Parliamentary questions

Pam Duncan-Glancy

1,119 questions tabled in the Scottish Parliament, most recent first.

13 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, what developments have been made to "align and clarify the relationship between statutory and non-statutory plans and to align those plans".

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government is working with local government partners on the Additional Support for Learning Project Board to deliver the recommendations of the 2020 additional support for learning review by March 2026. As outlined in our updated action plan , …

13 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, whether the Additional Support for Learning (ASL) Project Board's development of "a national measurement framework to capture the range of successes and achievements of children and young people w…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government are committed to working with COSLA, ADES and our partners on the Additional Support for Learning Project Board to deliver improvements in additional support for learning implementation and to ensure meaningful change for children and …

13 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, what additional measures will be included at the next review of the National Performance Framework.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government are committed to working with COSLA, ADES and our partners to deliver improvements in additional support for learning implementation and to ensure meaningful change for children and young people through our Additional Support for Learn…

13 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, whether it has made progress towards refreshing the Supporting Learners’ Code of Practice, and what its assessment is of how this will support schools and local authorities to fulfil their duties …

13 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, whether the development and trialling of the Association for Real Change (ARC) Principles into Practice programme will be completed by April 2023.

Answer · Natalie Don: The Association for Real Change (ARC) Scotland’s Principles into Practice trial programme, which was conducted in ten participating Local Authority areas, concluded on 31 March 2023. The revised Principles into Practice Framework will shortly be made availabl…

13 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, when it plans to update existing guidance on the qualifications required to teach children and young people with sensory impairments.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: The Scottish Government is working with partners in local government, The Scottish Sensory Centre, Sense Scotland and the General Teaching Council for Scotland to update existing guidance on qualifications and teacher competencies for those who teach children…

13 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, what progress has been made towards refreshing the getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) approach, and what new guidance it anticipates will come out of this.

13 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, whether it is on track to share the evaluation of the engagement programme, and, if so, what (a) visions and (b) values have been agreed upon.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Education Scotland are leading on a national engagement programme for Pupil Support Staff, which sought the views of Pupil Support Staff, senior leaders, children and young people and parents and carers. The 4 month consultation element of the programme was …

13 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, whether its final proposals for an accredited qualification and registration programme for Additional Support Needs assistants are on track to be brought forward by autumn 2023.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Yes. A working group, including representatives from local authorities, COSLA, the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland, Education Scotland and Scottish Government officials, has been formed to explore options for the development of an accredited…

13 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, following the publication of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, whether teachers have been able to access support and expertise from other professionals when this is required, and, if so, whether there have been any reoccurring concerns expres…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Teachers can access support and expertise to understand and meet the needs of all learners from colleagues nationally, regionally and locally. This may include Education Scotland staff, third sector organisations, Regional Improvement Collaborative teams and …

13 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, for what reasons it, the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) and the Scottish Council of Deans of Education (SCDE) concluded that a qualification in additional support for learning "would…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: As set out in the November 2022 update to the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan, the Scottish Government discussed with GTCS and SCDE the viability of a first teaching qualification in additional support for learning being available at the in…

13 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will revisit its research on the implementation factors associated with effective workforce development and deployment within the pupil support staff workforce in spring 2023, as stated in the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-15687 on 22 March 2023. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/writte…

13 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, following the publication of the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022, how it plans to ensure that there will be career progression and pathways for teachers looking to specialise in Additional Support for Learning (ASL), and for what reason its inte…

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Career progression for teachers who want to further their careers in specialist roles in curricular, pedagogical and policy delivery are available through the role of Lead Teacher, which was introduced into the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers grad…

13 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it plans to seek the views of the workforce, parents and carers, and children and young people within the Pupil Support Staff Working Group consultations, as committed to in the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan – Update November 2022.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: In addition to the November 2022 update to the Additional Support for Learning Review Action Plan, Education Scotland have been leading on a national engagement programme for pupil support staff, which sought the views of the workforce, parents and carers. T…

12 Apr 2023 · Portfolio Question

To ask the Scottish Government what its response is to the reported £21 million of budget reductions for health and social care in Glasgow.

3 Apr 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made in revising its getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) policy and practice guidance, and when it anticipates that the revised GIRFEC policy and guidelines will be complete.

