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-03669

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Tuesday, 01 November 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 16 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with local authorities regarding the provision of music tuition in primary and secondary schools.

Education Scotland now have responsibility for leading and supporting implementation of Curriculum for Excellence and the Scottish Government works closely with them on issues around education and the curriculum.

We believe that music plays an important role in education, helping to shape our sense of personal, social and cultural identity. Learning music and the wider expressive arts also plays a role in supporting children and young people to recognise and value the variety and vitality of culture locally, nationally and globally.

The Scottish Government has recently announced that the Youth Music Initiative (YMI) will continue in 2012-13. In it's tenth year the YMI will continue to be funded at £10 million per annum, with £8 million, routed through Creative Scotland, to local authorities for use in schools to ensure that all children receive the opportunity of one year's music tuition by primary six. The remaining £2 million (also administered by Creative Scotland) is allocated to activities planned and delivered by organisations working within the informal sector, outwith school time. This year, for example, Kingdom Brass in Fife are receiving £30,000 to support a two year programme of growth and development in their youth music programme.

Question reference: S4O-00366

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 09 November 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 17 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with Transport Scotland regarding motorway gantry signage.

Question reference: S4O-00300

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 3 November 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of flood defences in the Perth and Kinross Council area.

Question reference: S4W-02516

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 27 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many specialist orthoptists there have been in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Information about the number and whole time equivalent (full-time equivalent) of specialist orthoptists employed by NHS board is published by ISD annually at 30 September. The information requested is available as follows:

Headcount, whole time equivalent and employments of AHP staff by profession, including orthoptics, broken down by band and NHS board, 2007 to 2011 can be found at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Publications/2011-08-30/AHP_Staff_J2011.xls.

Headcount of therapeutic staff, including qualified orthoptists, by NHS board at 30 September 1999 to 30 September 2006 can be found at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Historic-Data/WFF02_HB_REG.xls.

Whole time equivalent of qualified orthoptists by NHS board at 30 September 1999 to 30 September 2006 can be found at:

http://www.isdscotland.org/Health-Topics/Workforce/Historic-Data/WFF01_HB_REG.xls.

Further information on how workforce data is collected and notes on interpretation is given in the “Background Information” section of the NHSS Information Series Division Workforce Statistics website www.isdscotland.org/workforce.

Question reference: S4F-00166

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 26 September 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 29 September 2011

To ask the First Minister who has responsibility for decisions regarding university mergers.

Question reference: S4W-02515

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 02 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 15 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time for (a) children and (b) adults to see an orthoptist has been in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board.

Question reference: S4O-00172

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 07 September 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 15 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive how many universities plan to charge students from the rest of the UK £9,000 per year and how many students this will affect.

Question reference: S4O-00189

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 22 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the impact of introducing a funding floor for local authorities.

Question reference: S4W-02161

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 11 August 2011
Current Status: Answered by Keith Brown on 6 September 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it will make available to local authorities to support the development of cycle paths.

In 2011-12, the Scottish Government made available £7.458 million in Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets (CWSS) grants to local authorities, who can if they wish, add to this from their own resources, if the development of cycle paths is a priority in their area. Both last year and this year, the CWSS grant offer letter asked local authorities to spend at least 36% (the national average spend on cycling) but preferably 50%, of the grant on cycling related projects.

In addition, the Scottish Government has allocated £5.167 million to Sustrans for the development of cycle and shared use paths. Local authorities are also able to bid for this funding if they are able to match it from their own resources.

Question reference: S4W-01624

Asked by: Liz Smith, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 July 2011
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 4 August 2011

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review its estimate of the funding gap facing Scottish universities in light of the announcement from the Office for Fair Access that the average tuition fee in England will be greater than £8,000.