Questions and answers

Question reference: S4F-02483

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 15 December 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 18 December 2014

To ask the First Minister what engagements she has planned for the rest of the day.

Question reference: S4O-03777

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 November 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 December 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how many applications to the Access to Education Fund it has received, how many were successful and how much has been awarded in grants.

Question reference: S4F-02428

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 24 November 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 November 2014

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government will respond to Save the Children's Read On, Get On report on child literacy.

Question reference: S4W-23031

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 18 November 2014

All students applying for disabled students’ allowance (DSA) for the first time must undergo a needs assessment by a qualified individual at an approved university or college recommending the type of support and equipment a student needs to undertake their course. The Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) will refer all new students for a needs assessment where a report is not already present with their DSA application.

The following table shows the number of students who were referred for a needs assessment by SAAS for the purposes of applying for DSA. The table also shows how many of these students were successful in receiving funding.

	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14
Students referred for a needs assessment	925	705	850
Supported students who were referred	835	635	765

Notes: Any published statistics on DSA only include full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students. The data provided in this question also includes part-time students and students supported under the Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary scheme.

Question reference: S4W-23030

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 06 November 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 18 November 2014

Disabled students’ allowance (DSA) is needs-led funding based on demand which helps support equality for individual students.

The following table shows the number of DSA applications received by the Student Awards Agency for Scotland and how many of them were successful in receiving funding.

	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14
DSA applications	5,125	4,820	5,280
DSA supported students	4,900	4,575	5,060

Notes: Any published statistics on DSA only look at figures created in September each year so will exclude applications for that academic year received after that point. Any published statistics on DSA only include full-time undergraduate and postgraduate students. The data provided in this question also includes part-time students and students supported under the Nursing and Midwifery Student Bursary scheme.

Question reference: S4W-22829

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 10 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what consultation it will undertake before deciding whether its publication, Higher Education Student Support in Scotland, should continue to have National Statistics accreditation.

The Higher Education Student Support in Scotland publication is now produced by the Student Award Agency for Scotland (SAAS).

SAAS contacted the UK Statistics Authority to confirm the retention of the National Statistics designation given responsibility for the publication was transferring from the Scottish Government to SAAS. The UK Statistics Authority confirmed the publication should retain its National Statistics designation.

It is, of course, the case that all National Statistics products are routinely assessed and, where appropriate, consulted upon.

Question reference: S4W-22828

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 10 October 2014
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 7 November 2014

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason it is in discussions with the UK Statistics Authority on the continued use of National Statistics accreditation for its publication, Higher Education Student Support in Scotland, and whether any other Scottish Government publications are subject to similar discussions.

The Higher Education Student Support in Scotland publication is now produced by the Student Awards Agency For Scotland (SAAS). Prior to 2014, the Scottish Government published the report. SAAS released the 2013-14 publication on 28 October 2014.

The publication was covered by the UK Statistics Authority assessment of Scottish Government Lifelong Learning statistics in December 2010 (Report No. 75) and designated as National Statistics.

SAAS contacted the UK Statistics Authority to confirm the retention of the National Statistics designation given responsibility for the publication was transferring from the Scottish Government to SAAS. The UK Statistics Authority confirmed the publication should retain its National Statistics designation.

There are no other publications whose National Statistics status is under discussion following transfer of the publication from the Scottish Government to another public body. The Scottish Government’s Chief Statistician is responsible for ensuring that all Scottish Government statistical publications adhere to high professional standards required by the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. Most of the statistics produced and published by the Scottish Government are National Statistics. The UK Statistics Authority has an ongoing programme of assessment of statistics, and the Scottish Government works closely with them to ensure that National Statistics standards are met.

Question reference: S4O-03616

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 22 October 2014
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government how the Employability Fund supports women into work.

Question reference: S4W-22582

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what drug (a) testing and (b) monitoring groups it funds.

The Scottish Government provides resources to Alcohol and Drug Partnerships across Scotland to create relevant networks available at the local level. Where appropriate, this includes monitoring groups.

The Scottish Government engages with some drug trends monitoring groups, including regularly with the Edinburgh drug trends monitoring group and the Greater Glasgow and Clyde drug trends monitoring group. These groups look at emerging drug trends, their issues and challenges, and develop action plans to improve local responses.

Question reference: S4W-22581

Asked by: Kezia Dugdale, MSP for Lothian, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 24 September 2014
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 October 2014

To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Welsh Government regarding the Welsh Emerging Drugs and Identification of Novel Substances Project (WEDINOS), which samples previously unknown or unidentified drugs, and what discussions it has had with universities regarding introducing a similar approach in Scotland.

Chamber and committees