Answer · Natalie Don: The Scottish Government published a series of refreshed GIRFEC policy and practice guidance to provide practitioners and professionals working with children, young people and their families with the confidence, clarity and practical support to continue to e…

31 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how many people Social Security Scotland has written to in order to let them know that they (a) are entitled to and (b) will receive a Winter Heating Payment.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: As at 31 March, almost 400,000 low income households had automatically received £50 in Winter Heating Payments to support them with their energy bills for this winter. All will have received a letter explaining their entitlement to the benefit. Information o…

31 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Winter Heating Payment, (a) how many people and (b) what percentage of the total number of those eligible requested the payment by paper form, and how many of those received the payment by 31 March 2023.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: A first release of Official Statistics on Winter Heating Payment will be published on 06 June 2023, covering up to 31 March 2023. Subject to disclosure control, the publication will include breakdowns of applications and payments by channel, including paper f…

31 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to publish data on relative poverty among young parents, and, if so, when any such data will be published.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The most recent statistics report Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2019-22 includes data tables showing a time series of poverty rates for children by whether the mother is under or over the age of 25. This report is available at Poverty and Income …

31 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to reduce poverty among young families, in light of its publication, Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2019-22, which shows that 36% of households with household heads aged 16 to 24 were in relative poverty after housing costs, and that this had risen by …

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The most recent statistics report Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2019-22 , shows an estimated 36% of households with household heads aged 16 to 24 were in relative poverty after housing costs. Over the past decade, the estimates have fluctuated bet…

27 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government (a) what plans it has and (b) when it will decide on how to fund an audit of Scotland's Fracture Liaison Services, following the approval of this audit by the National Audit Programme Board in April 2022.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government has committed to funding this audit and a letter setting out the details has been sent to the Royal Osteoporosis Society.

27 Mar 2023 · First Minister's Question

To ask the First Minister what the Scottish Government's response is to the poverty statistics published last week in the report, Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland 2019-22.

22 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government whether there is a pathway in place for people with a congenital visual impairment who have had a stroke.

Answer · Michael Matheson: Vision is routinely assessed following stroke and any pre-existing visual problems would be considered as part of the assessment and rehabilitation process. The criteria for assessment during Scottish Stroke Improvement Programme (SSIP) annual reviews of NHS …

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government how it monitors bullying of Deaf and disabled children at a national level, and what steps it is taking to tackle bullying of Deaf and disabled children in schools.

Answer · Jenny Gilruth: Bullying of any kind is unacceptable and must be addressed quickly and effectively. Our national approach to anti-bullying, Respect for All , provides guidance on, including an explicit commitment in relation to prejudice based bullying. All schools are expec…

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to identify how many (a) Deaf and (b) disabled people who died during the COVID-19 pandemic had (i) a voluntary and (ii) an involuntary do-not-resuscitate order in place.

Answer · Michael Matheson: The Scottish Government does not hold this information. National Records of Scotland (NRS) are the official producer of statistics relating to deaths, including where the cause was related to COVID-19. The information they hold is restricted to that recorded…

20 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what work it is undertaking to determine how many (a) Deaf and (b) disabled people died during the COVID-19 pandemic as a result of (i) contracting the disease and (ii) any reasons associated with the disease, such as loss of social care support.

14 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what (a) analysis it undertakes and (b) data it (i) holds and (ii) publishes on (A) tracking and (B) monitoring the successful sustainment, or otherwise, of the "positive destinations" of school leavers.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: Information on the initial destinations of school leavers three months after the end of the school year (i.e. in October) is published in the Summary Statistics for Attainment and Initial Leaver Destinations publication released in February each year. Infor…

14 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what information it holds on how many "lead teachers" have been appointed in each local authority, in each year since 2020, and how much has been (a) budgeted for and (b) spent to fund any such appointments.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: There were five full-time equivalent lead teachers that met the required inclusion criteria for the 2022 School Staff Census, these were all from Scottish Borders. The role of lead teacher was established in June 2021, therefore figures are not available for …

13 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of eligible people have received the Winter Heating Payment to date.

Answer · Ben Macpherson: I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-16208 on? 27 March 2023, which provided an update on Winter Heating Payment. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found …

8 Mar 2023 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Government, regarding the Additional Support for Learning (ASL) review action plan, whether it is on track to develop a mapping exercise to capture the breadth of policy development aligned to ASL by June 2023.

Answer · Shirley-Anne Somerville: The Scottish Government is working with local government partners on the Additional Support for Learning Project Board to deliver the recommendations of the 2020 additional support for learning review by March 2026. As outlined in our updated action plan pu…