Parliamentary questions
Pam Duncan-Glancy
1,119 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.
1 Nov 2023 · Portfolio Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much grant funding it provides directly to each of Scotland’s botanic gardens annually.
26 Oct 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-18182 by Jenny Gilruth on 9 June 2023, when it expects that the evaluation of Education Scotland's Maths Recovery Pilot will be published.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Maths Recovery Pilot report is currently in the final stages of quality assurance and is expected to be published by the end of this year, 2023.
24 Oct 2023 · General Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on its National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy, following its statement of intent on 28 September.
23 Oct 2023 · Topical Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the recently announced Centre of Teaching Excellence.
20 Oct 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what percentage of pupils currently reach the expected standard in maths in (a) P1 and (b) P7.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The latest information on the percentage of pupils who reached the expected standard in numeracy in P1 and P7 is available in Table 1 of the Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence Levels (ACEL) publication which can be found on the Scottish Government websi…
29 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what it is doing to promote the consultation on the statement of intent for its National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy.
Answer · Natalie Don: We are working in collaboration with key stakeholder groups, including representatives of parent carers; local authorities; the third sector; health; social care; education; and employment, to share the Statement of Intent and promote completion of the questi…
29 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it expects to publish its National Transitions to Adulthood Strategy.
Answer · Natalie Don: We published a Statement of Intent in September 2023 and this is currently being tested through wider engagement. This is a crucial step in gathering wider views on whether the draft vision and priorities are the right ones, ultimately for inclusion in the st…
27 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it gave to extending the initial "test and learn" scheme of the Scottish Education Exchange Programme to youth work providers, and what its rationale was for not doing so.
Answer · Graeme Dey: As outlined in my letter to the Scottish Parliament’s Education, Children and Young People Committee dated 27 September 2023, Scottish universities and colleges can bid for one short term grant for a minimum of £1,000 and maximum of £25,000 to undertake inter…
27 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the outcome was of any recent discussions with key partners in the social care sector regarding (a) the introduction of a power for ministers to regulate secure transport, (b) the role of the Care Inspectorate in the registration, regulation and inspection of secure transport provis…
Answer · Natalie Don: As outlined in my letter of 6 September secure transport is a complex and long-standing issue. Initial discussions have taken place with key partners to consider the registration, regulation and inspection of secure transport provision, most recently on 2 Oct…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-20561 by Graeme Dey on 21 August 2023, when it will publish its (a) delivery plan and (b) workforce action plan to support students' mental health.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government will shorty publish the Delivery Plan and Workforce Development Plan which accompany the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy we published in the summer. Thereafter we will set out further actions in support of students.
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it assesses (a) outcomes, (b) performance and (c) value for money in relation to expenditure from its Education and Skills budget.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government has robust processes in place for assessing outcomes, performance and value for money in relation to expenditure from Portfolio budgets. Accountable Officers are in place to ensure that public money is used efficiently and effectively…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government on what date it plans to provide an update on its Learning Estate Investment Programme.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I have committed to updating the Scottish Parliament on Phase 3 of the Learning Estate Investment Programme by the end of October.
