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-26599

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2019
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 18 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, what action it is taking to support doctoral students, and what its position is on introducing doctoral loans similar to those being established in England and Wales.

Students studying at the doctorate level will typically receive their funding from the UK Research Councils; research charities and Higher Education Institutions themselves. Funding is provided primarily through UK Research Councils such as the Medical Research Council (MRC), Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and also through Doctoral Training Centres, rather than by individual PhD awards.

Eligible doctoral level students can also apply to the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) for the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA). This is a non-income assessed allowance to cover any additional costs or expenses that a student might have while studying, which arise because of their specific disability or additional support need.

In addition, doctoral level students who require additional support can also apply for Discretionary Funds from any Scottish university. These funds are intended to provide assistance, for example with housing or travel costs, for students who experience financial difficulty accessing or remaining in further and higher education.

At the current time, the Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a loans scheme for students who wish to embark on doctoral study.

Question reference: S5O-03918

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 December 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government whether the review of coordinated support plans for children with additional needs will be conducted as part of or subsequent to the Morgan review of additional support needs.

Question reference: S5O-03882

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 5 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that public funding does not support the manufacture of munitions.

The Scottish Government provides support, through our enterprise agencies, to companies operating in the defence sector.

That support is focussed toward helping companies diversify into non-military and civilian applications.

I am assured by our enterprise agencies that the requirements of the application and reporting processes, as well as the account management relationship, provide safeguards to ensure that any funding provided is used only for the specific purpose intended.

Question reference: S5O-03915

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 04 December 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 11 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that young people are properly equipped to protect their workplace rights.

Question reference: S5W-26477

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 3 December 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills on 23 January 2019 (Official Report, c.20), in light of the cabinet secretary's comments regarding workplace rights being adequately covered in its approach to implementing the recommendations of the review into Personal and Social Education, whether it will provide details of how these rights are being addressed.

Curriculum for Excellence provides significant flexibility, within broad national guidelines, for teachers to develop lessons which best meet the needs of individual learners, including advising young people about workplace rights. To support teachers, standards and guidance materials have been introduced with the aim of enhancing learners’ career education and the development of employability and career management skills. The Career Education Standard has employment rights built in to its ‘ I can’ statements for the Senior Phase, ensuring this is a key part of career education for young people.

The review of Personal and Social Education (PSE) committed to development of a toolkit to enhance delivery of PSE. The toolkit will build on the actions of the Developing the Young Workforce strategy which aims to ensure all young people develop skills to support securing positive destinations, and undertake relevant work-related learning. As part of developing the toolkit, consideration will be given to signposting to the Scottish Trades Union Congress's "Union into Schools" programme, which is grant funded by the Scottish Government. This programme helps our young people to understand the importance of equal rights and to be aware of their responsibilities as employees and citizens. It connects into a number of curriculum areas including modern studies, PSE, business studies and global citizenship.

Question reference: S5W-26476

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 28 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-25389 by John Swinney on 26 September 2019, whether it will provide an update on progress with the review, including what its parameters will be; who will be consulted; when it will (a) begin and (b) conclude, and when its findings are expected to be published, and whether it expects to implement any of the recommendations before the end of the parliamentary session.

We have committed to review the use of Co-ordinated Support Plans to ensure that children and young people with the most significant additional support needs are receiving the support that they need to reach their full learning potential. We are continuing to take forward work with partners to agree the scope of this work and will provide an update in due course.

This work is being undertaken within the wider context of the review of implementation of additional support for learning which is being chaired by Angela Morgan and is expected to report to Scottish Ministers and COSLA in early 2020.

Question reference: S5W-26450

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Current Status: Answered by Richard Lochhead on 28 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the 2018-19 statistics on Disabled Students’ Allowance from the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS), which record an increase in the number of students with a visual impairment in receipt of the benefit, but a decrease in the total amount that they were awarded.

Students with disabilities who are studying a course of Higher Education can apply to the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) for the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA). This is a non-income assessed allowance to cover any additional costs or expenses that a student might have while studying, which arise because of their specific disability or additional support need.

Students applying for DSA for the first time or whose impairment/ condition has changed will undertake a needs assessment. A report will be produced which details the specific support and/or equipment that the student requires through DSA to enable them to undertake their course.

DSA is split into three separate allowances:

Basic Allowance - students can claim up to £1,175 per year for the duration of their studies to assist with items such as but not limited to Braille or Livescribe paper.
Large Items Allowance - students can claim up to £5,160 over the duration of their studies to purchase items such as but not limited to disability related software.
Non- Medical Personal Help Allowance - students can claim up to £20,520 per year for the duration of their studies to enable them to engage services such as but not limited to note takers/ scribes, mentors, study skills support or Tactile BSL interpreters.

In the publication Higher Education Student Support for Scotland and corresponding data tables, it has shown that total DSA expenditure has increased by £1.18 million from 2017-18. It has also recorded that the number of students identifying as visually impaired and accessing DSA has increased in 2018-19 accumulating in over £288,000 of support being administered. As DSA is needs driven, the amount of money awarded to each student is based around their individual needs assessment and the support/ equipment identified. This can result in a variance in the average award figure recorded each year.

Question reference: S5T-01899

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Monday, 25 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to members of the University and College Union who are striking over pay, working conditions and pensions.

Question reference: S5O-03841

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2019
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 November 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what action it takes to support the training of pupil support assistants on working with pupils with additional needs.

Question reference: S5W-25795

Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 10 October 2019
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 29 October 2019

To ask the Scottish Government what progress is being made in implementing the recommendations of the paper, Review of Personal and Social Education: preparing Scotland's children and young people for learning, work and life, and by what date all of the recommendations will be implemented.

The Scottish Government recognises the importance of personal and social education in providing the foundations for successful learning. The recommendations of the Review of Personal and Social Education, published in January 2019, set out our plan to strengthen and enhance existing provision and support consistency in delivery.

Since January, we have made excellent progress across a number of the recommendations – we, in collaboration with key partners and stakeholders, are reviewing the current guidance on the Conduct of Relationships, Sexual Health and Parenthood Education in Schools; we are also collaborating with colleagues in local authorities through a PSE Lead Officers Network and are collaborating with colleagues on the Learner Journey Review to support and empower young people in the delivery of relevant and engaging personal and social education in the senior phase.

All of the recommendations will be delivered by March 2021.