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: S4F-02788

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 11 May 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 14 May 2015

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the concerns raised by the charity, Clan Childlaw, regarding the data-sharing aspect of the named person legislation.

Question reference: S4W-25387

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 28 April 2015
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 May 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to increase the number of disabled people enrolled in modern apprenticeships.

In December 2014 the Scottish Government published Developing the Young Workforce: Scotland's Youth Employment Strategy - Implementing the Recommendations of the Commission for Developing Scotland's Young Workforce. You can view the document via the following link: http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0046/00466386.pdf . ‘Section 5: Equality’ on page 29 details steps the Scottish Government is taking to tackle inequality for our young people.

With specific regard to the Modern Apprenticeship (MA) programme, our national skills body, Skills Development Scotland (SDS), published their Equality and Diversity Mainstreaming Report 2015-17 in April 2015. The report can be accessed via the following link

http://www.skillsdevelopmentscotland.co.uk/media/1344738/equality_and_diversity_mainstreaming_report.pdf . Section 5.2 (pages 20 - 28) updates SDS' 2013-15 action plan; details future actions; and notes performance measures towards improved participation in the MA programme by those from BME communities and disabled people and improved gender balance in occupational participation across MA frameworks.

Question reference: S4O-04233

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 April 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 April 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will seek an extension to the deadline for the registration of single application forms for rural payments and services.

Question reference: S4W-24879

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 25 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what the projected number is of (a) primary and (b) secondary headteachers who will hold the new professional masters qualification by (i) 2019-20, (ii) 2020-21 and (iii) 2021-22.

These figures are not currently available. The Scottish Government is currently working with the Scottish College for Educational Leadership and the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland to estimate the number of teachers that will need to be trained between now and the requirement coming into force in 2018-19. It is the responsibility of local authorities to ensure they employ suitably qualified staff to lead schools.

Question reference: S4W-24878

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 25 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government whether headteachers in post prior to the introduction of the professional masters qualification in 2018-19 will be required to undertake the new qualification if they wish to move to another headship.

No, current headteachers have already demonstrated that they have met the Standard for Headship either as a result of having successfully completed the Scottish Qualification for Headship, the Flexible Route to Headship or that otherwise the local authority is satisfied that they have demonstrated through appointment procedures the qualities and experience described in the standard.

In the longer term existing headteachers may wish to consider undertaking parts of the new qualification as part of their professional learning.

Question reference: S4W-24820

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 25 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government how many arrests have been made by the British Transport Police in Scotland (a) on trains and (b) at train stations, and how many incidents the force has responded to, in each year since 1999.

This is a reserved matter.

As you are aware, powers for the policing of the railway industry will transfer over to Scotland through recommendations put forward by the Smith Commission.

The Scottish Government has set out its intent to integrate the British Transport Police in Scotland within Police Scotland and is taking forward discussions with the British Transport Police, the British Transport Police Authority, the British Transport Police Association and all relevant stakeholders in relation to this.

Question reference: S4W-24824

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Michael Matheson on 24 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reports that there have been a high number of accidents at the Ryze trampoline park in Dalkeith; what discussions it had had with Midlothian Council about this issue, and what information it has about whether investigations are (a) taking place or (b) are planned.

Question reference: S4W-24826

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 24 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what guidance it provides to local authorities regarding the granting of indoor sports entertainment licences and the inspection of establishments that have these.

Question reference: S4W-24862

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 March 2015
Current Status: Answered by Fiona McLeod on 20 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer question S4W-24689 by Fiona McLeod on 11 March 2015, whether it will provide details of the "publicly available information" and the funding model agreed with COSLA, and how it used this information to calculate the £880 million figure.

The publicly available information relates to the Local Financial Return 2013-14 expenditure release of 24 February 2015 which sets out the baseline annual revenue spend by local government of £320 million on the 475 hours policy, i.e. prior to commencement of the Act’s provisions on early learning and childcare. The additional costs associated with the early learning and childcare provisions in the Act were set out in the original and supplementary financial memoranda, for both the stage 1 and stage 2 early learning and childcare provisions, to the financial year 2019-20.

This model was then adapted to scale up to 1,140 hours per year – 30 hours per week for 38 weeks – to give a total of £881 million total annual revenue spend.

Question reference: S4O-04177

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 March 2015
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 26 March 2015

To ask the Scottish Government what assurance it can give to the officers currently employed in the British Transport Police in Scotland that their jobs will be retained under Police Scotland.