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: S5W-07327

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how it accurately assesses teaching staff shortages in schools.

The Scottish Government conducts an annual teacher workforce planning exercise, in partnership with local authorities other educational stakeholders, which projects the requirements for newly qualified teachers at a national level. The exercise takes account of factors such as pupil projections, leavers and returners to the profession and other local intelligence relating to the supply and demand for teachers.

Following the 2017-18 exercise we are recommending that the Scottish Funding Council increases student teacher intakes by 371. This is the sixth year in a row that we have recommended increases in student teacher intakes.

Question reference: S5W-07326

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to monitor teacher vacancies following the discontinuance of previous data sets in 2010.

The Scottish Government does not collect formal statistics on teacher vacancies.

However, to strengthen the annual teacher workforce planning exercise with local information, the Scottish Government and COSLA worked together to survey local authorities on teacher vacancy numbers. The information was collected solely for the purpose of informing the annual teacher workforce planning exercise. It is a snapshot of the teacher vacancy situation as at 21 September 2016.

Current teacher vacancy information is available from individual local authorities or at www.myjobscotland.gov.uk.

Question reference: S5W-07328

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will consider establishing a national database of available supply teachers.

To support the availability of supply teachers for schools in Scotland the Scottish Government recently increased the Primary supply assumption in the teacher workforce planning model from 8% to 12%, while increasing overall teacher student intake targets for the sixth year in a row.

We are currently working with local authority and teacher organisation partners on the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) to develop a national supply booking system where those teachers seeking supply opportunities will be able to register their availability, making it easier for local authorities to identify and access available supply teachers. This system is currently being piloted.

Question reference: S5W-07330

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of newly qualified teachers did not enter into (a) full- or (b) part-time teaching posts in each year since 2007.

Question reference: S5W-07329

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 2 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what data will be published from its standardised assessments plan.

The Scottish Government will publish teacher professional judgment data on the percentage of children who have achieved the Curriculum for Excellence levels in literacy and numeracy relevant to their stage. From 2018, teachers’ professional judgements will be informed by the Scottish National Standardised Assessments, in addition to the wide range of assessment information teachers currently consider from across the school year.

Question reference: S5O-00672

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 February 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to tackle livestock worrying.

Question reference: S5W-06735

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 31 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 8 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06335 by John Swinney on 30 January 2017, whether it will provide an answer to the question that was asked on what discussions it has had with the board of the Scottish Funding Council regarding the Scottish Government's plan to abolish the board, and what response it received

Question reference: S5W-06613

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will publish correspondence between ministers and the Scottish Funding Council between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2016, which related to the purpose of the £50 million in additional funding that the Scottish Government clawed back in 2015-16.

Question reference: S5W-06550

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 7 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what financial resources will be made available to the Commissioner for Fair Access in order to commission the research data that needs to be compiled to inform his work.

Question reference: S5W-06612

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 26 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by John Swinney on 3 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) was engaged in discussions with higher education institutions about how to spend £50 million on campus development projects after the SFC had been notified in the Financial Report to its board in February 2014 that the Scottish Government would claw back this money.