Pam Duncan-Glancy

19 Jun 2023 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister how the Scottish Government is responding to the ongoing industrial disputes in further and higher education.

31 May 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what measures it will put in place to support women in the immediate days and weeks after they leave a coercive and abusive relationship.

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it will support training providers facing potential closure as a result of any delays in confirming budgets for skills and employability programmes.

Answer · Neil Gray: As outlined in the answer to question S6W-18598 on 15 June 2023, the 2023-24 budget for skills and employability programmes has been confirmed. The Scottish Government continues to offer free and impartial advice to all employers and individuals affected by …

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent engagement it has had with modern apprenticeship providers in relation to any contract delays.

Answer · Graeme Dey: Scottish Government has regular engagement with the main representative body of training providers in Scotland, Scottish Training Federation (STF). I am due to meet the STF Chief Executive in the coming weeks. Skills Development Scotland (SDS) have regular m…

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the statement by the Scottish Training Federation that "Scottish Government delays in setting its skills and employability budgets this year is having a devastating impact on training providers".

Answer · Neil Gray: The employability delivery landscape in Scotland remains diverse with complexity and duplication being addressed through No One Left Behind and its aim to simplify the system. We must ensure that funding is prioritised to remain focused on the needs of indivi…

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting training providers in any absence of confirmed budgets for skills and employability programmes.

Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18596 on 15 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 when it plans to confirm the budget for Individual Training Accounts.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The budget for the Individual Training Accounts has been confirmed and the scheme is due to reopen on 19 June.

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government for what reason No One Left Behind employability programme budgets are reportedly two months overdue.

Answer · Neil Gray: In the face of rising costs and the need to deliver a balanced budget which delivers the best value for every tax payer in Scotland, funding must be prioritised and robust decisions made which are linked to the annual budget setting process and associated fin…

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to confirm all budgets for skills and employability programmes.

Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18598 on 15 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 when it plans to confirm budgets for No One Left Behind employability programmes.

Answer · Neil Gray: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-18598 on 15 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 when it last met the Welsh Government to discuss the Taith programme.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish and Welsh Governments last met in June 2023 to discuss opportunities for collaboration and sharing best practice across areas of mutual interest. This includes educational mobility and exchange programmes.

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it plans to confirm budgets for skills and employability programmes.

Answer · Neil Gray: The 2023-24 budgets for employability programmes, including No One Left Behind and Fair Start Scotland were confirmed by the Deputy First Minister on 25 May, with Grant Offer Letters issued to local authorities on 30 May for No One Left Behind. The budget for…

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what recent engagement it has had with skills and employability programme training providers regarding staff redundancies.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government continues to offer free and impartial advice to all employers and individuals affected by redundancy through Partnership Action for Continuing Employment, PACE, which has local teams ready to respond quickly when situations arise and a…

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met the Welsh Government to discuss a Scottish educational exchange programme.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish and Welsh Governments last met in June 2023 to discuss opportunities for collaboration and sharing best practice across areas of mutual interest. This includes educational mobility and exchange programmes.

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last met representatives within the education sector to discuss a Scottish educational exchange programme.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government has had a number of recent meetings with a range of representatives from across the lifelong learning and educations sectors to discuss areas of mutual interest, including the Scottish Education Exchange Programme. We will continue to …

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the statement by the Scottish Training Federation that delays in confirming skills and employability programme budgets has resulted in 75 staff redundancies by training providers since 6 April 2023, with a further 60 expected in June.

Answer · Neil Gray: The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a balanced budget with a focus on the renewed missions set out recently by the First Minister - to tackle poverty; to build a fair, green and a growing economy; and to improve our public services. In 2023-24…

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the implementation timetable for its four small-scale school swimming pilot projects.

Answer · Maree Todd: The 4 delivery model pilots of school swimming have now been completed and an evaluation is currently being undertaken which will be published in due course. We will work with Scottish Swimming and sportscotland to utilise the learning from these pilots to co…

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to a recent Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association survey, which reportedly found that just 12% of pupils are ready to return to full exam coursework in 2023-24.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Teacher views are clearly important, and I have met with the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) to discuss the findings from their survey, as has the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) which has statutory responsibility for all operational d…

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it has conducted an analysis of any benefits of Erasmus+ to relevant sectors in Scotland.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government’s position is that the Erasmus+ programme had a major impact in Scotland. Scotland received a total of 143.2 million euros during the previous Erasmus+ cycle between 2014-2020. Scotland welcomes international students and recognises t…

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it plans to publish its Student Mental Health Plan.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of all students in Scotland. We will shortly be publishing Scotland’s new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and, thereafter, actions to support students.

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to urgently review ways in which interim data can be used to compare Scotland with other countries in relation to numeracy and science.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Scotland participates in the Programme for International Student Assessments (PISA), which is an assessment of 15 year olds' skills in maths, science and reading. It is carried out under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developme…

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to urgently review ways in which interim data can be used to compare Scotland with other countries in relation to educational performance.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Scotland participates in the Programme for International Student Assessments (PISA), which is an assessment of 15 year olds' skills in maths, science and reading. It is carried out under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developme…

30 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to urgently review ways in which interim data can be used to compare Scotland with other countries in relation to literacy.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Scotland participates in the Programme for International Student Assessments (PISA), which is an assessment of 15 year olds' skills in maths, science and reading. It is carried out under the auspices of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Developme…

25 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it last evaluated the pathway into educational psychology.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government and COSLA agreed a joint funding model in 2018 to support the training of new Educational Psychologists. This model was agreed and developed by the National Scottish Steering Group for Educational Psychologists (NSSGEP). The NSSGEP is …

25 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many secondary schools currently have a dedicated counselling service in place.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is an absolute priority for the Scottish Government. We support our local authority partners with £16 million in funding to ensure that every secondary school has access to counselling services. A…

25 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it is supporting the provision of indigenous minority languages in the education sector.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government recognises the importance of supporting the provision of indigenous minority languages in the education sector. There are a range of measures in place to support the varied needs of Gaelic and Scots in our schools and the use and learn…

25 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government on what date it plans to publish its Student Mental Health Plan.

Answer · Graeme Dey: The Scottish Government is committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of all students in Scotland. We will shortly be publishing Scotland’s new Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy and, thereafter, actions to support students.

25 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many educational psychologists there have been in post in each year since 2007.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The full-time equivalent (FTE) number of Educational Psychologists since 2007 is shown in the following table. Year Educational Psychologists (FTE) 2007 416 2008 413 2009 418 2010 401 2011 390 2012 411 2013 407 2014 405 2015 370 2016 363…

25 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what mechanisms are in place to evaluate the impact of the £16 million allocated to local authorities for secondary school counselling services.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We support our local authority partners with £16 million in funding to ensure that every secondary school has access to counselling services. Local authorities provide six monthly reports to the Scottish Government on the impact and effectiveness of school c…

24 May 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government when it will publish the replacement to the publication, Learning together: national action plan on parental involvement, engagement, family learning and learning at home 2018–2021.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: We are continuing to work with the Learning Together Steering group, Education Scotland and other key stakeholders to develop a refreshed policy framework for parental engagement. This work is being taken forward as part of the broader Education Recovery Stra…