Parliamentary questions
Meghan Gallacher
343 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
6 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when updated software needed to improve the management and monitoring of early learning and childcare services will be developed and ready for use.
Answer · Natalie Don: Work is underway now and the current timescale for development completion of the SEEMiS Early Years IT platform is Jan-Mar 2024. The actual system “go live” date is yet to be decided, with an options appraisal currently underway and scheduled for Project Revi…
6 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to provide support to private nurseries and childminders in order for them to be able to provide flexibility and choice for families, in light of the reported fragility of the sector.
Answer · Natalie Don: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18980 on 21 June 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees…
6 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce any budget pressures being experienced by early years and childcare businesses.
Answer · Natalie Don: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18980 on 21 June 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees…
6 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to secure the early years sector, in light of reports that it "remains fragile" following the introduction of 1,140 hours of funded childcare.
Answer · Natalie Don: I am proud of what we have achieved with the expansion to 1140 hours, and I was pleased to see Audit Scotland recognising that the Scottish Government, local authorities and partners did well to deliver the expansion despite the challenges of a global pandemi…
6 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of eligible children with additional support needs are currently accessing 1,140 hours of funded childcare.
Answer · Natalie Don: According to the latest Scottish Government Early Learning and Childcare census data from September 2022, 99% of 3- and 4-year-olds, and 14% of 2-year-olds, are estimated to be registered for funded early learning and childcare (ELC), and 18% of these child r…
6 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when a procedure will be put in place to monitor progress with early learning and childcare (ELC) providers paying the Living Wage to staff delivering funded ELC.
Answer · Natalie Don: Throughout the 1140 expansion we have sought to improve conditions across the private, third and childminding workforce delivering funded ELC, including through our investment to support sustainable rates to be set at a level to enable payment of the real Liv…
6 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to identify how much was spent by local authorities on phasing in additional hours of funded childcare between 2018-19 and 2021-22.
Answer · Natalie Don: Routine spending information that councils report does not distinguish between spending on 600 hours of funded ELC and spending on the additional hours provided by the expansion. The Scottish Government has therefore gathered separate financial information on…
6 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when a value-for-money assessment of 1,140 hours of funded childcare will be completed.
Answer · Natalie Don: The Scottish Government will be undertaking an economic evaluation as part of our multi-year strategy for evaluating the impact of the expansion of funded early learning and childcare (ELC) to 1,140 hours on outcomes for children, parents and families. The pu…
6 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when a long-term workforce plan for the early learning and childcare sector will be developed to address any risks to sustainability and to meet future demand.
Answer · Natalie Don: The Scottish Government is working with partners and practitioners from across the childcare sector to develop a Strategic Framework for Scotland’s Early Learning and Childcare, School Age Childcare and Childminding Profession. The Framework will set out the …
6 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to address the data gaps in the roll-out of 1,140 hours of funded childcare, as outlined by the Auditor General in the report, Early learning and childcare: Progress on delivery of the 1,140 hours expansion.
Answer · Natalie Don: The data gaps identified by Audit Scotland relate to different elements of funded early learning and childcare (ELC). These include workforce movement, the living wage, parental demand, financial data, and the extent to which children with additional support …
6 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to increase the movement of early learning and childcare staff between the public, private and third sectors.
Answer · Natalie Don: The Scottish Government is proud that there are now an unprecedented 46,260 professionals supporting children and families across Scotland and that those professionals can pursue opportunities to progress and develop fulfilling careers in the sector. The Scot…
6 Jun 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on reported concerns regarding the fragility of the early years sector.
Answer · Natalie Don: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18980 on 21 June 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees…
30 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether regulations will be introduced, under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006, to ban the use of remote-controlled collars that emit electric shocks to dogs.
Answer · Mairi Gougeon: The Scottish Government is considering the recent report by the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission on the use of electronic dog training collars and looks forward to their future consideration of wider aspects of dog training. We will consider all their findi…
30 May 2023 · First Minister's Question
To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's position is regarding recent reports that suggest there is a mental health crisis emerging in the early years sector.
30 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with New College Lanarkshire Motherwell Campus regarding the proposed closure of its halls of residence.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government has had no discussions with New College Lanarkshire about the proposed closure of the halls of residence located at the college's Motherwell Campus. Colleges operate independently of government and there is therefore very little scope…
22 May 2023 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will compensate businesses if it decides not to proceed with the Deposit Return Scheme.
9 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will introduce to improve the reading skills of secondary school students.
2 May 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will introduce to improve the reading skills of secondary school students.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The 2022 Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL) data tells us that 79% of P7 pupils achieved the expected Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) level for reading by the end of primary school, which represents an increase of around 4 percentage point…
25 Apr 2023 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has allocated from its Budget to cover any additional costs resulting from the delay to the Deposit Return Scheme.
19 Apr 2023 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government what plans it has to tackle the vacancies in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
28 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered adopting a national approach to the teaching of a first additional language (L2) to ensure that pupils from certain areas are not left behind.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I refer the member to the answer to S6W-16506 on 5 May 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-qu…
28 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps it has taken to expand the learning of (a) BSL and (b) other modern languages in schools.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Since 2013 the teaching of modern languages in schools has expanded considerably. Language learning is now normal in schools beginning at P1 and continuing throughout the Broad General Education (BGE). Prior to the introduction of the 1+2 approach, learning m…
28 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what steps are being taken to increase the number of modern languages (a) teachers and (b) teaching assistants to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, in light of the reported decrease in numbers.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government has clear commitments to improve education, and those include more teachers in our schools. During the pandemic we provided £240 million of additional investment to local authorities to support the recruitment of additional education …
28 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered introducing a minimum level of competency in relation to a first additional language (L2) throughout Scotland.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Our approach to language learning is a national one, giving every child the entitlement to learn a first additional language from P1 until the end of the Broad General Education (BGE) in S3. Additionally, each child is entitled to learn a second additional la…
28 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it will ensure continued efficient implementation of the 1+2 languages policy, in light of the reduction in funding allocated in 2023-24.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government continues to support language learning in schools. We are maintaining grant funding to key delivery partners, such as Scotland’s National Centre for Languages, to support schools and local authorities to deliver high-quality language l…
28 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are being considered to provide additional support to higher education institutions to prevent their modern languages departments from being reduced or closed.
Answer · Graeme Dey: Scotland has universities that are not only world leaders in education and research but also key drivers of the Scottish economy and we recognise as part of that modern language provision plays an important role Scottish universities are autonomous instituti…
27 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how long it anticipates it will take for pupils to recover from any loss of education as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government recognises the impact which the Covid-19 pandemic had on children and young people in Scotland, particularly the closing of schools and learning lost as a result. This is in common with children and young people across the world. Scho…
27 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on pupils in relation to their (a) ability to learn, (b) attention span, (c) discipline, (d) resilience and (e) communication skills.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: As noted in the answer to question S6W-16405 on 18 April 2023, the Scottish Government carried out a number of Impact Assessments during the pandemic to help inform key decisions and to understand their impact on those at risk and on vulnerable groups, includ…
27 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessments have been conducted on any lost learning by pupils during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government undertook a suite of Impact Assessments during the pandemic to help inform key decisions and assess their potential impact on those at greatest risk from COVID- 19 and on vulnerable groups, including learners. The Scottish Government …
27 Mar 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what impact assessment it has carried out of not providing free breakfasts to all primary school children.
Answer · Natalie Don: Breakfasts are being provided across Scotland by a range of service providers including public, private and third sector. We have begun work with local authorities and key stakeholders to better understand and map that provision in order to assess gaps and be…