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: S5W-07529

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 9 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government which of the consultations it launched in each year since 2007 it has yet to respond to, broken down by the (a) month the consultation closed, (b) date it expects to publish its response and (c) the reason for the delay.

Question reference: S5W-07528

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 02 March 2017
Current Status: Answered by Joe FitzPatrick on 9 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government which of the consultations it launched in each year since 2007 took it (a) under six months, (b) six months to one year, (c) one to two years and (d) over two years to respond to.

Question reference: S5W-06718

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 01 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 7 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what information it has on how many data security incidents were reported to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) regarding Scottish public bodies in each quarter of the last 10 years, broken down by sector.

All organisations which process personal data must take appropriate measures against unauthorised or unlawful processing and against accidental loss, destruction of or damage to personal data. They are required to notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) – the regulator of the Data Protection Act in the UK, and in some cases individuals themselves, of serious personal data breaches where there is significant actual or potential detriment to individuals. The Scottish Government does not collate information regarding personal data breaches reported by public bodies to ICO.

Question reference: S5W-07503

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Michael Russell on 7 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is conducting regarding Scotland potentially joining the European Free Trade Association.

Question reference: S5W-07306

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 17 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 3 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-04227 by Mark McDonald on 11 November 2016, whether it will provide an update on the information it has gathered on available capacity within the early learning and childcare sector, including the total hourly (a) term-time, (b) holiday day-time and (c) yearly capacity of the early learning and childcare sector.

The Care Inspectorate collects information on capacity places (the maximum number of children who can attend at any one time) and opening times. As at 31 December 2015 there were around (a) 152,000 capacity places in all non-domestic daycare for children settings during term-time, (b) 88,000 capacity places in all non-domestic daycare for children settings during the holidays, and (c) 160,000 capacity places in all non-domestic daycare for children settings in total.

If only settings that deliver the funded entitlement are considered, the respective number of capacity places are (a) 111,000 during term-time, (b) 54,000 during holidays, and (c) 112,000 in total.

Question reference: S5W-06826

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 3 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government how many (a) graduate and (b) foundation apprenticeships have been started in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) framework, (ii) local authority and apprentice (A) gender and (B) ethnicity.

Question reference: S5W-06873

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Friday, 03 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Mark McDonald on 3 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S5W-06392 by Mark McDonald on 1 February 2017, how many (a) graduates and (b) teachers it expects to complete courses in 2016-17.

Question reference: S5W-07514

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Thursday, 23 February 2017
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 2 March 2017

To ask the Scottish Government when it will introduce legislation regarding legal recognition for non-binary genders.

The Scottish Government is committed to reviewing and reforming gender recognition law to ensure that it is in line with international best practice. We expect to publish a wide ranging consultation on the Gender Recognition Act 2004 this summer. We aim to take action on reforming gender recognition law soon after the consultation process is completed, with the aim of implementing new arrangements by 2020.

Question reference: S5W-06467

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Wednesday, 25 January 2017
Current Status: Answered by Derek Mackay on 28 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government what the (a) average and (b) total rateable value of businesses in each (i) local authority area and (ii) sector has been in each of the last 10 years, and will be in 2017-18.

Question reference: S5T-00412

Asked by: Daniel Johnson, MSP for Edinburgh Southern, Scottish Labour
Date lodged: Monday, 27 February 2017
Current Status: Taken in the Chamber on 28 February 2017

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that one-in-10 training places are going unfilled, what action it is taking to encourage more people into teaching.