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: S5W-06719

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many staff the Commissioner for Fair Access has and, of these, how many are (a) full-time equivalent and (b) secondments from the Scottish Government or its agencies, broken down by salary range.

At the current time, the Commissioner for Fair Access has the following staff available to him to support his work:

1 x full time SG Statistician (salary range £46,424 to £55,275)

1 x full time Implementation Adviser/Researcher who is seconded from the university sector (salary range £46,424 to £55,275)

1 x 0.5 full time equivalent SG Policy Team Leader (salary range £46,424 to £55,275)

1 x 0.25 full time equivalent SG Policy Officer (salary range: £23,383 to £26,448)

This support complement will be further expanded if and as required and will be informed by the Commissioner’s assessment of his needs for staffing support.

Question reference: S5W-06874

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 21 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to questions S5W-06400 and S5W-06391 by Mark McDonald on 1 February 2017, where it will list each of the nurseries, broken down by local authority.

Question reference: S5W-06722

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government where the Commissioner for Fair Access will work, and what the cost of this will be.

The Commissioner for Fair Access is based in London and much of his work in Scotland will involve engagement with stakeholders across the education sector at a variety of locations. The Commissioner will have access to Scottish Government meeting rooms should he require meeting space in Scotland and is likely to undertake some work from London. There are therefore no direct accommodation costs associated with this role.

Question reference: S5W-06724

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how each of the recommendations of the Commission on Widening Access has been implemented and, for those that have not been implemented, when they will be.

The Commission made 34 recommendations for different parts of the education system, a number of which were for the Scottish Government to take forward. In line with dates set by the Commission, the Government has appointed a Commissioner for Fair Access and has also made arrangements for the provision of a care experience bursary for those studying in 2017-18. The Government immediately accepted the targets proposed by the Commission and officials have liaised with the Scottish Funding Council to ensure that these are reflected in the latest outcome agreement guidance.

The Government will publish a formal report on progress against the Commission’s recommendations in Spring 2017.

Question reference: S5W-06723

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what budget the Commissioner for Fair Access will have, and what is expected to be delivered with this.

In line with recommendation 1 of the Commission on Widening Access’s final report, the Scottish Government will ensure an appropriate budget is available to support the Commissioner for Fair Access’s work to develop an improved evidence base. The Commissioner is currently considering the priorities for research on access in Scotland and resources made available for research will be informed by Professor Scott’s assessment of the need for new work to be carried out.

Question reference: S5W-06725

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the cost was of the appointment process for the Commissioner for Fair Access.

Question reference: S5W-06726

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the running costs will be of the Commissioner for Fair Access.

Exact running costs associated with the position of Commissioner for Fair Access cannot be identified, as they may be subject to change as the requirements of the role itself adjust and mature. Relevant costs will include the Commissioner’s fees and expenses and staffing costs as outlined in the answer to question S5W-06719 on 21 February 2017. Staffing support and the level of required investment will be dependent on need as work progresses, and therefore may vary. The Commissioner’s own fees are not expected to exceed £1,000 per month. Further, the Commissioner will be reimbursed for expenses at the Scottish Government’s normal travel and subsistence rates.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at:

http://www.parliament.scot/parliamentarybusiness/28877.aspx

Question reference: S5W-06721

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what staffing support it will make available to the Commissioner for Fair Access.

At the current time, the Commissioner for Fair Access has the following staff available to him to support his work:

1 x full time SG Statistician (salary range £46,424 to £55,275)

1 x full time Implementation Adviser/Researcher who is seconded from the university sector (salary range £46,424 to £55,275)

1 x 0.5 full time equivalent SG Policy Team Leader (salary range £46,424 to £55,275)

1 x 0.25 full time equivalent SG Policy Officer (salary range: £23,383 to £26,448)

This support complement will be further expanded if and as required and will be informed by the Commissioner’s assessment of his needs for staffing support.

Question reference: S5W-06713

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the University of Glasgow and West of Scotland Local Authority partners report, How to engage with MD40 pupils in higher progression schools; whether it will fulfil the recommendations in the report, and how it will communicate the recommendations to other relevant stakeholders.

The Scottish Government welcomes this report and notes that many of the recommendations reinforce those made by the Commission on Widening Access. The research provides new evidence on how best to target access programmes and identify individuals when supporting learners in the west of Scotland and this will be considered by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) as part of its planned review of SFC funded programmes. The findings will also inform work to develop more individualised measures to support access, as recommended by the Commission on Widening Access.

The Scottish Funding Council will consider the recommendations within the report as part of its work to support access and will engage with relevant stakeholders as necessary.

Question reference: S5W-06463

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 20 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many businesses in each (a) local authority area and (b) sector in each of the last 10 years had rateable values (i) on or below £10,000, (ii) between £10,001 and £12,000, (iii) between £12,001 and £15,000, (iv) between £15,001 and £18,000, (v) between £18,001 and £31,000, (vii) between £31,001 and £51,000 and (viii) over £51,000, and how many will have this value in 2017-18.