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-02887

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 30 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 26 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what its response is to each of the recommendations in the health care needs assessment for myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME)/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) published in 2010.

Question reference: S4W-03157

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether any management fee levied from EU students studying at Scottish institutions would be used to cover the costs of non-tuition services in a similar way to student services fees in the Republic of Ireland.

Question reference: S4W-03160

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it can ensure that any management fee levied from EU students studying at Scottish institutions would be levied also from Scottish students but reimbursed by an additional maintenance grant award.

Question reference: S4W-03158

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether a management fee levied from EU students studying at Scottish institutions would be universal or means-tested.

Question reference: S4W-03159

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Tuesday, 04 October 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 25 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how much it expects a management fee levied from EU students studying at Scottish institutions would raise and what the basis is for the calculation.

Question reference: S4O-00270

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 19 October 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how it will protect and increase the number of supported workplaces across Scotland in the current economic climate.

Question reference: S4W-03095

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 October 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 18 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had recent discussions with (a) teaching unions and (b) universities providing courses leading to teaching qualifications regarding the introduction of new subjects to the curriculum.

Question reference: S4W-03089

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 October 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 18 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish studies will be a (a) concept, (b) strand or (c) subject.

Question reference: S4W-03088

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 October 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 18 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider conducting a snapshot mapping exercise of the provision of Scottish content in the curriculum to inform the development of any Scottish studies programme.

The Scottish Studies Working Group is already taking account of guidance on Curriculum for Excellence and anecdotal evidence which suggests that while the place of learning about Scotland has been strengthened it remains a fortunate accident for some rather than an expectation for all. There is existing good practice and high quality learning and teaching using Scottish contexts and we want to ensure all young people can access a distinct, coherent strand of learning about Scotland.

The group will consider the need for a sample survey among practitioners to inform their advice and recommendations.

Question reference: S4W-03094

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 03 October 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 18 October 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers it appropriate to introduce new academic subjects when the Curriculum for Excellence is not yet fully established.

Curriculum for Excellence is now being delivered in all public funded schools in Scotland and is already well established. Subjects are an essential feature of the curriculum, particularly in secondary school and as learning becomes more specialised subjects increasingly become the principal means of structuring learning and delivering outcomes.

There is flexibility for new subjects to be developed and introduced in the context of the new curriculum to help ensure the aims and principles of Curriculum for Excellence are maintained. Chinese Mandarin, for example, has been introduced recently in some schools concurrently with the implementation of Curriculum for Excellence.

Proposals on Scottish studies are being considered by the Scottish Studies Working Group which is mindful of the risk of marginalisation of learning about Scotland by introducing a discrete subject.