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the costs associated with colleges transitioning to net zero.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) engage regularly with colleges, which, are key anchors for the transition to Net Zero, acting as both community enablers and demonstration hubs in cities and regions. Published in November 2022, …
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support and guidance it offered to schools on providing alternative evidence to the Scottish Qualifications Authority to support student exam appeals in 2023.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: As a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), SQA operates at arm’s length to ministers and is responsible for its own operational decisions, including decisions and support and guidance relating to appeals. Alternative evidence was not required for the appeals …
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what the total cost has been, in each of the last five years, of plans relating to individual disabled children and young people's transitions to adulthood, as per its best practice guidance.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government does not hold information on any costs associated with transition plans that local authorities have in place for children and young people, as this is a matter for individual authorities. Under the Additional Support for Learning Act …
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of its working groups are currently under the remit of its Education and Skills portfolio.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The following working groups sit under the remit of the Education and Skills portfolio: National Response to Improving Mathematics in Scotland Short Life Working Group National Response to Improving Literacy in Scotland Short Life Working Group NIF Statuto…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many of its working groups under the remit of its Education and Skills portfolio have been (a) established and (b) announced since 1 April 2021.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The dates of the announcement and establishment of the working groups that are currently active in the Education and Skills portfolio are as follows: Working Group name Date Working Group was established Date Working Group was announced National Response …
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the costs associated with schools transitioning to net zero.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government, in partnership with local authorities, has been pioneering the transition to net zero in schools through the £2bn Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP). The LEIP targets the reduction in operational energy - e.g. heat, light, po…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with universities to understand the costs associated with transitioning to net zero.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) regularly engage with universities on a wide range of issues, such as budgets and priorities for the future, including Net Zero. Published in November 2022, SFC’s ‘Net Zero and Sustainability Fra…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to further raise awareness of the Young Person's Guarantee among employers.
Answer · Neil Gray: Support for young people now forms part of our all-age employability support delivered through No One Left Behind. Employability support is designed and delivered at a local level by Local Employability Partnerships. Local Authorities have the responsibility…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has a delivery plan for a new qualifications body to be in place to oversee exams in 2025.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The SQA will oversee the exam diet in 2025. Legislation establishing the new qualifications body will be introduced this parliamentary year enabling the new qualifications body to be established in late 2025.
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government, further to the answer to question S6W-19943 by Jenny Gilruth on 10 August 2023, for what reason there has been a reduction in the number of teacher bursaries awarded compared with 2018.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The reduction in the number of bursaries awarded in 2022-23 compared with 2018 is the result of a decrease in the number of applications received and as a result, less were approved. Information on the number of applications received and bursaries awarded is …
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how it (a) defines and (b) measures the poverty-related attainment gap.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government defines the poverty-related attainment gap as the gap in attainment between children and young people living in the most and least parts of the country based on Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) data. The most affluent bein…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government whether it anticipates that the Scottish Qualifications Authority will still be in operation at the time of the (a) 2024, (b) 2025 and (c) 2026 exam diet.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The intention is for the Scottish Qualifications Authority to continue to operate at the time of the 2024 and 2025 exam diets, with the new qualifications body being established in late 2025, after the 2025 exam diet. The new body will therefore be responsib…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government how much it has provided in grant funding to the Association for Real Change (ARC) Scotland in each of the last 10 years.
Answer · Natalie Don: The Scottish Government has provided a total of £4,367,590.00 of grant funding to the Association for Real Change (ARC) Scotland between 1 April 2013-30 September 2023 to support a number of areas of their work. This is broken down per financial year as follo…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to using some of the funding allocated to the Young Person's Guarantee to promote or fund increases in young people's earnings to the National Living Wage.
Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government announced the launch of the Young Person’s Guarantee in November 2020, with the aim of protecting young people against the immediate economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Guarantee aimed to ensure every young person between 16…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government when it anticipates that the Scottish Qualifications Authority will cease to operate in its current form.
Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The SQA will be replaced by the new qualifications body in late 2025, after the 2025 exam diet. There will be a period of transition with transfer arrangements in place to support this process.
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to support local authorities in making employability services more accessible for disabled people.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government works in partnership with Local Government and Local Employability Partners to offer key worker led, person-centred holistic support. At a local level they work in communities and with partners to deliver employability services to thos…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to offering funding for employability services on a multi-year basis.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government continues to explore options regarding the funding for employability services on a multi-year basis. However, we are required to deliver a balanced budget each year, and employability funding, like all other funded programmes and servi…
26 Sep 2023 · Written Question
To ask the Scottish Government what support and guidance it provides to the third sector on the promotion of employability services.
Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government continues to work closely with local employability partners in each local authority to promote and drive an increase in the reach of our services across all of Scotland. At a local level, Local Employability Partnerships will deliver …