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-29041

Asked by: Siobhan McMahon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 11 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to the seven grant-aided schools for children with additional support needs that are implementing the recommendations of the Strategic Review of Learning Provision for Children and Young People with Complex Additional Support Needs (the Doran Review).

The Scottish Government and the Doran project board are working closely with all of the seven grant-aided special schools (GASS) to ensure they receive the support to help them with the transition to the strategic commissioning model. To ensure that happens, the Doran project board set up workstream 1 to provide support to those current recipients of the national grant funding.

Part of that support has been for the Scottish Government, at the request of the seven GASS, to fund a GASS researcher post. The researcher post has been to inform and support GASS with their contribution to the work of the Doran project board and to support GASS prepare for the transition to a national strategic commissioning model, to enable them to be in the best possible place to benefit from the funding available as part of the new strategic commissioning process. This post has been funded for 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Peter Doran’s review, the Scottish Government response to the report and all the papers from the Doran project and Doran project workstreams are published on the Scottish Government website through the Doran Review webpages.

Question reference: S4W-29040

Asked by: Siobhan McMahon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 December 2015
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 11 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government what the timescale is for the full implementation of the recommendations of the Strategic Review of Learning Provision for Children and Young People with Complex Additional Support Needs (the Doran Review).

The strategic commissioning of national services was proposed in The Right Help at the right time in the right place. The independent Strategic Review of Learning Provision for Children and Young People with Complex Additional Support Needs was conducted by Peter Doran and published in November 2012.

The Doran Strategic Commissioning Project Board was set up in June 2013 to oversee the implementation to the specific recommendations (7, and 17-18 (in part) and 19 to 21) regarding the approach to funding national education services for children and young people with complex additional support needs. The new strategic commissioning process for funding national education services for children and young people with complex additional support needs is planned to be implemented by 2017.

Peter Doran’s review, the Scottish Government response to the report and all the papers from the Doran project board and Doran project workstreams are published on the Scottish Government website through the Doran Review webpages.

Question reference: S4O-05259

Asked by: Siobhan McMahon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 06 January 2016
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 January 2016

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason total expenditure on the Legal Aid Fund in 2014-15 fell by 8% compared with the previous year.

Question reference: S4O-04904

Asked by: Siobhan McMahon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 02 December 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 9 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what impact the Autumn Statement and Comprehensive Spending Review will have on its capital budgets.

Question reference: S4W-27563

Asked by: Siobhan McMahon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 December 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator has approved the proposed private company charity model.

Question reference: S4W-27984

Asked by: Siobhan McMahon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 09 October 2015
Current Status: Answered by Frank Mulholland QC on 26 October 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether the Lord Advocate plans to publish further guidelines on the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012.

The Lord Advocate’s guidelines on the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012 were recently updated in August 2015. That update clarified that it may be deemed appropriate to offer alternatives to prosecution, in certain cases involving charges under the Act. These alternatives will include schemes which will offer the offender education and rehabilitation.

The Lord Advocate regularly reviews his published guidance on the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2010 in light of decisions made by the Courts.

A copy of the guidance can be found at:

Lord Advocate’s Guidelines on the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012

Question reference: S4O-04672

Asked by: Siobhan McMahon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 September 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 7 October 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it considers that the recent reforms to the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme are sufficient.

Question reference: S4W-27564

Asked by: Siobhan McMahon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 30 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of recent changes to EU rules on measuring state spending, how much additional borrowing will be required for all Scottish Futures Trust hub projects that have already been built or have been authorised.

Question reference: S4W-27562

Asked by: Siobhan McMahon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 30 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the impact on Scottish Futures Trust hub projects arising from recent changes in EU rules on measuring state spending, whether each 20% stake previously held by public sector partners will be transferred to a new private sector charity resulting in private contractors having the right to increase their shares from 60% to 80% in the new companies set up to deliver each project.

Question reference: S4W-27561

Asked by: Siobhan McMahon, MSP for Central Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 September 2015
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 30 September 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether (a) it or (b) the Scottish Futures Trust will pay compensation for the estimated £10 billion of future unitary charges on local authorities, colleges, NHS boards and Transport Scotland until 2048 as a result of delays to publicly funded building programmes arising from recent changes in EU rules on measuring state spending.