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-21017

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 19 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-16416 by Alasdair Allan on 31 July 2013, whether it encourages education authorities to provide autism awareness training for teachers and educational support staff as part of their continuous professional development.

To help teachers and educational support staff meet the needs of pupils with autism, the Scottish Government funded Scottish Autism to produce the Autism Toolbox website. This online national tool will encourage best practice for all education staff in schools to support pupils with autism. The Toolbox website will also provide a forum for continually updating and disseminating good practice.

In addition, Scottish Autism have contacted all education authorities with the offer of awareness sessions about the Autism Toolbox website. Sessions have already taken place in nine authorities and have reached over 1,000 delegates, including teachers and educational support staff.

Question reference: S4W-21016

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 19 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-16416 by Alasdair Allan on 31 July 2013, how the Autism Toolbox is being promoted (a) in schools and (b) to teachers.

The Autism Toolbox website was launched on 29 April 2014 at Grangemouth High School, by the Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland’s Languages. The delegates included teachers, educational support staff and pupils.

Scottish Autism has used part of its funding to produce the Autism Toolbox website to promote it in (a) schools and (b) to teachers, including:

Contacting all education authorities with the offer of awareness sessions about the Autism Toolbox website. Sessions have already taken place in nine authorities and have reached over 1,000 delegates, including teachers and educational support staff.

An awareness session about the website at the Scottish Learning Festival in September 2013. There will be an information stand at this year’s festival.

A learning community has been set up on Glow. A Glow meet about the Autism Toolbox website took place on 1 May 2014.

Question reference: S4W-21018

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S4W-18830 by Michael Matheson on 7 January 2014, which local authorities have published an autism strategy.

Question reference: S4W-21019

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 May 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 14 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on which local authorities have not started to develop an autism strategy.

Question reference: S4W-20814

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what recent discussions it has had with private care providers regarding the price of residential care.

Question reference: S4W-20815

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 6 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what the average price of residential care is in each local authority area.

Question reference: S4W-20871

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has received any correspondence from members of Aberdeen City Council administration in relation to the public exhibition of the Haudagain improvement proposals on 24-25 April 2014.

Aside from two local councillors accepting our invitation to attend the exhibition, no correspondence has been received from elected members of Aberdeen City Council in relation to the public exhibitions.

Regular meetings have taken place between officials from Transport Scotland and Aberdeen City Council since April 2013 to discuss the Haudagain improvement scheme which included the public exhibitions.

Question reference: S4W-20872

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it received prior confirmation from Aberdeen City Council that council officials would attend the public exhibition of the Haudagain improvement proposals on 24-25 April 2014.

Question reference: S4W-20870

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when the booking of the Lord Provost Henry E Rae Community Centre was made for the public exhibition of the Haudagain improvement proposals on 24-25 April 2014 and whether it was made by means of contact with Aberdeen City Council.

Question reference: S4W-20869

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 25 April 2014
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 2 May 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it had with officials from Aberdeen City Council in advance of the public exhibition of the Haudagain improvement proposals on 24-25 April 2014.