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-18138

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting colleges to educate and train students in a financially sustainable manner.

Question reference: S6W-18145

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 19 May 2023
Current Status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 31 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what engagement it has had with the college sector since 1 April 2023.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills and I have engaged frequently with the college sector and its key stakeholders since 1 April 2023. This has been done through in-person meetings, visits, online meetings and written communication.

Ministerial Engagements

24 April – Visit to Sabhal Mór Ostaig

2 May – Letter to Ronnie Smith, Chair of New College Lanarkshire

3 May – Meeting with Shona Struthers, Chief Executive of Colleges Scotland

3 May – Visit to Borders College

4 May – Letter from Cabinet Secretary to Shona Struthers, Chief Executive of Colleges Scotland

9 May – Meeting with a number of senior leaders from the college sector including college chairs and principals

9 May – Meeting with Shona Struthers, Chief Executive of Colleges Scotland; Angus Campbell, Chair of College Sector Finances; and Audrey Cumberford, Vice-Chair of Colleges Scotland Board and Chair of the College Principals’ Group

9 May – Meeting with Audrey Cumberford, Principal of Edinburgh College

10 May – Meeting with representatives from EIS FELA

17 May – Visit to West Lothian College

Additionally, a number of Scottish Government officials have engaged with stakeholders within the college sector through college visits and stakeholder meetings both in person and online.

Question reference: S6O-02265

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 17 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 24 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting public bodies to implement Fair Work principles.

Question reference: S6T-01375

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 16 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported comments made by the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland that the Scottish Government has “absolutely" failed to deliver for children.

Question reference: S6O-02230

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 10 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it is considering replacing any retained EU law.

Question reference: S6W-17237

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 20 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 9 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, how (a) the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES) and (b) COSLA plan to improve the experiences of children and young people with additional support needs through local commissioning, and to what extent this has progressed since the publication of the Strategic Review of Learning Provision for Children and Young People with Complex Additional Support Need (the Doran Review).

The Scottish Government is working with local government partners on the Additional Support for Learning Project Board to deliver the recommendations of the 2020 additional support for learning review by March 2026. All local authorities are considering the actions of the ASL Review, and will continue to consider the incorporation of actions within local improvement plans.

As our joint Scottish Government and COSLA Additional Support for Learning action plan notes, local commissioning has developed considerably since the Doran Review was published in 2012. This reflects the increased flexibility within schools and local authorities to develop tailored interventions through local delivery of our £750 million investment in the last parliamentary term and £1 billion in this parliamentary term to close the poverty related attainment gap. Local delivery of the Strategic Equity Fund and Pupil Equity Fund and greater alliance with the Third Sector are key features of local commissioning.

Progress in closing the poverty related attainment gap was reported in our five year impact report , published in 2021 and future progress will be reported in line with our Evaluation Strategy for the Attainment Scotland Fund 2022 – 2026 and the National Improvement Framework measures .

In addition, the Scottish Government is working with partners in ADES, COSLA and Education Scotland, to develop a national measurement framework which aims to support improved outcomes for children and young people with additional support needs.

Improved experiences of children and young people with additional support needs will continue to be considered as part of the action plan and progress can be followed through the published minutes of the Project Board.

Question reference: S6W-17238

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 5 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, whether the Additional Support for Learning (ASL) Project Board's development of "a national measurement framework to capture the range of successes and achievements of children and young people with additional support needs" is on track to be completed by Spring 2023, and how this information will be presented in an accessible and meaningful way to ensure that any impact can be measured.

The Scottish Government are committed to working with COSLA, ADES and our partners on the Additional Support for Learning Project Board to deliver improvements in additional support for learning implementation and to ensure meaningful change for children and young people through our Additional Support for Learning Action Plan.

The Project Board considered progress on the National Measurement Framework at its meeting on 30 th January 2023. The Project Board agreed that further work was needed to ensure that the correct outcome measures are gathered and measured so that the Framework can be properly utilised and deliver clear evidence of change or improvement in the implementation of additional support for learning. Once this work has been completed it will be further tested with stakeholders prior to being adopted into practice. It is anticipated that this work will be completed during the course of the coming year.

The Scottish Government will continue to report on the progress of implementation of the ASL Action Plan, including development of the National Measurement Framework, through formal progress reports. The next progress report is due to be published in May 2024.

Question reference: S6W-17009

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 14 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Natalie Don on 5 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in revising its getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) policy and practice guidance, and when it anticipates that the revised GIRFEC policy and guidelines will be complete.

The Scottish Government published a series of refreshed GIRFEC policy and practice guidance to provide practitioners and professionals working with children, young people and their families with the confidence, clarity and practical support to continue to embed the GIRFEC approach.

We are now considering a single planning process for children and young people. A collaborative and pragmatic approach will be taken in the development of any new planning guidance and subsequent impact on statutory and non-statutory plans.

This work is currently on track and progress is set out in our second progress report for the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan published in November 2022.

A further progress update is due to be published in May 2024.

Question reference: S6W-17236

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 April 2023
Current Status: Answered by Jenny Gilruth on 4 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, what progress it has made towards implementing the recommendations of the Strategic Review of Learning Provision for Children and Young People with Complex Additional Support Need (the Doran Review).

The Scottish Government is working with partners to implement the long-term recommendations of the 2012 Doran Review. Our 10 year strategy , published in 2019, outlines our agreed approach to improving the learning provision for children and young people with complex additional support needs.

While progress with the implementation of the 10 year strategy has been impacted by partners’ focus on the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, work that will inform our next steps has continued. In particular, research is currently concluding on ways in which support for children and young people with complex additional support needs is currently being provided and will be published in due course. We are also continuing to work with partners to scope the potential of complex additional support needs’ content in existing teacher leadership programmes.

Progress can be followed through the published minutes of the Doran Review’s National Strategic Commissioning Group , in addition to the Additional Support for Learning Project Board ’s next scheduled update in May 2024 .

Question reference: S6O-02205

Asked by: Pam Duncan-Glancy, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 03 May 2023
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 10 May 2023

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will set out its proposed timetable for implementing the new musculoskeletal pathway, including how it will ensure that the views of third sector organisations are reflected in the process.