- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Humza Yousaf on 31 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what the impact would be on active travel in Scotland of a £327 million reduction to local government funding.
Answer
Taking next year's local government finance settlement plus the other sources of income available through potential increases in council tax, and Health and Social Care Integration, the overall increase in spending power to support local authority services in 2017-18 amounts to £241 million (2.3 per cent in cash terms) or over £91 million (0.9 per cent in real terms).
Furthermore, we will meet out Programme for Government commitment to maintain the budget for active travel at record levels throughout this Parliament, with planned investment in 2017-18 of £39.2 million.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 31 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05856 by Derek Mackay on 12 January 2017, how much tax revenue it expects will be generated by the large business rates supplement in 2017-18, broken down by business sector.
Answer
The Scottish Government's estimate of non-domestic rates income attributable to the large business supplement for 2017-18 by Assessors' property classification is set out in the following table.
|
Class
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Estimated income (£m)
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Advertising
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0.1
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Care Facilities
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1.8
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Communications
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0.5
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Cultural
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0.9
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Education and Training
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11.5
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Garages and Petrol Stations
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0.9
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Health and Medical
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4.3
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Hotels
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4.8
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Industrial Subjects
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19.0
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Leisure, Entertainment, Caravans etc.
|
3.8
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Offices
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16.1
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Other
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1.9
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Petrochemical
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2.5
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Public Houses
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1.5
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Public Service Subjects
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5.9
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Quarries, Mines, etc.
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0.3
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Religious
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0.2
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Shops
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24.5
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Sporting Subjects
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0.2
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Statutory Undertaking
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25.2
|
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Total
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126.0
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- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 31 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government, how many Professional Graduate Diploma in Education graduates went on to take up roles in early years and childcare in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation quintile of the location of the role.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not collect information on the qualification route of teachers in Early Learning and Childcare. The number of teachers working in this sector is collected through the Early Learning and Childcare census each year, and these teachers must be registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by John Swinney on 31 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government how many graduates of a Professional Graduate Diploma in Education course went on to take up roles in (a) primary teaching and (b) early years and childcare settings in each of the last 10 years.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not collect information on the qualification route of teachers in schools or in Early Learning and Childcare.
Information on school teachers is collected in the teacher census every year, and information on early learning and childcare teachers is collected in the early learning and childcare census every year. For both of these collections, teachers must be registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Mark McDonald on 25 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the recent report by Reform Scotland on ending nursery age discrimination.
Answer
Starting dates for three year olds are defined in legislation. Under these provisions, children who could start school at around 4½ are entitled to an additional year of ELC if parents wish and start school around 5½; children who will be closer to their 5th birthday can request an additional year at the local authorities discretion and start closer to their 6th birthday. In addition, local authorities can and do start children earlier than the term after their 3rd birthday where they have capacity to do so, and this is for them to fund and manage.
Our main priority is to extend the entitlement to eligible two year olds. However, we will consider this report along with all the responses we have received to our ‘Blueprint for 2020’ consultation on the expansion of early learning and childcare in order to inform policy development, planning and implementation for the expansion to 1,140 hours.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Shona Robison on 25 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what action it can take to resolve any legal difficulties regarding NHS boards taking ownership of GP practices.
Answer
Following the considerations of the GP Premises Short Life Working Group, an implementation group has been established, which includes representation from NHS boards (including Lothian), BMA and Scottish Government. This group will review and recommend updates, where required, to the legal framework outlined in the Premises Directions. If necessary, changes to the Scottish Government Property Transactions Handbook will also be considered.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 24 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government how many jobs it estimates will be lost due to technological change; what the timeline for any losses will be; which sectors it expects to lose the most jobs, and what its skills strategy is to deal with any changes.
Answer
The Scottish Government continue to monitor the emerging evidence base in this area, and its implications for Scotland.
We recognise the need to anticipate future trends and economic or societal changes and to be able to adapt and react to them quickly. Our approach will be informed by the best evidence we collect in Scotland, but also by reflecting other international analysis.
We are aware that technological change, and issues such as automation and digitisation, will have a significant impact over the next few decades, which will create both challenges and opportunities for businesses and sectors across Scotland. This will mean that the demand for skills and occupations will change as businesses and sectors adapt. As highlighted in Scotland’s Labour Market Strategy, and in the subsequent outcomes from the Enterprise and Skills Review, we will take forward the analysis of issues like this in the future and help employers respond to them positively, with the support of the Strategic Labour Market Group.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 January 2017
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Current Status:
Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2017
To ask the First Minister what the impact would be on redevelopment plans for universities, following its decision to ask the Scottish Funding Council to pay back £50 million.
Answer
Taken in the Chamber on 26 January 2017
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 23 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-05135 by Jamie Hepburn on 13 December 2016, what it estimates (a) the cost of the Scottish public sector contribution to the UK Apprenticeship Levy and (b) the net impact on the Scottish Government’s net spending power will be, in each of the next three years.
Answer
a) The cost of the Scottish public sector contribution to the Apprenticeship Levy is estimated at £73 million per annum.
b) Given the direct financial impact on public sector employers, in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20, we estimate that the Scottish Government’s net spending power will be £30m, £21m and £12m million lower in each year respectively than it would have been in the absence of the Levy, £63 million in total over the three year period.
- Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 11 January 2017
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Current Status:
Answered by Derek Mackay on 20 January 2017
To ask the Scottish Government what the impact of reducing local government funding by £327 million would be on funding for schools.
Answer
Taking next year’s local government finance settlement plus the other sources of income available through potential increases in council tax and Health and Social Care Integration, the overall increase in spending power to support local authority services, including funding for schools, amounts to £241 million in 2017-18 compared to 2016-17.
From April 2017, £120 million will be allocated directly to schools on the basis of the numbers of children and young people in P1-S3 known to be eligible and registered for free school meals. This is on top of the existing £50 million that will continue to provide targeted support for those authorities and schools supporting children and young people in greatest need. These two funding streams, which total £170 million for 2017-18, contribute to our commitment to allocate £750 million during the course of this Parliament through the Attainment Scotland Fund. We will also continue to allocate £88 million to local authorities to maintain the pupil teacher ratio nationally, and to secure places for all probationers who require one on the teacher induction scheme. This is made up of £51 million to maintain the pupil teacher ratio and £37 million to support the teacher induction scheme.
