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-24455

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23874 by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024, whether it plans to uprate, by inflation in future years, the ringfenced funding that it provides to local authorities annually for the provision of additional support assistants.

As outlined in my previous answer, the Scottish Government has continued to invest an additional £15m per year since 2019-20 to help local authorities respond to the individual needs of children and young people. This investment is monitored via information collected through the annual school staff census. The latest figures show that this funding has helped contribute to the highest recorded number of support staff in schools, 16,606 in 2022.

We are also providing local authorities with £145.5m in this year's budget to protect teacher numbers and support staff.

Any financial decisions regarding these investments are subject to future budgetary processes.

Question reference: S6W-24456

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that an updated additional support for learning code of practice will be published.

The Scottish Government is working with local government partners through the Additional Support for Learning Project Board to deliver the recommendations of the 2020 additional support for learning review by March 2026.

As outlined in our updated action plan , published in November 2022, we have committed to a refresh the Supporting Children’s Learning Code of Practice. This will ensure that it fully supports schools and local authorities to fulfil their duties under the Education (Additional Support for Learning) (Scotland) Act 2004. Initial progress on this work was set out in our second progress report , published in November 2022. Further progress has been made during 2023 and will continue this year.

A further progress update on the delivery of the action plan, including developments on the code of practice, is due to be published in May 2024.

Question reference: S6W-24454

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23870 by Jenny Gilruth on 8 January 2024, what analysis it is undertaking of any reasons for probationer teachers reportedly being less likely to opt in to the preference waiver scheme since the COVID-19 pandemic.

As set out in the answer to question S6W-23870, the Strategic Board for Teacher Education is looking at issues around the recruitment and retention of teachers in Scotland in detail, including how the Teacher Induction Scheme operates.

All applications for the Teacher Induction Scheme are based on personal choice and the Scottish Government cannot direct probationary teachers to opt for the Preference Waiver Payment.

Question reference: S6W-24474

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 12 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government by what date it expects to have confirmed a university to lead the Centre of Teaching Excellence.

Question reference: S6W-24249

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that it will update local authorities on its expectations regarding the use of the £900,000 allocated for training for staff to tackle post-COVID-19 pandemic challenges in schools.

Question reference: S6W-24290

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 22 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 22 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-23490 by Graeme Dey on 15 December 2023, for what reason it does not hold specific data on the number of disabled young people supported through Developing the Young Workforce.

The employer-led DYW Regional Groups and School Coordinators work with specialist partners and third sector organisations to support young people who are furthest from the labour market, including disabled young people, into positive destinations.

DYW Regional Groups collect data across the 4 DYW Key Performance Indicators. One of these focusses on equalities and captures data on the number of young people from target groups (which includes disabled young people) who have participated in a universal or bespoke employer engagement activity, facilitated by the Regional Group and / or School Coordinator. We are working with Regional Groups to capture more data for this indicator.

Question reference: S6W-24247

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it expects the updated Respect for All guidance to be published, and whether it will be published in the current academic year.

Question reference: S6W-24393

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 09 January 2024
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 22 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government when the Gender Equality Taskforce in Education and Learning last met, and what was discussed.

The Gender Equality Taskforce in Education and Learning last met in May 2023. At that meeting, members continued to consider and refine the Taskforce’s workplan, with a particular focus on ensuring that its three strategic goals are consistent with its more detailed, thematic workplan. I will be present at the next meeting of the Gender Equality Taskforce, which will take place in early 2024.

Effecting the type of systemic change which the Taskforce aims to do is complex and long term. I am committed to continuing and accelerating such work to ensure that girls and young women do not experience gender inequality in so many aspects of education.

Question reference: S6O-03000

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 January 2024
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support people with diabetes.

Question reference: S6W-23877

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 14 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 17 January 2024

To ask the Scottish Government what the legislative framework is for providing young disabled people with a plan for their transitions from school to adulthood, and what its position is on whether it should include a guarantee that it is started from no later than their 14th birthday.

The Additional Support for Learning Act 2004 sets out clear timescales for post school transition planning. In the accompanying statutory guidance , schools are encouraged to plan for transitions well ahead of the statutory timescales, which apply from the date a young person is expected to leave school.

We recognise that not all young people are currently getting the transitions support they need. We are working closely with local government partners to improve the experience of children and young people with additional support needs at school, through the implementation of the recommendations set out in the 2020 review of additional support for learning. This includes work to encourage best practice in this area and improve the implementation of existing transition duties. A further update on this work is due to be published in May 2024.

Through the development of the National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy, we are also considering what additional support disabled young people may need. As set out in the published Statement of Intent for the strategy, one of the proposed overarching ambitions is to further embed the Association for Real Change Scotland’s widely-endorsed seven Principles of Good Transitions , and the similar characteristics of good transitions outlined in our published literature review , in the policy, planning and practice of organisations that provide support for disabled young people.