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-23487

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 12 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government when its cross-policy working group on transitions for disabled young people last met, and what was discussed.

The cross-policy working group last met on 11 October 2023.

Members were provided with an update on the National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy, including the engagement on the Statement of Intent, and the work of the Disabled Children and Young People’s Advisory Group Engagement Sub-Group.

The Group also discussed Getting It Right For Everyone (GIRFE), a multi-agency approach of support and services from young adulthood to end of life care currently being co-designed. This included an update on pathfinders’ co-design work with people with lived experience, including young people in transition.

In addition, members were informed of the publication of the Education, Children and Young People Committee’s Stage 1 report on the Disabled Children and Young People (Transitions to Adulthood) (Scotland) Bill.

Question reference: S6W-23535

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 04 December 2023
Current Status: Answered by Emma Roddick on 12 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with LGBT Health and Wellbeing regarding its New Scots strategy.

The Scottish Government is currently working with our partners at COSLA and the Scottish Refugee Council to refresh the New Scots strategy and we are undertaking a series of engagement events to enable both refugees and people seeking asylum to inform the strategy refresh. The first phase of the engagement work began in November and involved refugee leaders and organisations with expertise in supporting people seeking asylum and refugees. A representative from LGBT Health and Wellbeing attended one of these events.

The second phase, focused on those with lived experience, is currently underway and is being coordinated by Scottish Refugee Council on behalf of New Scots partners. It will run until the end of February 2024. This phase includes providing funding to enable local groups to run events which can be tailored to the needs of their specific groups and communities, for example to enable groups to run an event in their community language or to ensure that vulnerable groups have a ‘safe space’ to speak openly. LGBT Health and Wellbeing are liaising with the Scottish Refugee Council to contribute to this lived experience work.

Question reference: S6W-23196

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates it will meet its target to recruit 3,500 teachers, in addition to the 1,400 recruited during the COVID-19 pandemic, during the current parliamentary session, and whether it will provide an update on its progress to date.

The 2022 teacher census total was 54,193 teachers, which indicates an increase of 1,946 from the baseline, as measured by the 2019 census.

To inform decisions on future education workforce planning I have commissioned an external modelling and research exercise which will allow all of the issues around workforce planning to be considered holistically and will help ensure we will have an education workforce in place that enables us to progress our commitments to reducing teachers’ class contact time, raising attainment overall, closing the poverty related attainment gap and improving additional support for learning, while delivering maximum value for money during an era where budgets continue to be under pressure as a result of UK Government austerity measures.

Question reference: S6W-23500

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 30 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address any delays in accessing speech and language therapy.

We recognise the importance of timely access to speech and language therapy. We have increased the flexibility Health Boards have in reducing waiting times, ensuring those with greatest need are seen first, while maximising prevention and early intervention approaches for those waiting. The number of Speech and Language Therapists working in the NHS has also increased by 1.9% (September 2022 - September 2023), this increased staffing will support reduction of waiting times for this service.

‎Also, Scottish Government's Best Start - strategic early learning and school age childcare plan 2022 to 2026, outlined a commitment to invest in work to support early intervention in speech and language. As part of that work six Full Time Equivalent Regional Leads for Early Years Speech and Language have been recruited – in collaboration with Education Scotland.

The leads are based in each region in Scotland, aligned to Regional Improvement Collaboratives. This will improve outcomes for children’s speech and language across Scotland, by setting up new stakeholder networks, supporting frontline staff, promoting quality improvement and learning from best practice.

While the Scottish Government provides the policies, frameworks and resources for high quality healthcare, it is for each NHS Board to decide best how to utilise funding, facilities and staff while taking account of national and local priorities to meet local health needs. We expect NHS Boards to plan their facilities and workforce to deliver these services, ensuring the provision of safe, effective and high quality patient care, delivered by the right professional at the right time.

Question reference: S6W-23183

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to make any further in-year savings to higher education (a) resource and (b) capital funding allocations for academic year 2023-24 beyond the existing in-year withdrawal of £20 million of resource funding, as announced in May 2023.

Question reference: S6W-23184

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether any instruction or advice has been given to the Scottish Funding Council to present cost savings for further and higher education in the Budget for 2024-25 compared with that of 2023-24.

Question reference: S6W-23182

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 24 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 11 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in relation to higher education resource funding in the Budget for 2024-25, whether £809.2 million will be used as the 2023-24 baseline figure, as published in the Budget for 2023-24.

Question reference: S6W-23037

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how many accreditations have been issued to individuals following their completion of the Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice programme in cohort 2 (2022-23).

Question reference: S6W-23038

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 20 November 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has undertaken of the number of accreditations awarded to individuals following their completion of the Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice programme in each year since its launch compared with the number of applications received for the programme, and what its conclusions were of any such assessment.

Due to the required criteria of gaining a place on the GTCS Professional Recognition Programme for Dyslexia and Inclusive Practice each year has a number of unsuccessful applications. However due to the very high standard of applications for the 2023-24 Cohort 3 programme this was taken into consideration and the number of available spaces was increased from 35 to 70. Increasing the number of teachers who are supported through the programme, supports the growing community of practice across Scotland in dyslexia and inclusive practice. Programme participants share their deepened knowledge and understanding with their colleagues in their settings as they progress through and complete the programme.

Education Scotland provide a range of free professional learning opportunities on dyslexia, literacy and inclusive practice that is available to all educators in Scotland.

Question reference: S6O-02836

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 29 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 6 December 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on what it is doing to support the arts and culture sector in Glasgow.