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-20873

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 Aberdeen City Council advised it that council officials would not attend the public exhibition of the Haudagain improvement proposals on 24-25 April 2014.

Question reference: S4W-20874

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 the notification that Aberdeen City Council officials would not attend the public exhibition of the Haudagain improvement proposals on 24-25 April 2014 was issued by a council official or an elected member.

Question reference: S4O-03094

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 March 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 2 April 2014

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met members of the Aberdeen City Council administration and what issues were discussed.

Question reference: S4W-19641

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage greater awareness in the medical profession of preterm premature rupture of membranes.

<>Education about this condition starts in undergraduate medical programmes and will then form part of continuing professional development that healthcare professionals are obliged to participate in to keep their knowledge and skills up to date. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has published a Green-top Guideline No 44 Preterm Prelabour Rupture of Membranes: http://www.rcog.org.uk/files/rcog-corp/GTG44PPROM28022011.pdf, which we would expect healthcare professionals to follow.

Question reference: S4W-19640

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 24 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it holds statistics on the number of Changing Places toilets and, if so, how many there are.

Question reference: S4W-19639

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 February 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 20 February 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to encourage greater provision of Changing Places toilets for disabled people.

Question reference: S4O-02858

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 January 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to amend the statutory consultation period for school closure decisions by local authorities.

Question reference: S4W-18882

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 14 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how it supports the use of the Makaton communication system by (a) teachers, (b) early years practitioners and (c) health professionals.

The Additional Support for Learning Act provides the framework for the provision of support to children and young people with additional support needs, including those arising from communication difficulties.

Makaton is one of a range of communication tools used to help children and young people with communication difficulties. The choice of communication system by speech and language therapists will be dependent upon clinical reasoning and professional judgement. When it is appropriate to use Makaton speech and language therapists who are Makaton trainers will train parents, education, social care and health professionals in the use of Makaton and update on a regular basis.

The Scottish Government also provides financial support to CALL Scotland to provide an expert, national, information and advice service to all those involved in meeting the assistive technology support needs of pupils with additional support needs, including those arising from communication difficulties.

Question reference: S4W-18883

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 14 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued to local authorities regarding the use of the Makaton communication system by (a) teachers and (b) early years practitioners

Education authorities and other agencies have duties under the Additional Support for Learning Act to identify and provide for the additional support needs of their pupils. This includes meeting needs arising from communication difficulties. The Scottish Government has published the code of practice to support practitioners in the fulfilment of these duties.

The use of Makaton is a matter for those working with children and young people and is informed by the individual needs of the child or young person, therefore no guidance has been issued to local authorities on this matter.

Question reference: S4W-18885

Asked by: Mark McDonald, MSP for Aberdeen Donside, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Friday, 13 December 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 8 January 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it has issued to NHS boards regarding the use of the Makaton communication system by health professionals.

Makaton is one of a range of communication tools used to help children with communication difficulties. No formal guidance on the use of the Makaton communication system has been issued by Scottish Government to NHS boards, however in 2012 we published ‘A Right to Speak: Supporting Individuals who use Augmentative and Alternative Communication’. This document set out our vision for a Scotland where people who use augmentative and alternative communication are fully included in our society.