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-18464

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 3 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to prevent pupils making false accusations against teachers and what sanctions are available should accusations be found to be false.

The Scottish Government understands that any allegation made against a teacher whether found to be false or not, can be very stressful and upsetting to all those involved. Guidance was issued in 2011 which was designed to provide support for schools and authorities in dealing with allegations made against members of staff for whatever reason.

Schools and authorities must have procedures in place which meet the needs of both staff and children and young people and must ensure that any local procedures for handling allegations dovetail with local disciplinary and child protection procedures in accordance with the National Child Protection Guidance (2010) and inter-agency child protection guidelines.

Authorities and schools have available to them a range of strategies and approaches, for promoting positive relationships and behaviour. Support and training in these approaches is provided by Education Scotland’s Rights, Support and Wellbeing Team.

Question reference: S4W-18451

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 3 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many teachers have been absent due to false accusations being made against them by pupils in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority; what the average length of absence was while investigations were carried out, and how much it cost.

Question reference: S4W-18487

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 3 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how much people from other European countries living in Scotland have contributed to the economy in each of the last five years, broken down by country of origin.

Labour market statistics from the Annual Population Survey provide figures on the number of people from other European countries living in Scotland and their contribution towards the economy in terms of their labour market participation. Data is not available for individual countries of origin due to the underlying sample sizes:

	Total Number of EU Nationals resident in Scotland (aged 16+)	Total Number of EU Nationals resident in Scotland in Employment (aged 16+)
2007	96,400	66,800
2008	112,300	80,400
2009	116,500	81,000
2010	126,700	89,700
2011	136,200	96,300
2012	143,700	95,800

Source: Annual Population Survey, Jan-Dec datasets, ONS.

Question reference: S4W-18490

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 3 December 2013

To ask the Scottish Government on how many people under 16 the police have used CS gas in each of the last 10 years and who in Police Scotland is in charge of monitoring usage of CS gas on under-16s.

Question reference: S4W-18443

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 29 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how much ancestral tourism (a) has contributed to the Scottish economy in each of the last five years and (b) is projected to contribute in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on the economic impact of ancestral tourism in each of the last five years or how much ancestral tourism is projected to contribute to the economy in 2013-14 and 2014-15. VisitScotland conducted research in 2012 which estimated the value of ancestral tourism to Scotland’s economy. A copy of this research is available at:

http://www.visitscotland.org/pdf/Ancestral%20Research%2016%20Jan%20vs.org_pptx.pdf.

Question reference: S4W-18381

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 29 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many patients had their appointments postponed as a result of the IT failure at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde; how many have now had their appointments, and how many subsequently failed to be treated within the 12-week treatment time guarantee period.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde advised that the number of postponed episodes were: 599 outpatient appointments, 62 planned in-patient procedures and day cases and 48 chemotherapy treatments. Over this period approximately 10,000 procedures and appointments were unaffected and went ahead as planned.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has assured the Scottish Government that all patients who had in-patient/day case procedures or outpatient appointments affected by the IT issues were re-booked by the end of October; and that no patients failed to be treated within the 12 week treatment time guarantee period.

Question reference: S4W-18446

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Fergus Ewing on 29 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it promotes (a) innovation and (b) invention in the (i) engineering, (ii) science and (iii) business sector.

On 13 November 2013 Scotland CAN DO: Becoming a World-leading Entrepreneurial and Innovative Nation, was published. The framework builds on the Government Economic Strategy and details the Scottish Government’s current approach to, and future plans for, supporting entrepreneurship and innovation.

Scotland CAN DO can be found at:

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/11/7675a, and is also registered with Parliament Information Reference Centre (Bib. number 55456).

Question reference: S4W-18442

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Monday, 18 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 29 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what national guidance there is for education institutions regarding students who require a full-time carer; what regulations apply to such carers, and how many such students currently attend (a) school, (b) college and (c) university.

The Education (Additional Support for Learning) Act 2004 (as amended) provides the framework for the provision of support to overcome barriers to learning in schools. The Act is supported by a code of practice which guides education authorities and other agencies on the delivery of their duties to identify, provide and review the additional support needs of their pupils.

Partnership Matters, published by the Scottish Government, provides national guidance on the roles and responsibilities of the various agencies who may be involved in providing the required support for a student with additional support needs to attend college or university. This includes the provision of personal care.

The Scottish Government does not hold data on the numbers of students requiring full time carers at school, college and university.

Question reference: S4W-18452

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Tuesday, 19 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Roseanna Cunningham on 29 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many prosecutions in 2012-13 were related to fires that started because of (a) refuse and (b) flytipping, and how many led to a conviction.

Question reference: S4W-18488

Asked by: Jim Hume, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 November 2013
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 29 November 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what considerations local authorities have to make regarding the length of journeys to school and how school journey times should be calculated.

Local authorities have a duty under the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 to make such arrangements as they consider necessary for the transport between home and school of pupils residing and attending schools in their area. In considering these arrangements, authorities are required to have regard to the safety of the pupil.

Local authorities are best placed to decide what constitutes a reasonable travel time based on their knowledge of their area.