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-27635

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 30 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have used the teaching bursary scheme to facilitate career changes into teacher training since its extension in 2023.

Question reference: S6W-27729

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 21 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether there are any restrictions on what any monies received from Low Emission Zone fines can be spent on, and, if so, what these are.

Any monies received from penalty charges in respect of a LEZ scheme can be applied by a local authority only for the purposes of facilitating the achievement of the scheme’s objectives, and thus support at least air quality and/or climate change emission reduction activities, and/or the operational running costs of the scheme. The specifics of how these monies are spent is a matter for the local authority.

Question reference: S6W-27749

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Paul McLennan on 29 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what progress it has made on implementing the recommendations of the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) Scotland's Housing and Disabled People inquiry.

The Scottish Government responded to the recommendations of the 2018 EHRC report on Housing and Disabled People at that time. In that response, we set out the actions being taken forward to increase access for disabled people to accessible and adapted housing.

In 2019 we issued statutory guidance to local authorities requiring tenure neutral wheelchair-accessible housing targets must be included within Local Housing Strategies. There has been good progress on this and from information collated from 2024-2029 Strategic Housing Investment Plans, 30 of the 32 local authorities have in place wheelchair housing targets for the delivery of affordable homes.

Then in 2020, the Relevant Adjustments to Common Parts (Disabled Persons) (Scotland) Regulations came in to force. These regulations make it easier for disabled people to make adaptations to the common areas of their property.

The Scottish Government is also increasing the supply and choice of accessible homes. Since 2007, we have supported delivery of 128,285 affordable homes, over 90,500 of which were for social rent.

We publish annual out-turn reports which set out the form, locations and types of social and other affordable housing we have delivered including specific annexes that cover accessible housing.

Wherever possible, all affordable homes are built to Housing for Varying Needs accessibility standards. In 2022-23, 98% of new build homes delivered by housing associations and councils, where information was returned on Housing for Varying Needs, met that standard.

During the second half of 2023, we consulted on proposals to enhance the accessibility, adaptability and usability of Scotland’s homes. The consultation closed on 21 December and the responses to the consultation are being analysed and a report will be published in due course.

We are also progressing a review of the current housing adaptations system which will make recommendations on how best to improve and streamline the system.

Question reference: S6F-03176

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 May 2024

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s position is on whether teacher numbers should be maintained, in light of the reported concerns of many parents, pupils and school staff in Glasgow.

Question reference: S6W-27512

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 14 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 28 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of its Programme for Government 2021-22 commitment, whether it still plans to recruit 3,500 teachers and 500 classroom assistants, over and above the 1,400 teachers recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the current parliamentary session.

We remain committed to sustained investment to strengthen provision of education in Scotland and we are offering local authorities £145.5m in this year’s budget to protect teacher numbers.

The commitment to increase the number of classroom assistants has already been exceeded, with 725 additional staff recruited in 2022-23 alone. In addition, since 2019 the number of teachers in Scottish schools has increased by 1,786 from 52,247 to 54,033.

We will continue to work with local authorities to deliver our shared education commitments, with the approach we are able to take being dependent on the resources we have available and ensuring we deliver value for money, during an era where budgets continue to be under pressure as a result of UK Government austerity measures.

Question reference: S6W-27299

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 07 May 2024
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 21 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering reviewing the funding model for Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) in order to provide greater certainty.

Question reference: S6T-01995

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 May 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 21 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it has reportedly withdrawn all funding for the National Parent Forum of Scotland.

Question reference: S6W-26654

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what powers it has to amend the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to reduce or amend the distances from home to school before free school transport is provided.

Question reference: S6W-27083

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the Strategic Board for Teacher Education last met, and what was discussed.

The Strategic Board for Teacher Education last met on 21 March, to discuss progress against the three workstreams contained in the Board’s workplan.

These are:-

Workstream 1 – Workforce Planning and Increasing Diversity of the Profession
Workstream 2 – Improving the Promotion of Teaching as a Valued Career
Workstream 3 – Continuum of Teacher Education

The agenda, minutes and papers from this meeting and future meetings will be published on the Scottish Government website in due course. The next meeting of the Board is scheduled for 15 May.

Question reference: S6W-27000

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 April 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 10 May 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what it discussed in its meetings with Glasgow City Council on (a) 19 and (b) 27 February 2024 regarding teacher numbers, and whether a minute of each meeting exists.