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: S4W-09522

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 21 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many people have been placed on a debt payment programme in each year since the Debt Arrangement Scheme was created, broken down by local authority area.

Since the introduction of the Debt Arrangement Scheme (DAS) on 30 November 2004, to the end of the financial year 2011-12, a total of 8,223 individuals have entered into a Debt Payment Programme (DPP) under DAS.

Individuals who entered into a DPP under DAS

Financial Year
2004-05	1
2005-06	127
2006-07	99
2007-08	442
2008-09	908
2009-10	1,417
2010-11	1,910
2011-12	3,319*

Note: *Since changes made to DAS in 2011, DPPs can now be entered into in joint names.

Statistics relating to individual local authority areas are not held.

Question reference: S4O-01332

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 September 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how its forthcoming Bankruptcy Bill will support the growth and development of credit unions.

Question reference: S4W-09380

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what careers guidance will be offered to school pupils in 2012-13 and how many pupils will use these services.

Every young person will receive career guidance, which will focus on understanding the skills required to succeed in a modern labour market and an explanation of the tools provided by Skills Development Scotland to support the development of career management skills. Young people who require more support will then be offered as many sessions as required to help them to overcome the barriers to learning or work that they face.

Question reference: S4W-09382

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many careers advisers were employed to work in schools in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Question reference: S4W-09383

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many hours of careers guidance has been provided in schools in each of the last three years.

Question reference: S4W-09377

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the use of a traffic light system to categorize young people accessing careers guidance.

Question reference: S4W-09381

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether careers guidance will be available for school pupils in 2013-14 and, if so, what pupils will have to do to access it.

Question reference: S4W-09379

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how school pupils will be grouped for the purposes of targeting careers guidance in 2013-14.

Question reference: S4W-09378

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 18 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government how many young people will be assigned a (a) red, (b) amber and (c) green code under Skills Development Scotland's new career guidance system.

Question reference: S4W-09389

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 05 September 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 11 September 2012

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has assessed the impact of the increase in the number of pay day loans on its debt advice services.

The Scottish Government has assessed the impact of the economic downturn and the impact on its advice service. The Scottish Government and the Money Advice Service have granted funding to go towards a programme managed by the Scottish Legal Aid Board to help Scots resolve their financial problems.

The Scottish Government is also providing funding for the National Debtline and for the training of advisers, who offer advice online, by telephone, and face to face at Citizens Advice Bureaux and local authorities. We have assessed the National Debtline’s increase in calls for help with payday loans, which has increased 61 per cent more than the previous six months.

We are also looking at plans for bankruptcy law reform which will deliver a ‘Financial Health Service’ for Scotland. This service would provide debt advice and education, debt management and debt relief for those struggling with debts, whatever their financial circumstances.