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: S6F-02596

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 30 November 2023

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government’s response is to reports that some young people are leaving school struggling to read.

Question reference: S6O-02772

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 23 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to ensure that Low Emission Zones do not have any negative impact on disabled people and carers.

Question reference: S6W-22508

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 27 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 7 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18182 by Jenny Gilruth on 9 June 2023, when it expects that the evaluation of Education Scotland's Maths Recovery Pilot will be published.

Question reference: S6W-22352

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 23 October 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 6 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of pupils currently reach the expected standard in maths in (a) P1 and (b) P7.

The latest information on the percentage of pupils who reached the expected standard in numeracy in P1 and P7 is available in Table 1 of the Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL) publication which can be found on the Scottish Government website: www.gov.scot/publications/achievement-curriculum-excellence-cfe-levels-2021-22/

Note that these figures relate to numeracy as opposed to mathematics.

Question reference: S6O-02682

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 November 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 November 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how much grant funding it provides directly to each of Scotland’s botanic gardens annually.

Question reference: S6W-21809

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to reported claims that it has not done enough to assess and understand any impacts of COVID-19 disruption on learners, in relation to the 2023 exam results.

I fully recognise that young people continue to be impacted by the disruption arising from COVID-19. The package of support in place has rightly evolved to reflect the latest circumstances, with decisions being matched to the assessment approaches taken each year.

SQA took a sensitive, evidence-based approach to grading for the 2023 results and continued the existing modifications to National Courses from 2022 – as part of the transition back to pre-pandemic standards - informed by evaluation of the assessment arrangements in places in 2022 and feedback from the National Qualifications 2023 Group, which includes representatives of teachers, parents and learners. SQA will also be undertaking an evaluation of their 2023 assessment arrangements to inform decisions going forward.

The Scottish Government and Education Scotland published the Equity Audit in January 2021 which involved an evidence review of local, national and international literature, along with a representative sample of 54 schools in Scotland. This helped our understanding of the impact that COVID-19 and school building closures had on children from disadvantaged backgrounds, and set clear areas of focus for accelerating recovery, including the refresh of the Scottish Attainment Challenge programme.

In addition, Officials have begun research and stakeholder engagement work to ensure that the Scottish Government fully understands the impact of COVID-19 in schools and continues to support ongoing education recovery. This follows on from the actions and next steps publication in October 2021.

Question reference: S6W-21814

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 30 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the attainment gap for Higher A grades reportedly reaching its highest level since 2017.

Given the different approaches to assessment the pandemic has necessitated since 2020, it is difficult to directly compare this year’s exam results with any other year. However, in 2023, 20% of Higher entries by candidates from the most deprived areas (SIMD quintile 1) resulted in a grade A. This is higher than in 2017 (18.1%).

We use a basket of measures (including the 13 NIF measures, ACEL data and school leaver attainment) to measure the attainment gap as different conclusions may be drawn depending upon the data under consideration. For example, the attainment gap at National 5 has narrowed between 2017 and 2023. It is therefore unrealistic to assess the performance of the education system via a single measure (such as Higher A grades).

This year’s exam results showed significant progress with overall pass rates for National 5, Highers and Advanced Highers being above those in 2019.

The proportion of A grades for National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher were also above those in 2019.

It is testament to the resilience and hard work of our young people that overall, this is a strong set of results in an exam year.

Question reference: S6W-21897

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 29 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 27 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it gave to extending the initial "test and learn" scheme of the Scottish Education Exchange Programme to youth work providers, and what its rationale was for not doing so.

As outlined in my letter to the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee dated 27 September 2023, Scottish universities and colleges can bid for one short term grant for a minimum of £1,000 and maximum of £25,000 to undertake international projects by 31 March 2024. They can also apply for an additional £10,000 for projects which contain cross sector educational partnerships e.g., with schools, youth work providers, adult learning, and sports organisations and will prioritise placements for disadvantaged groups.

As outlined in the Programme for Government, in 2024-25, we will build on this initial test and learn project to further develop the Scottish Education Exchange Programme.

Question reference: S6W-21771

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 28 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 27 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost has been, in each of the last five years, of plans relating to individual disabled children and young people's transitions to adulthood, as per its best practice guidance.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on any costs associated with transition plans that local authorities have in place for children and young people, as this is a matter for individual authorities.

Under the Additional Support for Learning Act 2004, when a young person is expected to leave school the education authority has a duty to request and share information within specific timeframes to help support their transition. Local authorities are responsible for meeting their duties under the legislation and there are a range of planning mechanisms used by local authorities to meet children’s and young people’s needs.

Question reference: S6W-21821

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 27 September 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 26 October 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to local authorities on offering temporary contracts to newly qualified teachers (NQTs).

The Scottish Government does not provide guidance to local authorities on offering temporary contracts to newly qualified teachers, as the recruitment and employment of teachers including recruitment practices are matters for individual councils.

All newly qualified teachers in Scotland must complete a period of probationary service to show that they meet the standards for full registration. Meeting this standard means that they can take on the demands and responsibilities of teaching.

Newly qualified teachers are not provided with 'temporary' contracts - they are provided with a probationary contract to ensure they complete the required training. This can be completed via the Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS) or via the Flexible Route and is financially supported by the Sottish Government.

We are supporting councils with an additional £145.5 million in this year’s budget to protect teacher numbers, which provides assurance of funding and removes this as a barrier to employing staff on permanent contracts.