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-05698

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2012
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 24 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the list of offences in the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011 meets the serious offences test that was outlined in its document, The Police Act 1997 (Criminal Record Certificates - Children's Hearings) (Scotland) Order 2012 Consultation.

There is no list of offences set out in the Children’s Hearings (Scotland) Act 2011. The act provides Scottish ministers with the power to make an order which will, in effect, limit the offences Disclosure Scotland can access whilst discharging their functions of providing criminal record checks for recruitment and other purposes. The intention is that the order, which has been subject to a public consultation exercise, will apply to those offences which are considered to be of either a “serious violent” or “serious sexual nature”. The order will be subject to affirmative procedure and will be considered by the Scottish Parliament in due course.

Question reference: S4O-00756

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 February 2012
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 1 March 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive what the Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs is doing to support employment opportunities for young people in the culture and arts sector.

Question reference: S4W-04749

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 21 December 2011
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 21 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Youth Employment plans to consult local authorities on how her budget can be best spent throughout Scotland.

Question reference: S4W-05348

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 9 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the proposed Rights of Children and Young People Bill will be implemented before the proposed Children's Services Bill commences and whether it foresees any inconsistencies if not.

The Scottish Government seeks to reflect the principles of the UNCRC in the development of national policy and legislation wherever possible in order to promote and strengthen the rights of its children and young people. We believe that the proposed children’s legislation, along with wider policy development, will help us to improve significantly the practical realisation of children’s rights.

We are currently analysing the consultation responses for the proposed Rights of Children and Young People Bill and considering the issues raised. This will inform the development of the proposed legislation and influence the timing of its implementation. We will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure that the measures that we bring forward relating to children’s and young people’s rights and services are consistent and complementary.

Question reference: S4W-05347

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 9 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has the power to fully incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is an international treaty and, as things stand, it applies to Scotland by virtue of the fact that the United Kingdom is a signatory to it. Under the current devolution settlement, international relations are reserved matters. Observing and implementing international obligations are, however, not reserved. The Scottish Parliament can legislate for the purpose of observing and giving effect to international obligations insofar as they relate to devolved matters.

Question reference: S4W-05052

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 3 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce a minimum waiting time guarantee for young people to go into an opportunities for all programme.

Question reference: S4W-05053

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 3 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to accredit all training offered through an opportunities for all programme.

Question reference: S4W-05051

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 3 February 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive how it identifies and counts young people between 16 and 19 who have not entered employment, education or training on leaving school and have not presented at Jobcentre Plus.

To enable us to deliver opportunities for all it is essential that Scottish Government and partners are able to identify and track all young people aged between 16 and 19 in Scotland.

By utilising and supplementing data supplied by local authorities, Skills Development Scotland is able to provide the Scottish Government with the number of 16 to 19-year-olds in Scotland and what activity they are known to be participating in.

This then allows us to identify and count the young people in Scotland who are not participating in employment, education or training, irrespective of their school leaving date.

Question reference: S4W-05054

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will publish the invitation list for the National Economic Forum meeting on 1 February 2012.

Question reference: S4W-05055

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 26 January 2012

To ask the Scottish Executive who attended the National Economic Forum meeting on 1 February 2012.