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: S4O-00459

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 8 December 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding it will provide to colleges that deliver higher education courses.

Question reference: S4W-04078

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 17 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 30 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what recent discussions it has had with CalMac regarding the future of the (a) Largs to Cumbrae, (b) Wemyss Bay to Rothesay, (c) Ardrossan to Arran and (d) other Firth of Clyde ferry routes.

Question reference: S4W-03825

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 16 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how James Watt College’s funding will be affected if colleges are grouped by region.

Question reference: S4W-03828

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 16 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what (a) support and (b) funding will be made available for colleges to provide courses for people aged (a) 19 to 25 and (b) 25 and over.

The guidance which we issued to the Scottish Funding Council in September made clear the central role we wish to see colleges play in delivering our guarantee that every 16 to 19-year-old should have an appropriate place in learning. We have also asked the Funding Council to work with colleges to ensure that, along with other sectors, a similar offer is available where possible to 20 to 24-year-olds.

Beyond that guidance, colleges are free to determine the provision which they offer. By the end of the current Spending Review period we will have invested £4.7 billion in colleges - 40% more in cash terms that the combined investment made under the last two terms of the previous administration.

Question reference: S4W-03827

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 16 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Funding Council will provide colleges with a three year budget.

Question reference: S4W-03829

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 16 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether the guaranteed college place for 16 to 19-year-olds will be made available at the nearest college or at any college.

The Opportunities for All scheme will ensure an offer of an appropriate place in learning or training for all young people aged 16 to 19 not currently participating in education, employment or training. We have made clear in our guidance to the Scottish Funding Council that we expect colleges to prioritise young people.

Students of nearly all colleges are drawn overwhelmingly from the local communities which the college serves, and we expect to see that continue. However, we see no case for limiting any offer of a college place to the nearest college, particularly if a college further afield might be better able to meet the young person’s aspirations.

Question reference: S4W-03824

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 16 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance it will give to colleges in areas of high unemployment and deprivation, in light of budget reductions of up to 40% over the next four years.

By the end of the Spending Review period we will have invested £4.7 billion in colleges - 40% more in cash terms than the combined investment made under the last two terms of the previous administration.

Colleges have an excellent record of meeting the needs of learners in areas which suffer the highest deprivation and unemployment. Colleges will continue to have a key role in delivering our guarantee to offer all 16 to 19-year-olds an appropriate place in learning; and in providing learning opportunities to 20 to 24-year-olds, to those looking for jobs and to those with low or out-of-date skills. Decisions on the funding of individual colleges are the responsibility of the Scottish Funding Council.

Question reference: S4W-03826

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 03 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 16 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what support there is for people with learning difficulties who attend college.

Colleges are required under Equalities Legislation to make reasonable adjustments in order to accommodate people with learning difficulties. In addition to this, the Student Awards Agency for Scotland administers the Disabled Students Allowance which exists to support students with the cost of equipment and non-medical personal help which has been recommended by certified Disability Advisers.

In 2008-09 the agency paid out £8.8 million to support over 4,000 students.

Question reference: S4W-03413

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 October 2011
Current Status: Answered by Aileen Campbell on 15 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what it is doing to ensure that new homes are (a) sustainable and (b) of high build quality.

Furthering the achievement of sustainable development and energy efficiency are key aspects of Scottish building regulations. They apply when new construction work is carried out and are reviewed on a regular basis. Recently standards for energy and sound insulation, in and between homes, have been enhanced. Scotland's new homes have the best standards in the UK for energy efficiency and accessibility.

Local authorities independently verify that the design and construction of new buildings meet current standards. What is already considered within Europe to be an extremely robust building standards system has now also been improved by introducing two new performance testing regimes for air tightness and noise.

Question reference: S4W-03412

Asked by: Margaret McDougall, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 17 October 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 15 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) social rented, (b) subsidised owner-occupied and (c) intermediate rented homes have been built in 2011.

Between 1 January and 30 June 2011, 2,374 social rented homes, 539 subsidised owner-occupied homes and 16 intermediate rented homes were completed. The figures reflect the projects funded directly by the Scottish Government and those funded through Glasgow and Edinburgh City Councils through the Transfer of Management of Development Funding.

An update to Housing Statistics for Scotland will be published at the end of November 2011 on the Scottish Government website at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics. This will include the number of completions for the period July to September 2011.