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-13736

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 15 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 2 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what regard it has had to Gaelic in relation to the provision of additional pre-school hours.

The Children and Young People Bill, currently being developed, includes provisions to increase the current entitlement to 475 hours per year of funded pre-school education for 3 and 4 year olds, to a minimum of 600 hours per year of funded early learning and childcare for 3 and 4 year olds, as well as 2 year olds who are looked after or subject to a kinship care order, from 2014.

We expect that providers of Gaelic medium early learning and childcare will have an important role to play in delivering the entitlement to those eligible children whose parents wish to make use of this type of provision.

Scottish Ministers aim to see the expansion of Gaelic medium education at all levels and see Gaelic early years as playing a key role. Gaelic early years are also a key priority area listed in the National Plan for Gaelic. In view of this, and the forthcoming expansion of the funded early learning and childcare hours set out above, we are working closely with local authorities and Bord na Gaidhlig to expand this sector.

Question reference: S4W-13734

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 15 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 2 April 2013

To ask the Scottish Government whether it compares progress in the (a) use and (b) active promotion of Gaelic with that achieved by Welsh and Irish language authorities.

Question reference: S4W-13733

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Friday, 15 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Nicola Sturgeon on 28 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it will (a) use and (b) actively promote Gaelic in the forthcoming independence referendum.

In line with standard practice for elections and referendums, the referendum ballot paper will be provided in English. Counting officers may choose to display a translation of the ballot paper at polling stations if they consider this appropriate and this could, of course, include Gaelic. Voter information will also be available in other languages on request, again including Gaelic. In addition, the Electoral Commission, which will be responsible for ensuring that voters know how to register and how to vote in the referendum, is expected to produce this information in other languages, including Gaelic.

Question reference: S4W-13641

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 13 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Kenny MacAskill on 22 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answers to questions S4W-13242 and S4W-13243 by Kenny MacAskill on 6 March 2013, whether it will publish information on any final measures required to transpose the obligations of the EU directives into domestic legislation and, if so, when.

The Scottish Government regularly provides to the Justice Committee a high level update on EU directives. This generally includes an assessment of actions that the Scottish Government might be required to take in order to comply with individual directives. We consider that secondary legislation under section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1975 will be required in order to transpose fully the directives mentioned in his earlier questions. The secondary legislation will set out the specific measures being taken to transpose the obligations into domestic law.

Question reference: S4O-01960

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 27 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to ensure that fares on public transport do not become so expensive that people are priced back into their cars.

Question reference: S4W-13608

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Tuesday, 12 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alex Neil on 20 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how many operations were cancelled in each NHS board in the Highlands and Islands in each of the last five years due to equipment not being sterilised properly, broken down by specialism; what the cost was to each board, and how much of the cost was for reimbursement of travel and accommodation.

Question reference: S4W-13424

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government how it measures the success of the Gaelic language plans of public (a) bodies and (b) service providers.

Question reference: S4W-13425

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what sanctions there are to deal with public (a) bodies and (b) service providers that do not pursue the terms of their Gaelic language plans.

Question reference: S4W-13426

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what the most recent figure is for the number of pupils discontinuing Gaelic bi-lingual education (a) in the transition to secondary school, (b) at S2 and (c) from S3 to S6; what analysis it has made of the reasons for this, and whether it plans to take steps to reduce these numbers.

The Scottish Government wants to see an increase in the number of young people in Gaelic medium education and recognises that maintaining pupil continuity at key stages of schooling is a vital part of this.

The table below shows the most recent figures from 2012-13. This shows the number of pupils in Gaelic bilingual education at different stages.

263

248

253

215

222

116

The Scottish Government has commissioned research into ‘Language Models in GM Pre-School, Primary and Secondary Education’. This was published in 2012 and further research has been commissioned by Bòrd na Gidhlig into parental attitudes in Gaelic medium education.

In addition, views from consultations and public meetings indicate there are a range of reasons for Gaelic medium pupils numbers declining at key stages. A number of steps are being taken to address this including teacher recruitment, preparation of resources, support from Gaelic medium teachers from Education Scotland, Scottish Qualifications Authority provision of Gaelic medium examinations and materials and promotion of Gaelic medium at all levels.

Question reference: S4W-13434

Asked by: John Finnie, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Independent
Date lodged: Monday, 04 March 2013
Current Status: Answered by Alasdair Allan on 15 March 2013

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the levels of (a) oral and (b) written Gaelic proficiency among its staff, broken down by (i) directorate, (ii) department and (iii) location, and what plans it has to increase these levels.

SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT

WRITTEN ANSWER

15 March 2013

Index Heading: Learning and Justice

John Finnie (Highlands and Islands) (Independent): To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on the levels of (a) oral and (b) written Gaelic proficiency among its staff, broken down by (i) directorate, (ii) department and (iii) location, and what plans it has to increase these levels.

(S4W-13434)

Alasdair Allan: The Scottish Government completed a Gaelic Language Skills Audit of staff in 2010. Due to the personal data collected we are unable to supply full details of the information gathered however the audit concentrated on skills levels of staff rather than locality within the organisation. The audit was non-compulsory with 1100 respondents. 138 respondents (12.5%) felt they had some form of language competency.

Building on interest in the language the Scottish Government has held a series of successful Gaelic awareness events for staff and staff are able to apply for funding from Directorate training budgets.