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: S1W-08551

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 July 2000
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 25 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the minimum entry qualifications for admission to teacher education courses have been lowered for any subjects.

Question reference: S1W-08549

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 July 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 25 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a national breakdown of placing requests for pre-school education in 1998-99 by type and outcome.

Question reference: S1W-08548

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 July 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 25 July 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of placing requests in 1998-99 by type and outcome broken down by education authority.

The information requested is given in the attached table.

Education Authority Primary & Secondary Schools, 1998-99 - Placing Requests by Type and Outcome
Education Authority	Total Oral & Statutory Requests		Oral Requests		Statutory Requests		References to the Appeal Committee or Appeals to the Sheriff					Total Granted (at Initial Stage or on Appeal)	% Granted (at Initial Stage or on Appeal)
	Rec'd.	Granted at Initial Stage	Rec'd.	Granted at Initial Stage	Rec'd.	Granted at Initial Stage		Rec'd.		Granted
Scotland	30,941	26,888	4,334	4,005	26,607	22,883	583		42		26,930		87
Aberdeen City	682	412	0	0	682	412	36		0		412		60
Aberdeenshire	600	596	420	420	180	176	1		1		597		100
Angus	867	808	0	0	867	808	10		0		808		93
Argyll & Bute	320	272	0	0	320	272	0		0		272		85
Clackmannanshire	226	199	0	0	226	199	1		0		199		88
Dumfries & Galloway	1,063	1,061	0	0	1,063	1,061	2		0		1,061		100
Dundee City	1,287	1,046	0	0	1,287	1,046	39		6		1,052		82
East Ayrshire	436	392	0	0	436	392	4		0		392		90
East Dunbartonshire	1,418	1,244	0	0	1,418	1,244	19		8		1,252		88
East Lothian	370	334	0	0	370	334	11		7		341		92
East Renfrewshire	1,001	817	0	0	1,001	817	26		1		818		82
Edinburgh, City of	5,709	4,438	2,881	2,554	2,828	1,884	189		10		4,448		78
Eilean Siar	127	127	0	0	127	127	0		0		127		100
Falkirk	666	574	0	0	666	574	20		0		574		86
Fife	1,029	1,027	1,029	1,027	0	0	0		0		1,027		100
Glasgow City	3,965	3,274	0	0	3,965	3,274	119		3		3,277		83
Highland	483	448	4	4	479	444	7		0		448		93
Inverclyde	913	837	0	0	913	837	9		1		838		92
Midlothian	609	574	0	0	609	574	17		0		574		94
Moray	486	464	0	0	486	464	0		0		464		95
North Ayrshire	673	657	0	0	673	657	1		0		657		98
North Lanarkshire	1,476	1,328	0	0	1,476	1,328	15		3		1,331		90
Orkney Islands	6	4	0	0	6	4	0		0		4		67
Perth & Kinross	823	784	0	0	823	784	4		1		785		95
Renfrewshire	966	869	0	0	966	869	19		0		869		90
Scottish Borders	225	216	0	0	225	216	0		0		216		96
Shetland Islands	59	57	0	0	59	57	0		0		57		97
South Ayrshire	765	675	0	0	765	675	12		0		675		88
South Lanarkshire	1,325	1,239	0	0	1,325	1,239	9		0		1,239		94
Stirling	476	411	0	0	476	411	1		0		411		86
West Dunbartonshire	561	534	0	0	561	534	0		0		534		95
West Lothian	1,329	1,170	0	0	1,329	1,170	12		1		1,171		88

Question reference: S1W-05364

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 March 2000
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 20 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children made the subject of residential supervision orders by Children's Panels in the last year have not been placed in care within (i) two weeks, (ii) four weeks and (iii) six weeks of the order being made, broken down by local authority area.

Question reference: S1W-07668

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 20 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will provide a substantive answer to question S1W-5364 lodged on 1 March 2000.

Question reference: S1W-07690

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 06 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 20 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive how many children subject to home supervision requirements by Children's Panels in the last year have not been allocated to a social worker within (a) one month, (b) six months and (c) one year of the order being made, broken down by local authority area.

Implementation of supervision requirements made by children's hearings, whether for supervision at home or in residential accommodation, is a matter for individual local authorities. The information requested is not held centrally.

The Time Intervals Working Group (TIWG) Blueprint for the processing of children's hearings cases is an inter-agency code of practice. It set national standards with effect from 1 April 1999 aimed at streamlining the handling of cases through the system. One of these standards requires local authorities to give effect to supervision requirements with no condition of residence within 15 working days of the date of issue by the children's hearing. The objective is to give effect to supervision requirements without delay. Monitoring is the responsibility of review groups established by each local authority. Reports on performance against the TIWG standards are currently being received.

Question reference: S1W-07632

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 19 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S1W-6740, S1W-6741 and S1W-6748 by Peter Peacock on 25 May 2000, what target percentage of pupils in (a) secondary schools, (b) primary schools and (c) special schools will have their own e-mail addresses by the end of (i) 2000 and (ii) 2001.

Question reference: S1W-07637

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 19 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce maximum class si'es for primary three to primary seven.

We have made regulations to set a maximum class size of 30 for primary three from August 2001. A maximum class size of 33 for primary four to seven is set by an agreement of the Scottish Joint Negotiating Committee. This will remain in force following commencement of section 51 of the Standards in Scotland's Schools etc. Bill. We have no plans to make regulations on class size maxima for primary four to seven.

Question reference: S1W-07633

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Peter Peacock on 19 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S1W-6732, S1W-6733 and S1W-6734 by Peter Peacock on 25 May 2000, to provide details, from information collated from the October 1999 School Survey of Information and Communication Technology, of the ratio of computers of less than four years of age to pupils in (a) primary schools, (b) secondary schools and (c) special schools, discounting in each case those that are used mainly for administration purposes.

Question reference: S1W-07638

Asked by: Nicola Sturgeon, MSP for Glasgow, Scottish National Party
Date lodged: Monday, 05 June 2000
Current Status: Answered by Sam Galbraith on 19 June 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-4231 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 18 February 2000, what programmes the #13.45 million remaining in the Excellence Fund for 2000-01 will be allocated to, broken down by local authority area.