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: S6W-22501

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the creation of a national digital academy.

Question reference: S6W-22502

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost has been to date of its development of the national digital academy, and what the projected final cost will be.

Question reference: S6W-22500

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to launch the national digital academy.

Scottish Government and Education Scotland are currently developing options for a National Digital Academy. Details of timescales and funding will be available when these are complete.

The National e-Learning offer (a range of live, recorded and supported resources, funded by the Scottish Government and delivered in partnership with Education Scotland, ADES, the 6 regional improvement collaboratives, and EIS) continues to be delivered.

Question reference: S6W-22203

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 8 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-15474 by Shirley-Anne Somerville on 10 March 2023, how much of the £140 million to support the roll-out of digital devices in the Capital Spending Review has been allocated to date; how much will be allocated before May 2026, and when it expects it will be allocated; which local authorities will receive funding before May 2026, and what proportion of the funding each of those local authorities will receive.

Question reference: S6W-22060

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 06 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many local authorities have local digital learning strategies.

The 2016 digital-technology/pages/2/"> Digital Learning and Teaching strategy sets out our expectation that local authorities will develop strategies to support the appropriate and effective use of technology in education. We do not hold a central record of these documents. As indicated in the recent PfG, we will now work with partners on the development of a refreshed digital strategy for education that will aim to drive improved digital access for all learners.

Question reference: S6W-22059

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 05 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 3 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21422 by Jenny Gilruth on 4 October 2023, when the digital strategy for education will be published, and which organisations and stakeholders are contributing to it.

We are developing a new digital strategy to support our ongoing commitment to improve digital access for learners. This strategy will define the key elements for successful digital learning and seek to deliver the right technology, in the right place, with a workforce that knows how to use it.

Officials will engage with key partners across the education sector in development and implementation of the strategy, which we will publish in 2024.

Question reference: S6W-21959

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 03 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-21420 by Jenny Gilruth on 2 October 2023, whether it will provide the information requested regarding what consequences there are for local authorities that do not meet its commitment to provide every school pupil with their own laptop or other digital device, and for what reason it did not provide this information in its answer.

Question reference: S6W-21418

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether pupils who have received a free laptop or other digital device will be entitled to a replacement device should theirs break.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-20954 on 19 September 2023.

We continue to work in partnership with COSLA and local authorities on delivery plans to ensure every school-aged child has access to a digital device by the end of this parliamentary term.

Local authorities are responsible for the management of their own digital assets and will have processes in place to deal with the repair or replacement of devices as required.

All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers .

Question reference: S6W-21419

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what funding is available to local authorities to fulfil its commitment to provide every school pupil with their own laptop or other digital device.

I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15474 on 10 March 2023 .

We continue to work in partnership with COSLA and local authorities to develop delivery plans, including phasing and funding options for this commitment.

Question reference: S6W-21422

Asked by: Liam Kerr, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 18 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what procurement guidance has been given to local authorities regarding the purchase of laptops and other digital devices, in light of its commitment to provide every school pupil with their own laptop or other digital device.

Any decisions on device procurement are taken by individual local authorities, to ensure they can be used in line with local digital learning strategies.

To support local authorities, Scottish Procurement provide a range of national procurement frameworks which offer a direct route to market for the purchase of digital devices and other digital products.

Alongside this work, we are developing a digital strategy for education, to ensure that digital provision supports the broader aims of the education system.