at key stages. A number of steps are being taken to address this including teacher recruitment, preparation of resources, support from Gaelic medium teachers from Education Scotland, Scottish Qualifications Authority provision of Gaelic medium examinations and materials and promotion of Gaelic medium at all levels.

Question reference: S4W-13422

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action can be taken by people concerned that a public body might be disregarding its Gaelic language plan.